The Easiest Country to Adopt from Is Closer than You Imagine
(To save you time: the list of the easiest countries to adopt from starts in the middle of the article, but before that, there are some important considerations).
My mother had adoptive parents. Although later on in her life she met her biological parents — almost by accident — the real ones for her were always the adoptive ones.
She always talked about them on a very positive note, and I bet she loved her adoptive parents more than many biological kids love theirs. Every time she recalls some moment with them, I feel in her words the enhanced gratitude she has since they chose to raise her.
Adoption, on the other hand, is not a simple decision that should be made hastily.
Once I read that there is ONE question a person should make before
I will also share with you some personal stories I have heard or read about. Some of them are positive, others are not, but all of them are real.
Check also some of the other rankings we compiled:
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Why Would Someone Refuse to Adopt From Their Own Country?
First of all, “refuse” here may not be the proper verb. There are three major reasons for someone not to adopt within their own country.
1st: In other countries (like mine), there are many more prospective parents seeking to adopt a child than there are children for adoption. With high competition, unless you are a wealthy couple married for years, your chances of having an adoptive child are meager.
2nd: In other countries, bizarre laws can cause traumatic experiences. For example, in Brazil, there were cases where biological parents, years after abandoning the child and when they were already adopted and living with a new family, went to court to recover custody. And they won.
3rd: Due to immense bureaucracy, adoption in some countries takes years and is nearly impossible.
Read also: Population Collapse: Top 10 Countries With Declining Populations
Countries That Allow International Adoption (And Those Who Don’t)
Not every country will allow foreigners to adopt kids.
What countries do NOT ALLOW international adoption
Here is a list of some countries that don’t let people from other countries adopt children.
- Argentina
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)
- Comoros
- Ethiopia
- Grenada
- Iran
- Iraq
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Maldives
- Mozambique
- Paraguay
- Saudi Arabia
- Swaziland
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
Be aware that in some cases, YOUR country may prohibit international adoptions from certain blacklisted countries. For example, Canada has stopped allowing its citizens to adopt children from Nepal, Liberia, Georgia, Guatemala, and, temporarily, Ukraine.
Nearly all other countries not listed above allow international adoptions, but some of them have extremely restrictive criteria. But not those listed in this ranking of the easiest countries to adopt from.
With no further ado, let’s talk about the criteria for this list.
Criteria to Define the Easiest Countries to Adopt a Baby From
- Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
The Hague Adoption Convention is a transnational agreement about international adoption. Its goal is to protect those involved from the corruption, child trafficking, and exploitation that can sometimes go along with international adoption. The agreement is important because it establishes formal international acceptance of intercountry adoptions to make sure the process will normally be recognized in other countries.
That is the reason you will not see in this list popular names like Ethiopia, since the country is not a signatory of the convention.
- Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
- Average Adoption Cost (according to consideringadoption.com, unless stated otherwise).
- Is there a minimum age requirement to adopt a child? If so, what is a child’s minimum legal age for adoption?
- What are the requirements for adoptive parents?
Read also: The Fastest Growing Cities in Europe Have Some Odd Things in Common
The Easiest Countries to Adopt a Baby From
(They are not necessarily in order, but all of them meet the above-mentioned criteria.)
Colombia – The Easiest Country to Adopt From Latin-America
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
The cost of a typical adoption process for a child from Colombia is around $35,470. This does not include airline tickets to and from Colombia, hotel accommodations, etc. Be warned that travel advisories have been confirmed by the US State Department due to criminal activity and terrorism connected to narcotics.
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
Children eligible for international adoption are at least 6 months old.
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- Single women or married couples are allowed.
- For couples to adopt together, the country demands a minimum of two years of marriage.
- Positive net worth and an annual income of at least $10,000 per family member, including the adopted child.
- There can be no more than two misdemeanors in a person’s lifetime and no history of felonies.
- Applicants who have or have had a life-threatening or contagious disease or other condition that affects their ability to parent and/or the quality of life of a child are not allowed to adopt.
