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Hi,
My sister will be having twins and can't afford to raise them. She has asked me and my wife to adopt them. We have one child.
1. My Sister lives in Texas
2. We live in Germany and I am a US citizen (permanent resident status in Germany)
3. My wife is German
4. Babies are due in November
5. The father will sign the release forms
Q. Where do I start?
Q. What costs are involved?
Q. What type of financial assistance is available?
My searches in the internet have not led to much success so I would be most grateful for any help here.
Thanks!
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They may change their mind,it's very hard to give babies up.They got until when the babies arrive.Twins often come early,even as early as 24 weeks to 40 weeks.That just means gaurd your heart,be prepared.With that I would get lawyers in Texas and look into laws about adopting in Germany.You might also have to get lawyers in Germany.Good luck,I hope you get better info.
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What you are trying to do is quite complicated. Not only will you have to comply with U.S. federal and state adoption laws, as well as German adoption and immigration laws, but both Germany and the U.S. have ratified the Hague Convention on international adoption, which means that your adoption will also require you to proceed according to the requirements of this important international treaty.
I would strongly advise you to work with a Hague-accredited American agency that is familiar both with adoptions by Americans living abroad AND with "outgoing" Hague cases -- U.S. kids being placed with families overseas.
It will not be easy or quick to complete the adoption you are contemplating, and it could get costly. At the very least, you will need to have a homestudy and work with a Hague accredited provider. But if you are determined, you may be able to make it work.
First off, you won't be able to get financial assistance through an adoption agency for a relative adoption. Some assistance is often available through adoption agencies, if you adopt hard-to-place children, such as school aged boys, children with significant special needs, or sibling groups of 3 or more children, who are living in foster homes, orphanages, etc.
You may be able to get a loan through a bank, but most other grants are not going to go to people doing relative adoptions, and especially if a child is being taken OUT of the U.S. The goal of most adoption grants is to help Americans adopt children who are already in care and who have no parents or relatives to advocate for them
You will need to have a homestudy done by a provider licensed to do them in your state. Homestudies will generally run anywhere from under $1,000 to over $3,000, depending on your states' laws, any shortages of homestudy workers, etc. You will then pay at least $5,000 in agency fees -- often more. You may also have fees related to the immigration of the child to Germany.