At present there are 17 countries that have established cooperative relations with China in inter-country adoption. These countries are: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Only citizens of these countries can adopt children from China through the following procedures:

I. Submission of Application

The first step for foreigners to adopt a child in China is to submit adoption application and certified documents through their government departments or adoption agencies authorized by governments. Documents required for adoption in China include:

(i) Inter-country adoption application letter;

(ii) Birth certificate;

(iii) Marital status certificate;

(iv) Occupation, income and financial status certificate;

(v) Physical examination certificate;

(vi) Criminal/ Non-criminal record certificate;

(vii) Home study report;

(viii) Certificate certifying the approval of the inter-country adoption by the competent authority of the country where the adoption applicant resides;

(ix) Copy of passport;

(x) Two bareheaded photos (two inches) and six family photos.

All the certificates except those required in item (ix) and (x) must be produced by the competent body in the resident country and authenticated by the diplomatic organization of the resident country or agencies authorized by the diplomatic organization and notarized by the embassy or consulate of the People’s Republic of China in that country.

China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) does not accept any adoption application documents submitted directly by individuals.

II. Registration of Documents

After receiving the adoption documents submitted by government or adoption agencies, CCAA will accept and register the application, provided that all the documents required for adoption are complete and valid and the service fees are paid. CCAA will inform the foreign governments or adoption agencies which have forwarded the documents about the registration information of the application.

III. Review and Match

After reviewing the adoption documents, CCAA will, considering the adoptive families’ wish, match a suitable child for those qualified families and transfer the information of the adoptee and the person who places the child for adoption to the foreign governments and adoptive families to seek their opinions on the referral.

IV. Issuing the Notice

After receiving the signed acceptance letter from the foreign government and adoptive family, CCAA will issue the Notice of Travelling to China for Adoption to the family through the foreign governments or adoption agencies. Meanwhile, CCAA will issue a Notice of Foreign-related Adoption to the adoption registration authority in the department of civil affairs of the province where the adoptee resides.

V. Travelling to China for Adoption

After receiving the Notice of Travelling to China for Adoption, both the husband and wife should, bearing the original copy of the notice, come to China and to the department of civil affairs of the province where the adoptee resides to go through the adoption registration formalities.

VI. Adoption Registration

Foreign adoptive families should fill in the Registration Application Letter of Foreigners Coming to China for Adoption, and submit the adoption agreement signed between the adopters and the person placing the child for adoption, the original Notice of Travelling to China for Adoption issued by CCAA, passports and photos. The provincial departments of civil affairs will check the documents, go through registration formalities for eligible adopters, and issue the Adoption Registration Certificate and Certificate of Conformity of Intercountry Adoption. The adoption relationship is established as of the date of registration.