Who Can Adopt from South Korea

Traditional South Korean Market.
Source: flickr.com.

To bring an adopted child to United States from South Korea, you must be found eligible to adopt by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government agency responsible for making this determination is the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Read more on Who Can Adopt.

In addition to these U.S. requirements for adoptive parents, South Korea also has the following requirements for adoptive parents:

Residency

There are no residency requirements for South Korean intercountry adoptions. Please note in order to complete a full and final adoption in South Korea it is necessary for prospective adoptive parents to reside in Korea at the time of adoption. For prospective adoptive parents not resident in Korea it will be necessary to gain legal custody for the purpose of adoption and complete a full and final adoption in the United States. This process is explained below.

Age of Adopting Parents

Prospective adoptive parents must be between 25 and 44 years old. Korean authorities usually require both prospective intercountry adoptive parents be younger than 45 years old. The age difference between the couple can be no more than 15 years. Some considerations in waiving the age requirements exist if at least one parent is under 45 years old, the prospective adoptive parents have previously adopted a Korean child, and are willing to adopt an orphan with serious medical problems.

Marriage

Married couples must have been married at least three years. Single individuals are not eligible to adopt a child from South Korea.

Income

The prospective adoptive parents must have an income higher than the U.S. national average and be sufficient to support the adoptive child.

Other

The prospective adoptive parents cannot have more than five children, including the child(ren) to be adopted.

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