Eligibility Requirements for Couples

Age Requirements for Parents

• Married couples 30 to 50 years old are eligible to adopt from China and must be at least 30 years old when the dossier is registered in China.
• Married couples 30 to 55 years old are eligible to adopt a Waiting Child from China.

Age Guidelines for Adoptive Families

• Couples 30 to 44 may apply to adopt a child 6 to 18 months old.
• Couples 45 to 50 may apply to adopt a child 18 months to 3 years old.
• Couples 51 to 55 may apply only to adopt through the Waiting Child Program.
• China bases eligibility on each person's age. If one spouse is under 30 or one spouse is over 55, the couple is not eligible to adopt.

Health History / Restrictions

Families are not eligible to adopt if any of the following apply:

• Diagnosed with major depression or any other severe mental health concerns;
• Current diagnosis of depression or anxiety or currently on medication for depression or anxiety.  Must be treatment and medication free for over 2 years.
• History of alcoholism within the last 10 years;
• Any major surgery or transplant within the last 10 years; contact our office with questions.
• One or both parents use a wheelchair or mobility aid; or missing limbs.
• No history of cancer
• No disease in infectious stage.
• If either parent has a severe disease which requires long-term treatment and which affects life expectancy, like malignant tumors, epilepsy. lupus, nephrosis, etc. 
• No blindness.  No deafness unless adopting a deaf child.
• BMI over 40. Use this calculator to determine your BMI

If you have any questions about health matters, please e-mail [email protected]

Finances

• The family must show a positive net worth (assets vs. liabilities) of at least $80,000.00.
• There must also be an income earning of over $10,000 per person in the household, including the adopted child.
• Adoptive parents must demonstrate an annual minimum combined income of $30,000. This represents $10,000 per adult + $10,000 for the adopted child. An additional $10,000 income is required for each additional person in the household. For example, a married couple with two children living in the home must earn at least $50,000

Criminal History

Families are not eligible to adopt if any of the following apply:

• Current warrants or currently on probation.
• History of drug use or charges.
• Any arrest for a violent crime (examples: assault)
• History of domestic violence, sex abuse, abandonment or abuse of children, even if they are not arrested or incriminated.
• Any felonies.

Applications will be considered on a case by case basis if the parent has less than three criminal records of slight severity with no serious outcomes with ten years passed or less than 5 traffic law violations with no severe outcomes.

Direct any questions you have regarding this to [email protected].    

Marriage Requirements

• If the first marriage, couples must be married over 2 years.
• If either spouse has 1-2 divorces, the current marriage needs to be a minimum of 5 years.
• Couples where one or both spouses have 3 or more divorces are not eligible.

Education Requirement:
          Both parents must have received education at or above high school or vocational skill training.

How many children?

The CCAA limits the number of children in the household to a maximum of five.

• Couples with less than 5 children under 18 years old living in the household may adopt from China.
• Couples with adult children (not living in the home) may adopt from China.
• Couples with more than 4 children in the family; but not all live at home, may adopt from China.
• If there are more than 4 children living in the household; family may adopt only through the Waiting Children's program.  Please contact [email protected].  to discuss your specific situation.

Household Requirements
Adoptive children entering a family require time to adjust to their new environment and bond with their adoptive family.

• If you have recently given birth to a child, you must wait until the child is 12 months old to submit your dossier to China.
• If you have recently adopted a child from China, you must wait until after you have submitted the 12 month post-placement report to submit your dossier to complete another adoption from China.

Religious Requirements

• Families with religious beliefs that prohibit any kind of medical treatment, including blood transfusions, for the child, will not be eligible to adopt. According to the CCAA this includes religions that use alternatives to blood transfusions, as this is not available in every country.

Citizenship Requirements

• One adoptive parent must be a U.S. citizen
• If one parent is not a U.S. citizen; the other parent (who is a U.S. citizen) must travel to China to complete the adoption.
• If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad, Children's Hope can help you to adopt from China.