Time in country

I sent you a private email also, but what I was talking about Ethiopia you travel about ten days or the child can be escorted to you. Another option to you would be Korea where they have a lot of babies and they escort also.

Thank you for the info. I do not want an escort, I want to travel. I would just prefer not to spend more than 2 weeks in country (10 days or less preferable).thanks

While we had two trips our stays in Russia were quick, first trip was 2 nights/3 days in country and second trip was 5 days in country. With Russia it is all region dependent. Only one parent has to travel first trip, both have to be there for court, but one parent can leave right after. One of the moms in my son's day care adopted from china and her trip was a little under 2 weeks. Best wishes!

Another option in Ethiopia is to have the paperwork processed like you will have your child escorted and then YOU can go to be the escort....so you could stay one day, 10 days, whatever you like, and bring your child home.

I think you have gotten some good advice. Korea Korea is an excellent option for families who are open to adding an Asian child and celebrating Korean culture. Korea has been placing children with Americans for over 50 years, and has an unusually stable and ethical program. Very young babies are generally available. While Korea used to require escort, it has come to recognize the importance of travel in helping families understand a child's cultural heritage. Families are now allowed to travel and stay a few days, in most cases. The children are not actually adopted in Korea. A family receives a child under a decree of guardianship, and then adopts him/her in the U.S. The child travels home on an IR-4 visa, and does not become a U.S. citizen until you complete the U.S. adoption. You cannot take the adoption tax credit until you complete the U.S. adoption. Korea has some of the strictest requirements for parents. In general, you will be accepted if you are under 42 or so, are currently married, have been married at least three years, are childless or have a small family, and are in excellent health. With Korea, you must use an agency that has a contract with the Korean government to place children with families in your particular state, unless you wish to adopt a child with special needs. Most states have only one or two agencies with a Korea contract. A few have none. While this may seem very limiting, the good news is that the agencies with Korea contracts tend to be long-established and reputable. Independent adoption and adoption through facilitators and lawyers will not be possible. Korea's fees are in the moderate range. The wait for a boy is usually shorter than the wait for a girl. Twins may be available occasionally. Adoption of unrelated children at the same time is not permitted. The medical care of the children is generally excellent, and most of the babies are delivered in hospitals. Most of the children are in very well-regulated foster care. Guatemala Guatemala is currently a good option for families who are open to a child who is likely to look like a Native American, and to celebrating Guatemalan culture. Most of the Guatemalan children available for adoption are born to women from the indigenous ("Indian") population, rather than to people of European heritage, and will have tan skin, black hair, and Indian features. There are, however, some children who are European in appearance, but you will usually be unable to specify skin tone or heritage. Guatemala is popular because it has very young babies and allows either travel or escort. The travel usually is for approximately four days. The program went through a rocky period, but has been stable for a while. However, there are no guarantees. At the moment, for example, some people in Guatemala are attempting to change the adoption system in ways that would sharply curtail adoptions. With Guatemala, an adoption is usually finalized before the family goes to pick up the child. This means that the child will come home on an IR-4 visa. The parents will be required to readopt their child in the U.S. or to obtain state "recognition" of the adoption before the child becomes a U.S. citizen or is eligible for the adoption tax credit. Mandatory readoption can be avoided by having both parents visit the child in Guatemala at some point before the adoption is final. However, this visit is by no means a necessity. In general, Guatemalan adoption has high fees. They are not as high as those for Eastern European countries, such as Russia, but they are usually higher than fees for Ethiopia, China, and, often, Korea. Guatemala has relatively liberal requirements for parents, and more than one child can be adopted at a time if the placement agency permits this practice. The wait for a boy is usually shorter than the wait for a girl. With infant adoption, most of the children are in private foster care, which is usually fairly good. Medical care is not generally as good as in the U.S, but families can arrange for a foster parent to use an American trained doctor in Guatemala City. Adoptions through agencies, facilitators, and on one's own are permitted. However, there have been numerous cases of unethical practices, and it is important to proceed carefully. In some cases, there have been fall-throughs when birthmothers have decided at the last minute to parent their children. Ethiopia Ethiopia is an excellent choice for people who are open to adopting a Black child and celebrating African culture. Most agencies encourage escort from Ethiopia, because conditions in the country may be a difficult for the typical American traveler. However, at least one agency permits travel. When you adopt from Ethiopia, you must use one of four U.S. agencies accredited by that country. While some parents don't like such a limited choice, the good news is that all of the agencies are long-experienced in the adoption field and reputable. Ethiopia has liberal requirements for parents. Adoption of sibling groups and unrelated children is possible. Adoption of children of all ages is possible. Fees are at the low end of the range for international adoption. It is easy to adopt both boys and girls. Medical care may be limited. Information about the birth family may be limited. In most cases, the agency attempts to secure reasonable medical testing China China is an excellent choice for families open to adopting an Asian child and assimilating Chinese culture. China's program is second only to Korea's in stability, ethical conduct, and organization. China requires at least one parent to travel to finalize. The trip is 10 days to two weeks, and is extremely pleasant, in most cases. For one thing, the family generally travels with a group of families whose dossiers were sent by the agency to China at the same time. Families are generally encouraged to get to know other members of their dossier group during the wait for a referral, so that by the time they travel, they have a good relationship with the other families. Families have a guide/translator and stay in hotels that are among the best China has to offer. They have ample opportunity to tour their child's province. If both parents travel, the child comes home on an IR-3 visa and readoption is not mandatory, unless the parents' state requires it. If only one travels, the child comes home on an IR-4 visa, and parents must readopt or get a "recognition" of the child's adoption in their state. China's rules for families have become more strict in recent years. However, a married couple where both spouses are 30 or over can usually adopt if they have a stable marriage and income, basically good health, and no criminal record. (A minor infraction in the distant past, that does not include violence against persons, has not been repeated, and is disclosed to the social worker will generally be excused.) There is a strict quota for singles. Fees are in the moderate range, and usually a bit lower than Korea's. Most of the referred children are girls,though some boys are available. Twins are occasionally available. Other sibling groups are generally not available, because of China's pressure on families to have small families. Adoption of unrelated children is not allowed. I hope this helps. Sharon