Thailand
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
According to ThaiEmbassy, agencies give a wide range of prices for, but most of them are between $10,000 and $18,000. But don’t be too excited about the low price: it doesn’t include travel costs or fees for visa processing.
Costs to stay a few months during the process in Thailand, however, are not expensive (in fact, costs are very low, and that is why many remote workers choose to live in Thailand and why so many foreigners consider Thailand a retirement destination.
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
Babies are available from 10 months old, nevertheless, most of them are around 2 years old.
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- Candidates must be at least 25 years old.
- Candidates who are single or have been married for at least two years to a heterosexual partner.
- Before they can adopt a child in Thailand, parents must show proof that they have a stable income.
China – The Easiest Country to Adopt In Far-East Asia
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
According to ConsideringAdoption, here is a breakdown of the costs:
- Agency Application: $1,000-$2,500
- Home Study: $1,000-$3,000
- Program Fees: $8,000-$12,000
- Travel Costs: $7,000-$14,000
- Documentation: $1,000-$3,000
- U.S. Entry Visa Application: $300-$500
- Post-Placement Fees: $500-$1,000
- Orphanage Donation (required in China): $5,000-$6,000
- I-800 Visa Application: $500-$1,000
- Third-Party Fees: $2,000-$3,000
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
No
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- The minimum age for candidates is 30.
- Neither parent should be more than 50 years older than the child they are adopting. You cannot be more than 45 years older than the adopted child if you are a single parent.
- Married couples must have no more than five children, none of whom are younger than a year old. Single parents may have no more than three children in their home, none of whom must be under the age of six.
- Married couples must be married for a minimum of two years, and remarried couples must be married for a minimum of five years. A maximum of two divorces are permitted.
- Married couples must have a minimum net worth of $80,000 and earn $10,000 per child in the home, including the prospective adopted child. The requirements may be more stringent for single parents.
- Anyone considering adoption must be in good health.
With the worsening economical situation in China, there is a chance the number of kids put for adoption will increase in the next years.
Haiti
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
Depending on the specifics of your adoption process, the total cost could range anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000, including travel expenses.
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
Adoptable children must be at least three months old and no older than sixteen years old; if they are older than 12 years old, they must express their consent to the adoption.
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- If you are going to adopt as a couple, at least one of you must be 30 or older. If you’re a single parent, you must be least 35 years old to adopt.
- Candidates above the age of 50 are not allowed.
- Heterosexual couples (married and unmarried) are ok. You must show proof of at least 5 years of marriage or co-residence.
- Candidates must provide proof of employment and a stable income. There are no explicit guidelines for how much money a family must earn.
India
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
It ranges from $30,000 to $40,000, including travel costs.
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
There is no minimum age for adoptive children.
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- Candidates must be at least 25 years old and no more than 45 if adopting a child under the age of four. If the kid is between the ages of four and eight, both candidates must be at least 29 and no older than 50. If the kid is over the age of eight, the candidates must be at least 33 and no older than 55.
- Adoption can be done by married couples or single women.
- Couples (only heterosexuals) must be married for at least two years.
- Candidates must have no more than four children.
The easiest country to adopt from in 2023 — Bulgaria
Is the country a signatory of the Hague Adoption Convention?
Yes
Is it possible to adopt a child from this country to the United States or Europe?
Yes
Average Adoption Cost:
A Bulgarian adoption will generally cost you around $40,000. The $30,500 in costs can be directly linked to the procedure. The rest includes air travel and hotel accommodations abroad.
Is there a minimum age requirement for the adoptive child?
A child older than 12 months can be adopted by parents between the ages of 23 and 49. Parents between the ages of 50 and 55 can adopt a child who is at least 5 years old.
What are the main requirements for adoptive parents?
- Candidates must be at least 15 years older than the child they intend to adopt.
- Candidates can be either a heterosexual married couple or a single parent.
- Before a kid can be adopted, parents must spend at least 5 days with them in Bulgaria.
The Fastest Adoption Process for US Citizens
If you are purely interested in a (relatively) speedy process and have no issues with a child that is older (the average child there is 6.5 years old), you can always look into the US Foster Care system. Currently, there are over 400,000 kids in the US foster care system.
