How to Adopt from Singapore

A scene in a street market in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year holidays.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Adoption Authority

Singapore’s Adoption Authority

Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)

The Process

The process for adopting a child from Singapore generally includes the following steps:

Attend pre-adoption briefing
Choose an adoption service provider
Apply to be found eligible to adopt
Be matched with a child
Adopt the child in Singapore
Apply for the child to be found eligible for orphan status
Bring your child home

1. Attend Pre-Adoption Briefing

Effective January 2012, all prospective adoptive parents must attend a compulsory Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB) before either applying for a Home Study Report or beginning adoption proceedings. The PAB is conducted by voluntary welfare organizations appointed by MSF. The PAB will provide prospective adoptive parents with all relevant information on adoption, such as the adoption process and the responsibilities of being an adoptive parent.

2. Choose an Adoption Service Provider

Before adopting a child from Singapore, you may wish to consider whether or not to use a licensed adoption service provider in the United States that can help you with your adoption. Adoption service providers in the United States must be licensed by the state in which they operate. The Department of State provides information on selecting an adoption service provider on its website.

Adopting a child in Singapore is a complex legal process requiring several court appearances. Prospective adoptive parents may wish to consider whether to engage the services of a Singaporean attorney or adoption service provider. Though MSF does not regulate adoption, MSF has designated specific voluntary welfare organizations to provide Home Study Reports (when needed) and the PAB.

Please note that there are many private adoption agencies in Singapore.

Any person (or agency) found to have compromised the welfare of a child may be subject to charges under the Singaporean Children and Young Persons Act.

3. Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt

In order to adopt a child from Singapore, you will need to meet the requirements of the Government of Singapore and U.S. immigration law.

If you are adopting a non-Singaporean child, a child in state care (under MSF custody) or a child from “Project Cherub,” you must first submit a favorable Home Study Report to MSF. Then you can apply to the Family Court in Singapore for the adoption. When adopting a Singaporean child, a Home Study Report is not required and you can instead petition the Court directly.

You can submit an adoption application to the Family Court in person or through a lawyer. For more information on this process, such as required documents, please refer to the Court’s Procedural Guide to Adoptions.

To meet U.S. immigration requirements, you may also file an I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition with U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to be found eligible and suitable to adopt.

4. Be Matched with a Child

If you are found eligible to adopt and have received a favorable Home Study Report, if you are seeking to adopt a child under state care (MSF) or from Project Cherub, and if a child is available and is deemed eligible for adoption by the MSF, then the MSF will provide you with a referral. Each family must decide for itself whether or not it will be able to meet the needs of and provide a permanent home for a particular child.

The child must be eligible to be adopted according to Singapore’s requirements, as described in the Who Can Be Adopted section. The child must also meet the definition of orphan under U.S. immigration law.

5. Adopt Child in Singapore

The process for finalizing the adoption in Singapore generally includes the following:

Role of Adoption Authority: The MSF safeguards the best interests of the child and ensures strict compliance with the Adoption of Children Act.

Role of the Court: The Family Court grants the Adoption Order if it is satisfied that the requirements of the Adoption of Children Act have been met and that adoption is in the child’s best interests.

Role of Adoption Agencies: The MSF does not accredit or regulate adoption agencies. The MSF does, however, designate specific voluntary welfare organizations to provide Home Study Reports, when required, and the compulsory PAB.

Adoption Application: Prospective adoptive parents petition the Family Court for adoption of the child. This can be done through an attorney or in person. The Family Court will then appoint the Director of Social Welfare, MSF, as the child’s temporary guardian. The MSF then conducts an investigation regarding the status and circumstances of the child and prospective adoptive parents and prepares an affidavit and investigation report for the Court. Finally, the Court schedules a hearing and then may grant the Adoption Order. If it does so, the Court will also inform the relevant Singaporean authorities to issue a new birth certificate for the child. Home Study Reports are only required before initiating an adoption when the adoptive child is non-Singaporean, in MSF care, or from Project Cherub. The Home Study Report is an assessment of a family's readiness to care for an adopted child, bearing in mind the child’s best interests and the appropriateness of the prospective home. The Home Study Report is also designed to help prospective parents prepare for the adoption process and subsequent raising of an adopted child. It must be performed by an agency accredited by the MSF and takes approximately five weeks to complete. The process typically includes a series of home visits and interviews with relevant family members and friends. The current fee for a Home Study Report is up to U.S. $1,200 and is subject to change. Persons wishing to adopt a Singaporean child can contact an organization accredited by the MSF to complete their home study report. More detailed information on Home Study Reports is available through the MSF. Given the requirement that prospective adoptive parents must be resident in Singapore, a Home Study Report must be performed in Singapore. A home study performed in the United States is not likely to be considered in support of an adoption in Singapore.