Travel time to India as of now is one trip only of about a week. I know people who have done it in 3-4 days, but I think that would be awfully hard. And some Indian agencies will still do escorting as well, particularly for younger children.

Hi again. I just wanted to correct a little inaccuracy above. There are 4 agencies who are licensed to do adoptions from Ethiopia to the U.S., but all four of them DO encourage travel. There is one of the four which, online, says it does not recommend travel but when I was starting the process (I have adopted from Ethiopia) I contacted them and asked them why 3 agencies were recommending travel and they were not. The response I received from the agency director was that they do recommend travel to Ethiopia as well, but have not updated their website (this was a year ago--the website has still not been updated). You could easily confirm this by contacting all 4 agencies (which we did). Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia (and where you would be should you decide to travel) is not a difficult place to be. The UN HQ for Africa is there, and the AU Headquarters are there, amongst others. This is to say, there are many businesspeople (and also many many European tourists) there. There is an unbelievably luxurious Shertaon hotel there which is said to be (and I've seen it--so I agree) is one of the best hotels anywhere in the world. There is also a Hilton (which is much like a Hilton here, in terms of standards) and many local places to stay. If you have never left the U.S., then probably anywhere you go will be a bit of culture shock. However, Addis is a modern city and not difficult to be in at all. If you want to , you can also travel outside Addis to the countryside (which we did) while there. TAke Care, Pam

I am delighted to hear that the agencies placing children from Ethiopia now encourage travel. I was actually a little surprised to see the statement recommending against travel on the site of one of the Ethiopia-accredited agencies. I have met the E.D. to whom you spoke, and know how much she loves and is familiar with Africa. I'm sure that she could arrange as positive and safe a trip for clients as any other agency. Traveling to your child's birth country is a superb way to develop an appreciation for its culture. Since you will want your child to feel proud of his/her heritage, you will want to bring home a lot of memories that you can share with him/her. I traveled to China to adopt my daughter, and it was truly the trip of a lifetime. The people I met were warmhearted, loved Americans, and were very thankful that Chinese orphans were finding good homes. The part of the country I visited was very beautiful. It was also rich in history, yet fully modern. Sharon

how young are the children in Korea? Ethiopia? China? India? Vietnam? Thank you!!

I can answer about Korea and India. Korea: Children do come home as young as 6 or 7 months. However, you mentioned on another thread that your husband is overweight and diabetic. At least one of the Social Service agencies working in Korea will not adopt to obese parents or parents with health problems. Children in India usually don't come home until they are more than a year old. They do not even become available for international adoption until they are about 6 months old. Our DD was referred at almost 10 months and then didn't come home until 18 months.

thanks. We read the same thing you said about Korea and we weren't sure if it was true or not but thank you for veryfying.

In Ethiopia, you can have a child as young as 4-5 months when s/he arrives in the US, BUT you should be open to a bit older just in case something unforeseen happens along the way. If you want to wait for a newborn (like brand new newborn) then your wait will be longer. Many people request "under 12 months" at referral. The more narrow your request, the longer it will take. Also, once a newborn comes into care she won't be put up for adoption until all her medical testing clears, so she'll probably be a month or so by the time you hear of her. From referral it takes typically 3-4 months (except with one agency which ofen takes well over a year. Don't use this one agency and if you don't know who it is, PM me and I'll tell you). During this time the child has to be officially adopted by you in Ethiopian courts, have a passport applied for, etc. (you don't need to be present for any of this). It takes 3-4 months to get it all done so she's ready to travel. Finally...if you escort, if often adds a month to the wait as all the paperwork for her US visa has to go from Ethiopia to your home state, be approved, and then go back to Ethiopia. (If you travel, it can be done in person. You go to the US embassy and apply for the visa and then go back in 3 days and pick it up.) Teranga

Hello, We travelled to bring our twin girls home from India and stayed one week. It was a wonderful experience. They were 3 years old. Good luck! Lori :)

Taiwan is 5-7 days baby is 6-8 months old and vietnam is 10 workingdays thus far -3 weeks, they are still working on ironing that time gap out to better advise you. Baby is 4-6 months old or younger. both are 1 trip only.

In China you can request a child under 12 months and usually that is what you will get. I have rarely heard of under 8 months at the time you meet your child so I would average an age of 8-10 months. Travel occures about 6-8 weeks after referral and time in country can be 9-15 days. If you need it to be as short as possible work with an agency that has smaller groups or is willing to work with you. My daughter was 14 months (we requested under (18 months) when we met and I was in country 9 days. Diana