You may be glad to hear that single parent international adoption is something that is achievable. To apply to adopt an international child, you have to go through the same process as most married couples would go through.
However, in order to improve your credibility you may need to have slightly more references than a married couple would need to have. You will also need to make extra contacts in order to quickly find the best countries for you to deal with as single parent. There are a number of things that you will have to consider when looking into adopting, such as:
- How old would you like the child to be?
- Do you want the child to be completely healthy, or are you willing to consider a special needs adoption?
- There is one fact that you may find interesting and that is:
It tends to be quicker to adopt internationally for a single woman. In addition, you stand a higher chance of getting a younger child if you adopt internationally.So, although there are challenges for single women who want to adopt a child internationally, it is still easier than adopting a child domestically. So, if you want to adopt, this may be the answer for you. Some countries are easier than others, and all of them tend to have at least slightly different rules regarding single parents and adoptions. A working knowledge of where your chances are best is a great way to start the process.Rules and Regulations for Single Parent International Adoption in Different Countries
Haiti
Most adoptions agencies in Haiti will accept applications from single women. One adoption agency in the country, IBESR, will allow single women to adopt, but not single men; this is a trend that you will notice in many countries. In some cases, applications from single men are considered on a case-to-case basis, but single moms stand a much higher chance. If you are a single woman who wants to adopt you will have to be 35 years of age, or up. In Haiti, as in most other countries, you will be required to make two trips before you can take your child home. The first trip will be to appear before the local Haitian judge, and the second trip is to take your child home.
Russia
Russia is open to adoption applications from single parents, but this may well be the most costly place to adopt from especially as two trips are required. In addition, the process is not what you would describe as stable, although it has improved remarkably over the last few years. Having said that, it is one of the best options if you are seeking a Caucasian child. Single women and not single men are allowed to adopt children from Russia, and in order to apply for the adoption, you must be between the ages of 25 and 28. There are many children from Russia who need homes, so it is a fairly good option to consider.
China
In the past, China accepted single woman who were older than 50 as candidates to become adoptive parents of Chinese children. However, lately the rules have changed. There are some barriers to adopting from China:
- You have to be younger than 50 years of age if you are a female.
- The country limits the number of applications from single parents that it accepts.
- The time frames are very long.
You should probably apply for adoption in several different countries and not put all of your hopes on adopting from China, as you may be unsuccessful there. Total costs come to around $20,000.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a very popular country for single parent international adoptions. Older singles are also able to adopt more or less freely from Ethiopia. There are a number of pros, as well as a couple of cons to consider.
The pros:
- It is one of the cheapest countries to adopt from
- The time frames are among the shortest that you will find
- All ages of children are available for adoption
- Sibling groups are available for adoption
- You will, in all likelihood, be saving a child from severe hardship, and offering him or her an incredible opportunity.
The cons:
- There are not a great many American adoption agencies that are registered in Ethiopia, but the agencies that are registered are of high quality.
- The country recently dropped the number of adoption applications that it will review each day from fifty to five.
Guatemala
Guatemala accepts adoption applications from single parents and is comfortable with adoptions from elderly members of society, which means that if you are an older single parent you will not be shut out from this country if you hope to adopt. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that it tends to be very expensive to adopt from Guatemala. There are two main pros which could make it attractive for you:
- The children you can adopt from this country tend to be very young, a good thing to look out for when adopting.
- The journey is a quick one, which means that you and your child will be home together without much of a time delay in between.
Vietnam
Vietnam is another great option to consider. For a long time the US banned its citizens from adopting from this country because of the belief that there was too much corruption inherent in the system. However the channels have recently reopened. The country has always been open to adoption applications from singles as well as elderly people. Although the time frames that you will have to endure are uncertain at best, this is still a promising choice to consider. The only age requirement is that you are 20 years older than the child. Single mothers are automatically allowed to adopt, whereas single fathers are assessed for their suitability on a case to case basis.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is another country from which singles are welcome to apply to adopt children. There are a number of criteria and considerations to keep in mind if you are thinking of adopting from this country:
- Recently the country declared that is will return all dossiers to parents who have not been matched with a child after a certain period of time.
- Children on the waiting list from Kazakhstan tend to be between the ages of about 6 months and three years.
- The overall cost of adopting a child from this country is something in the region of $30, 000, a cost that you will need to keep in mind if this is the country that you would prefer to adopt from.
- It takes up to 4 months for an application to adopt a boy to be processed. For girls, you could wait between 6 and ten months before you application is approved. There are stronger safety laws surrounding the adoption of females as they tend to be the targets of illegal human trafficking more frequently.
- You will need to spend between 30 and 45 days in the country; this time will be broken up between two trips.
So, there you have it, some comprehensive information about the countries from which it is easiest for a single mother to adopt a child. Single parent international adoption can be a tricky process, but in several cases it is no trickier than adopting as a couple and it can be substantially easier than adopting domestically if you are a single parent. If this is an option that you have never considered, consider it now as there are many children out there looking for a good home, and you, as a single woman or single man, have the ability to provide.
International adoptions can be expensive but there are a number of things that you can do in order to afford the fees. You could, for example, launch fundraising events. Your friends and family will be more than happy to help you with this. In addition, you will be surprised by the large number of perfect strangers who want to see you take your child home.
Once your single parent international adoption has gone through you will need to keep in mind that the issue of adoption will need to be discussed with your child at some point. It is essential that you bring it up and that you maintain honesty. In many cases children are too scared or shy to ask about it themselves, so you should mention the topic every once in a while to give them the chance to ask the questions that they need to ask. Last but not least, always be honest about the adoption; your child has a right to know about his or her history.
