According to the Adoption Law
of the People's Republic of China, foreigners can adopt children (male or
female) in China.
In China, children under the age of 14 in the following categories may be
adopted:
， Orphans who have lost their parents
， Abandoned children whose birth parents cannot be found
， Children whose birth parents are incapable of providing for them because of
unusual hardship.
When a foreigner adopts a child in China, his or her adoption shall be
examined and approved by the responsible agency of the adopter's resident
country and the adopters shall satisfy the following requirements:
， Childless, neither birth child and adopted child
， Capable of raising and educating the adoptee
， No illness which is deemed as medically inappropriate for the adopter to
adopt children
， Adopter should be 30 years old and above
o When a married person adopts a child, he / she should get consent from
their spouse
o When a spouseless male adopt a female child, the age difference between the
adopter and the adoptee should be above forty years
Orphans, disabled children or abandoned infants may be adopted irrespective
of the restrictions that the adoptor shall be childless.
A foreigner who wants to adopt a Chinese child must submit the following
documents to the China Center of Adoption Affairs.
， Adoption application
， Birth certificate
， Marital status certificate
， Certificates of profession, income and property
， Health examination certificate
， Certificate of no-criminal record
， A home study report regarding the lifestyle, immediate and extended family,
finances and reasons for adopting
， Certificate of child adoption approval issued by the relevant department of
the adopter's country of residence
， Photos
The full adoption process mainly include following procedures:
， Apply for a international adoption at the adoption organization in the
adopter's resident country
， Obtain some relevant certificates under the instruction of the adoption
organization
， Prepare dossier and offer application to China Center of Adoption Affairs
， Wait for the examination and, if qualified, the referral of a child (6-8
months)
， Once you are matched with a child, a copy of the medical report of this
child, along with the child's photograph, will be delivered. The medical reports
contain limited, basic information concerning the child's general health status.
Sometimes there will be a short paragraph about growth and development. You may
request more information before deciding whether to accept a child.
， Travel to China and conclude a written adoption agreement with the person
placing out the child for adoption
， When a foreign married couple adopts a child in concert, they should come
to China together to go through the adoption formalities; if one of the spouses
cannot come to China for some reasons, a notarized and authenticated written
power of attorney should be delivered by the other spouse
， Make an adoptive registration in the civil affairs department in the
locality of the adoptee's permanent residence
， Adopter, adoptee and the person placing out the child for adoption should
be present together. Adopter is required to fill in the Registration Application
for Adoption of Children in China. Furthermore, the Notice of Coming to China
for Adoption issued by the CCAA, the identity certificates and photos of the
adopters should be submitted to the registration organisation
， A registration certificate of adoption would be issued to the adopter
within 7 days if the adoption registration organisation validates the adoptive
relationship after examination.
， The entire adoption process from the time you submit your formal paperwork
(the Dossier) to you being united with your child currently takes approximately
12-14 months.
The adoption process is somewhat expensive since it contains all the costs
involved in this process, such as fees spent in making copies of documents,
obtaining documents and certifications and traveling. Today, the total cost of
adopting a child in China is between 10,000 to 20,000 US$.
