From Which Countries Can You Adopt?
Not every country in the world allows adoption by foreigners. This is partly because some countries don't have the infrastructure, and partly because corruption in the past led to it becoming illegal. Romania and Mexico are two examples of countries that used to allow foreign adoption but currently do not because there were terrible people creating baby mills and stealing children and that kind of thing.
The list of countries that do allow foreign adoptions is not static. If you are interested in adopting internationally it is best to work with an agency in the US who partners with foreign adoption agencies, because they will help you navigate the many ins and outs of adopting through the country of your choosing. When choosing which country to adopt from, you have to consider several factors.
How Should You Choose a Country?
Types Of Adoptable Kids
Each country has different types of children in need of adoption and available to foreigners. For example, Korea has many more boys waiting than girls. Some countries only allow children with special needs to be adopted internationally. Brazil only allows older kids (over 7, I think?) to be adopted internationally unless one or both adoptive parents have some Brazilian heritage.
Travel
Whichever country you choose, you will likely have to make multiple trips there. (Additionally, someday after adoptiong, you will likely need to travel to your kid's home country to help them connect with their racial and cultural identity.) Some countries require both parents to be in the country for some length of time. This length of time could be 2 weeks or it could be 20 weeks. Most countries that require you to stay for a long time allow one parent to travel back to the US.
Time
There are two time periods to consider when choosing a country. One is matching time - how long you have to be on a waiting list before they assign a child to you. The other is time before the child can be brought to the US. Adopting from Haiti, for example, requires a 12-month waiting period after you are matched before you can bring the child home. You can make multiple trips to Haiti during that time, but you can't bring the child home for 12 months. China, on the other hand, allows you to take the child home after 13 days.
Costs
There are lots of different kinds of costs involved and this differs from country to country as well. There are adoption fees through that country's government. There may be case management fees for whoever is managing the child(ren)'s case in that country. There is the cost of hotel stays and incidentals, which depend on how long you have to be in the country and how many times you have to travel there. There is the cost of airfare, which depends on how far you are from the country and how many times you are required to go there. There are US fees associated with visas for the parents, visa(s) for the kid(s), and getting US citizenship for the kid(s). This means that by the time the adoption process is completed, you can easily have spent between 30K and A LOT more than 30K.
Another possible cost to keep in mind is post-adoption services. If your kid has any kind of special needs, including an attachment disorder (common in kids from orphanages), you may need attachment therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, or a whole host of other services. Some of those things could potentially be covered or partly covered by your health insurance. My guess is that in most cases that coverage ranges from limited to none, but I don't know for sure.
Requirements For Parents
Some countries require you be above a certain age. Some require you to be below a certain age. Some require you to be married for a certain amount of time. Some do not allow single mothers or same-sex couples to adopt. Some require you to have a certain body mass index (and by "some" I mean Korea). Some give preference to Catholic families. Again, every country is different.
Race And Culture
There is a lot to consider when adopting kids who don't look like you. Transracial adoption is not a decision to be taken lightly. By taking on transracial adoption, you have to be committed to bringing a different culture into your home and into your identity as a family. And if you are white, you have the privilege of rarely having to think about skin color or race, and may be completely underestimating how different the experience is for children of color and people of color growing up and living in this country. Having children who are Filipino is very different from having children who are Ugandan. You need to be ready to embrace that culture and incorporate it into your life every day.
Now What?
Who you work with in the US can determine your experience of the entire process. Some agencies will really hold your hand and help you with every step. Others give you the info you need and mostly you do it on your own. We contacted an adoption therapist who has experience with every type of adoption there is, and asked her for a recommendation. She referred us to a wonderful organization in the Bay Area.
