International Adoption Guide Overview

Adopting a child is accomplished by taking one small step at a time with the Alliance staff assisting all along the way.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP...

1. Read the Alliance International Adoption Qualifications and our set of Frequently Asked Questions about Adoption (FAQ). You may also wish to browse through our Adoption Stories page, a section on our site where families share stories about adopting through the Alliance for Children. If you live near our offices, you can attend one of our free adoption information meetings.

Print and return our online International Adoption Application. Alternatively, you can contact the Alliance main office by phone, mail, or e-mail, and leave a mailing address and phone number so the application can be sent to you. Complete and send in your application to the Alliance.

THEN THE NEXT...

2. The homestudy consists of five to seven meetings scheduled over two to three months with at least one visit to your home. Residents living outside Massachusetts, Rhode Island, South Carolina, or Florida are required to obtain a homestudy within their home state. Click here to learn more about the homestudy.

During the homestudy, your social worker will help you decide on an adoption program and help you complete the documentation necessary for your dossier. You can change programs at any time; however, a change in program usually requires a change in paperwork. To preview the Alliance international adoption programs, visit our International Adoption Programs page. There you can look through our detailed country by country adoption guides.

AND THE NEXT...

3. Most international adoption programs require dossier documents to be "authenticated." Your social worker will explain how and where to do this. Once your dossier is complete, it is translated and sent to our referral source in your country of choice. They review the dossier, contact us, and make a referral of a child suited to your requests who is legally available for adoption.

4. After your child arrives home, your social worker will begin post placement services, consisting of three visits in your home to help you evaluate your child's adjustment and answer any questions you may have. These visits are required by state law.

AND FIND THAT YOU'VE BECOME A FAMILY!

5. Within nine to twelve months, you will be asked to legalize (finalize) the adoption of your child in your home state. This requires a brief court appearance which takes place during the first year your child is at home.

6. The last step is naturalization and citizenship. Alliance will assist you in applying to the Immigration and Naturalization (INS) immediately after legalization.