Time Frame: In a case with no complications (e.g., no documents need to be checked, a Home Study Report has been completed, etc.), an adoption of a Singaporean child in Singapore can generally be finalized within five to seven months from the date of application to the date of approval by the Court. After the child is legally adopted in Singapore and after USCIS has approved the Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, the U.S. Embassy in Singapore can process the immigrant visa application in an average of two to three months, depending upon the circumstances of the case.

Adoption Fees: Local lawyers’ fees, if applicable, vary. Although the prospective adoptive parents will not pay any fees directly to the Court, the lawyer's fee should include Court costs. In addition, prospective adoptive parents will pay approximately U.S. $1,200 for a Home Study Report performed by an organization accredited by the MSF. Singaporean society is virtually corruption-free and “additional” or “hidden” fees are not likely to be encountered in the adoption process. Furthermore, it is illegal for a person relinquishing a child for adoption to ask for or receive monetary payment in exchange for the child. It is also illegal for prospective adoptive parents to make any monetary payment to adopt a child, unless it is approved by the Court.

Documents Required: Prospective adoptive parents are required to submit the following documents at the Family Court Registry at the beginning of the process:

1. Originating Summons for Adoption (OSA), Adoption Statement, and affidavit in support of OSA filed through the Court’s electronic filing system;

2. The original notarized consent of the birth parents/guardian (together with the original translation if the consent is not in English);

3. The original notarized consent of the parent or guardian of the birth parent of the child if the birth parent is under 21 years of age (together with the original translation if the consent is not in English);

4. The child’s original birth certificate (together with the original translation if the birth certificate is not in English);

5. An affidavit endorsing the child's Dependants' Pass if the child is not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident;

6. Certified, true copies of the petitioners' work permits/employment passes/Dependants' Passes if the petitioners are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents;

7. The petitioners’ original marriage certificate (together with the original translation if the marriage certificate is not in English);

8. Two copies of the Application for Dispensation of Consent and supporting affidavit to dispense with the consent of the birth parents and/or service of documents on the birth parents, if such consent cannot be obtained; and

9. A copy of the death certificate of a birth parent(if applicable).

Authentication of Documents: Singapore is not a party to to the Hague Apostille Convention. Information concerning the authentication of U.S. public documents for use in Singapore may be found on the website of the Embassy of Singapore. For additional, detailed information on the Singaporean adoption process, please see Adoption-Ministry of Social and Family Development and Adoption in Singapore Court.

6. Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Orphan Status

After you finalize the adoption in Singapore, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must determine whether the child meets the definition of orphan under U.S. immigration law. You will need to file a Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.

Forms I-600A and I-600 may be filed at the Immigrant Visa Unit, Consular Section, of the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. The Embassy accepts petitions from prospective adoptive parents who are resident in Singapore on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Filing fees are payable in cash or by major credit card. Please note that if Form I-600A is filed with the embassy, the embassy will forward it to the USCIS office having jurisdiction over the prospective adoptive parents’ current place of residence for adjudication.

Forms I-600A and I-600 must be accompanied by original civil documents and two sets of photocopies. The documents required are:

1. Original passports for all adult family members of the household, including domestic help;

2. Birth certificates, marriage certificate, divorce certificate (if applicable), and;

3. Home study report approved by a licensed U.S. adoption agency.

An appointment to fingerprint all adult family members will be given when the Forms I-600A/I-600 are filed.

7. Bring Your Child Home

Once your adoption is complete, you need to apply for several documents for your child before you can apply for a U.S. immigrant visa to bring your child home to the United States:

1. Birth Certificate

If the Family Court grants the Adoption Order, the Family Court will inform the Registry of Births & Deaths, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for the issuance of a new Birth Certificate for the child. You or your lawyer will receive a letter from ICA to collect the Birth Certificate.

2. Singapore Passport

Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or passport from Singapore.

Please refer to information on Singapore Immigration and Checkpoint Authority’s website on how to apply for a passport for your Singaporean child.

3. U.S. Immigrant Visa

After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child and after you have filed Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, you then need to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa for your child from the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you. As part of this process, the Consular Officer must be provided with the Panel Physician’s medical report on the child.

You can find instructions for applying for an immigrant visa on the U.S. Embassy in Singapore’s website.

To learn more about the Child Citizenship Act please read The Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

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