Adopting from Hong Kong S.A.R.

Hague Convention Information

China is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Since Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a territory of China, all adoptions between Hong Kong and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

NOTE: Special transition provisions apply to adoptions initiated before April 1, 2008.

The Government of Hong Kong tends to prefer that prospective adoptive parents are ethnic Chinese. However, non-ethnic Chinese may also adopt if willing to consider an older child or a child with special needs.

Who Can Adopt

Adoption between the United States and Hong Kong is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from Hong Kong, you must first 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).

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

Residency

Prospective adoptive parents currently living in Hong Kong must be residents of Hong Kong or should offer assurance to the Adoption Unit that they will be living in Hong Kong for a minimum of 12 months. There are no residency requirements for prospective adoptive parents residing in the United States.

Age of Adopting Parents

Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 25 years of age. Prospective adoptive parents over the age of 45 will be considered if they are willing to accept older children or children with special needs.

Marriage

Both single individuals and married couples are eligible to adopt from Hong Kong. For single prospective adoptive parents, preference is given to single parents with special parental skills, such as nursing or social work skills. Some single parents have found their chances of being approved for adoption in Hong Kong increase if they agree to adopt a child with special needs. Single parents who already have a special needs child have a better chance of being matched with a special needs adoptee.

Income

Prospective adoptive parents will have to prove their income exceeds the Medium Monthly Domestic Household Income set by the Social Welfare Department. The Medium Monthly Domestic Household Income requires that after a family has paid all the necessary monthly expenditures (e.g., mortgage, loans, insurance, helper wages, tuition, etc.), a minimum level of funds are left over for incidental expenses. For instance, a family of three must show monthly funds of HK$18,700 and a family of four must show monthly funds of HK23,500. The Medium Monthly Domestic Household Income is not available publicly. The Social Welfare Department must be contacted directly for specifics. Couples residing outside of Hong Kong must submit their tax returns and complete a questionnaire detailing their financial assets.

Other

Prospective adoptive parents should be in good physical and mental health.

Who Can Be Adopted

Because Hong Kong has implemented the Hague Adoption Convention, children from Hong Kong must meet the requirements of the Convention in order to be eligible for adoption. For example, the Convention requires that Hong Kong attempt to place a child with a family in-country before determining that a child is eligible for intercountry adoption. In addition to Hong Kong's requirements, a child must meet the definition of a Convention adoptee for you to bring him or her back to the United States.

Hong Kong also has specific requirements that a child must meet in order to be eligible for adoption. You cannot adopt a child in Hong Kong unless he or she meets the requirements outlined below.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Age Requirements: Children between the ages of six months and 18 years of age can be adopted. (Statistics reflect that most children available for adoption are five years old or younger and some have health problems or are disabled.)

After Adoption

SOURCE

Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information