As I stated two weeks ago, the Hague Convention Adoption process is expensive, difficult and time-consuming.   I am not saying that you should not do it — many parents have persevered and completed the process, but you need to be prepared for difficulties, for waiting, for frustration and for the outlay of large amounts of money.  This is true for any adoption, but more so for international adoptions, and even more so if the international adoption is done through the Hague Convention — which covers most international adoptions.  In order to do a Hague International Adoption, you need to work through an accredited agency.   You will need to satisfy all the laws of your home state, the US government and the foreign government.   You will need to have a home study done.   Once you have applied for adoption and been approved, your information is sent to the desired country where they will choose a baby for you.  The child that they choose has to be an orphan or abandoned.    You normally cannot choose the child yourself unless it is a relative, or, I believe, disabled.  In fact, you are not even allowed to have met the child unless it is a relative, or, I believe, disabled.  In addition, the match needs to be approved by the child’s country which can be a long and difficult process.  Finally, once everything has been completed and approved, you file a petition to bring the child here to the US for adoption and the grant of US citizenship.   In order to complete this process, the petition has to be filed before the child turns 16.    As long as the petition is filed before the child turns 16, he will be able to immigrate, be adopted and become a US citizen.  The adoption can also be completed in the foreign country before the child comes to the US.  As you can see, the process has to start well before the child turns 16 if you will be able to complete all the preliminary steps and be able to file the petition before the child turns 16.

I hope this is interesting and helpful.   Remember that this is not legal advice.  It is just a summary of certain aspects of immigration law which may or may not apply to your situation.   I encourage you to consult an attorney if you think any of this may apply to your situation.

Gunnar Armstrong