It is possible to finish the adoption process for a child who is in foster care in less than a year. If you adopt within your own state, there are no expenses and you do not need to travel for the process.
International Adoption Questions
These are some of the most common questions candidates to become adoptive parents hear during the “interviews” along the way.
- How old are you?
- How healthy are you and what is your BMI?
- Are you married, and for how long? Have you been divorced?
- How much money do you make, and how long have you been working in a stable, long-term job?
- Is there a stay-at-home parent available to care for the child?
- Do you have multiple children at home already?
- What are their sexes and ages?
Remember that these are some questions, but not all of them. Also, there is a good chance that US homeland security will ask more questions (the feared “red sheet”) when the adopted child is brought to the US.
A Couple of Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Adopting
Why do you want to create a family through adoption?
Are you prepared to become a parent to a kid that does not have the same genetic makeup as you do?
Parenting takes a lot of selfless love because it often means putting your own needs aside for someone else’s, and the results aren’t always clear right away.
As soon as you are able to respond to those questions in a manner that is honest to yourself, it is a good idea to speak with a credible adoption center, either in your local region or in any of the countries that were listed earlier.
There are a great number of youngsters in need of parents who are caring and committed all around the world. By adopting them, you can save them from violence or extremely harsh conditions to live in.
Also, there are a lot of scams out there, so watch out.
Personal Stories of International Adoption
During the research for this article about the easiest countries to adopt from, I came across some interesting stories of international adoption. Two of them are below.
Sarah (fictional name) adopted a child from Uganda.
I have several friends who have adopted abroad, and the process was extremely smooth and extremely short compared to friends who have adopted from Uganda, like we did. There were eight countries that we could not even qualify for based on our family size or our inability to live in a foreign country for 3–6 months.
- Robert (fictional name) adopted two kids from Russia years ago.
I adopted two children from Russia. One was 20 months old, and the other was about 4 years old. This is my qualification to speak on the subject. Sadly, Russia no longer adopts children from the US because we sanctioned them.
The fact of the matter is that it is easier to fly all the way around the world two times, like an astronaut, to get a child in Russia than it is to adopt a child in the US State of Washington (and presumably other U.S. states).
Be Aware of Physiologic or Genetic Traits That Are Challenging in Some Places
This is the last tip, and maybe somehow polemic for this article about the easiest countries to adopt from.
It is understandable that many people would enjoy having a kid from a different part of the globe join their family.
But people in some areas have developed certain traits over thousands or even millions of years, and the only reason for this was to help them fit in with the natural environment there.
I give my own example: I am an olive-skinned South American living in a cold part of Europe.
Summers here are relatively short, and winters are long and dark. Very dark. The locals are white, so their skin is optimized to absorb the most sunlight to create Vitamin D, essential for good health.
My skin, however, gets tanned VERY quickly, and for a very long time. I went to the beach for a few days in early September, and almost 2 months later, I am still tanned.
While this is a good device my body has to protect me from skin cancer — a danger in my home country, Brazil, it also reduces the amount of Vitamin D I absorb from sunlight.
That is why, during my first years in Europe, I suffered from a severe deficiency of Vitamin D during the winter that made me sick and weak almost all the time, even affecting my fertility. The problem was only solved by taking supplements, which I must take at least 6 months per year as long as I live in Europe.
There is no escape from that. (In another article, I explain why Vitamin D supplementation is one of the 5 simple-but-crucial tips for moving to Europe).
This is just one example, quite anecdotal, but it exemplifies why it is important to consider physiological and genetic characteristics when adopting abroad.
If you enjoyed this article about the easiest countries to adopt from, here are a few other reading suggestions for you:
Due to Huge Economic Growth, Emigrants Are Back to This Country
Prepare for Winter: 16 Uncommon (And Crazy Cheap) Ways in 2022
The Dreamy Destination That’s 50% Cheaper to Live In than Spain or Florida
Why This Country in Africa Is Growing So Fast?
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Levi Borba is the founder of The Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel The Expat, and best-selling author. Some of the links of this article may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction.
