Chinese adoption is increasingly common in the United States. Many people know of someone in their family, neighborhood or community who decided to adopt a Chinese baby. China was the top facilitator of international adoptions, with thousands of Chinese children finding homes in the United States each year.

The adoption process is clear, orderly and well-regulated. However, in May of 2007, major restructurings of adoption policies were made, tightening some of the restrictions and requirements concerning who can adopt and what kind of children can be adopted.

Time Is a Factor
There are many Chinese adoption facilitators that have many years of experience in guiding prospective adoptive parents through the red tape of Chinese international adoptions. Because the timeline for adopting healthy Chinese children runs from the ages of 10 months to 2 years, it’s important for you to have someone working with you to speed things up as much as possible and avoid any costly delays due to errors in paperwork. All international adoptions are run through the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs, headquartered in Beijing/ All adoption agencies must be approved by this entity.

The Adoption Process
Chinese international adoption is smoothly regulated, with set timelines, court appearances and regulated fees and costs. There are no surprises or hidden fees when adopting from China. One of the fees you'll pay is an orphanage fee, which goes towards improving the other children’s quality of life.

Chinese children eligible for adoption are usually housed in orphanages, but sometimes they reside in foster care. Nearly all of the children available for adoption are girls, because of China’s single-child policy. Most are healthy and simply unwanted, making it very desirable to adopt a Chinese baby. The adoption ages range from infants to older girls. Some boys are also available to adopt, but not as frequently as girls.

When your dossier is approved, you will be invited to travel to China to meet the child, view others available for adoption and finalize the paperwork. One or both adoptive parents must travel to China to complete the paperwork and finalize the adoption. Generally, this lasts around 14 days. A CCAI representative will accompany the parents throughout the process and provide translating services as needed. The child’s visa must be issued at the Guangzhou Consulate in order for travel outside of China.