Adoption Requirements by Country

All of the waiting children posted on our website are listed with one of the adoption agencies that we work with. Those agencies have programs in a variety of countries, and this chart gives a quick overview of the major requirements placed on adoptive parents by those countries. Click on the name of a country to view more details on the U.S. Department of State’s website.

Please note that adoption agencies sometimes have additional reuqirements that adoptive parents will need to meet. Similarly, sometimes countries are willing to waive certain requirements when the child being adopted is a waiting or special-needs child. Always check with your agency to find out which requirements will need to be met.

Country	Party to the Hague?	Residency/Travel Notes	Age Requirements	Marriage Requirements	Average Adoptions per Year over the Last Decade	TSC Podcast Episode
Armenia	Yes	There are no residency requirements for foreign nationals to adopt from Armenia	Single parents must be at least 18 years older than the child to be adopted, but not more than 50 years older than the child	Single individuals Married couples	9
Bulgaria	Yes	Adoptive parents will need to spend five days with child before the orphanage will release him/her	At least one of the adoptive parents must be at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted	Heterosexual married couples Single individuals	144	Episode 12
China	Yes	At least one adoptive parent will have to travel to China to finalize the adoption	Both parents must be at least 30 years old Married couples over age of 50 may adopt, but the younger spouse must be no more than 50 years older than the child Single females no more than 45 years older than the child	Heterosexual married couples Single women	1,333
Colombia	Yes	No official requirements, except that the adoptive parents must live with the child in Colombia before the adoption paperwork can be filed in court	For children with special needs, the older adoptive parent may not be more than 50 years older than the child	Married couples Single individuals	194	Episode 32
Dominican Republic	Yes	There are “cohabitation” requirements that depend on the age of the child being adopted	Must be between 30 and 60 years old Must be at least 15 years older than the child	Heterosexual couples who have been married for at least five years	10
Ecuador	Yes	Both parents must be in Ecuador to complete the adoption, a process which takes 6-8 weeks At least one parent must stay an additional week to complete the whole process	Both parents must be over 25 and have been married for more than three years Younger parent must be at least 14 years older than the child Older parent may not be more than 45 years older than the child	Married couples Single individuals (may only adopt a child of the same gender)	6
Georgia	Yes	None	Must be at least 18 years old Must be at least 16 years older than the child	Heterosexual married couples Single individuals	3
Guyana	Yes				20
Hong Kong	Yes	None	Must be at least 25 years old	Married couples Single individuals	10
Hungary	Yes	None	Younger parent must be between 16 and 45 years older than the child	Married couples Single individuals	20
India	Yes	Some agencies require a seven-day stay with the child before leaving India	The requirements depend on a person’s marital status and the age of the child, and they are too complex to list here. Follow the link to the Department of State’s site for more information.	Heterosexual married couples who have been in a “stable relationship” for at least two years	192	Episode 6
Moldova	Yes	None	Must be between 25 and 48 years old Must be at least 18 years older than the child	Couples who have been married for at least three years Single individuals	1
Philippines	Yes	Varies depending on citizenship status	Must be at least 27 years old Must be between 16 and 45 years older than the child	Various requirements	114	Episode 17
Serbia	Yes	None	Must be at least 18 years old Must be no more than 45 years older than the child	Married couples Single individuals (with special permission)	4	Episode 12
South Korea	No	None, although in order to complete a final adoption in Korea, both adoptive parents must be present	Must be between 25 and 44 years old	—	222
Taiwan	No	None	Must be at least 20 years older than the child	Married couples Single individuals	56
Thailand	Yes	None	Must be at least 25 years old Must be at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted	Heterosexual married couples Single individuals	38
Ukraine	Due to the war in Ukraine, the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel Alert, urging U.S. citizens not to travel there. We continue to pray for an end to this war, in part because of the impact it has had on orphans in Ukraine. If and when adoptions from Ukraine become possible again, we will update this page accordingly.				285

Last updated: August 24, 2023