Is Intercountry Adoption Right for you?
Deciding to build your family through overseas adoption is a significant milestone - it is the beginning of your journey to a family. A journey that does not end on your return home with your child - but is a lifelong family commitment.

To help you decide if Intercountry Adoption is right for you, explore the issues raised - both practical and personal - by these questions:

• What is your motivation for adopting overseas? Is it about saving a an orphan ? Is it about selflessness ? If so,
• How do you feel about parenting a child who is not genetically ' your own '?
• What are your ideas about race? How do you feel about parenting a child of a different race to you ?
• Do you have any pre-conceived notions about adoption and adoptees ? Do you know any adoptees?
• How do you feel about attracting lots of public attention?
• How will you talk about adoption with your child ?
• How will you help your child to understand his/her background when there is little information, abandonment, or a difficult history?
• Are you committed and prepared to maintain your child's birth culture? How will you give your child an appreciation for and pride in the country of his/her birth? Are you interested to learn about the people, places and history of your child's birth country to be able to pass this information on to them ?
• Are you open to sharing information and discussing birthparent issues?
• As a single person, how do you make the choice to adopt overseas, and how much will it all cost?
• How do you choose the country from which to adopt?
• Are there any health and developmental concerns to consider ?
• Are you eligible to adopt and what are the ages of children available for adoption?

Useful Links to More Information
To help you better understand what is involved in Intercountry Adoption, visit the following links:

General Information

• More questions to consider re Orphanages, Single Parenting, Adopting a Toddler (US website)
• Self-Assessment Adoption Questionnaire (US website)
• Adoption Myths vs Facts (US website)
• Is International Adoption Right for My Family?
• Adoption - developmental understanding & feelings
• Feelings about being adopted (Australian website)

Transracial Adoption

• Considering Interracial Adoption (US website)
• Transracial & Transcultural Adoption (Information Gateway)

Health & Developmental Issues

• Intercountry Adoption - Physical Health (Australian website)
• Infections, Immunization and Medical Records (US website)
• The Center for Adoption Medecine (US website)

Single Parent Adoption

• Single Parent Adoption: What you need to know (US website)

Costs
Click here for a list of costs per Country.

Eligibility Criteria - Country by Country requirements to Adopt
Click here for information on eligibility to adopt country by country.