Single female looking for low-cost E. European adoption options

... the total cost of most one-child international adoptions for singles is going to be at least $15,000, when you factor in the homestudy, the USCIS approval, the dossier, the agency/facilitator fee, the country fee, the U.S. Embassy fee, and all of the travel, not to mention any required post-placement visits, readoption/name change (if necessary or desired), and so on. If you are hoping to adopt siblings or two unrelated children, count on paying at least 1.5 times these single child fees. IF you are willing to take two children over age six or children with fairly significant special needs, the AGENCY fee is likely to be reduced or waived, but you will still have to pay all of the other fees. The agency cannot control fees set by the USCIS, state governments (which authenticate documents), the foreign countries, airlines, FEDEX, and so on. As an example, you are likely to need airplane tickets for you and two children, which will run at least a couple thousand dollars if you are traveling from Eastern Europe or Asia. Homestudy fees are generally related to the cost of living in a particular state, to the difficulty of getting a social worker to travel to your location, and to the complexity of state adoption laws. Massachusetts is a very high cost, highly regulated state, and there may or may not be enough social workers living on Martha's Vineyard; one might have to travel from the mainland. Thus, it doesn't surprise me that you are being quoted fairly high homestudy fees. However, do shop around -- remembering, of course, that someone who quotes a cheap fee might NOT do a homestudy that presents you well to the foreign country, the USCIS, etc., and might take an inordinately long time to complete it. I'm told that Catholic Charities is sometimes a good place to go for lower cost homestudies. In general, the least expensive country for adoption is Ethiopia. China is in the moderate range. Eastern European and Guatemalan adoptions tend to have the highest fees. There are people who spend over $25,000 on the fees associated with adopting ONE child from these countries. Of course, you should know that there is a tax credit of $10,000. That is a big help to many families, although it cannot be taken until an international adoption is final. And you should also be aware that adoption costs are not all payable at one time. Many fees won't be due until you receive a referral or travel to the foreign country -- often a year or more after you begin the process. This should give you some time to save money. Have you considered adopting through your state? Many state adoptions are virtually cost free, and some children receive subsidies for medical care. Yes, it is difficult to adopt healthy infants or toddlers of any race through the domestic foster care system. But since you will consider a sibling group and some special needs, you might well be able to accomplish a low-cost adoption. Sharon