ADOPTION QUALIFICATIONS

Please be sure to read about our specific program qualifications, as many countries have their own list of qualifications regarding prospective parents.

  Citizenship:  For many of our programs one or both parents must be a United States Citizen to adopt.  If otherwise, the process could be more difficult, but we would love to talk with you and see if this is a possibility!

  Age:  Many countries prefer that married couples are at least 16-17 years older than the child they wish to adopt.  Many also prefer that they are no more than 45 years older than the child they wish to adopt.  Sometimes, these rules are waived for parents who wish to adopt special needs children.  The rules are different for single parents and age requirements vary by country.  US Immigration requires that single parents be at least 25 years of age with no age restrictions for married couples.

  Marital Status:  As of now, all the countries we work with accept dossiers from married couples and single women.  Guatemala may accept dossiers from single men, but it depends on a case-by-case basis.

  Health:  Prospective parents wishing to adopt should be in good physical and mental health and have no serious medical conditions.  If so, and you are worried you won't be eligible to adopt, please contact us and we'd be glad to discuss your case.  We can present your situation to our coordinators - we don't have any control over what they decide, however.  Our agency has a "no discrimination" policy, however, the countries we work with do not.

  Finances:  The countries that we work with do not usually put a base amount on parent's salary, as long as you are able to financially care for the child, they will most likely not have a problem working with you.  The American government, however, has such guidelines when the parent is applying for the Immigration of their adopted child.  To see the USCIS approval guidelines, please visit their website at www.uscis.gov.

  Criminal History:  Parents who have any criminal history may find it very difficult to adopt.  However, this is evaluated at a case-by-case basis and depends on the nature of the crime.

  Divorces:  Many countries only allow a specific number of divorces for prospective parents.  Again, these restrictions are sometimes waived if parents wish to adopt a special needs child.  Please read the individual requirements for each country for more information.