The foster care system is intrinsically damaging to a child’s mental health, which is why adoption is a great option, as evidenced by the easiest countries to adopt from foster care.
Adoption is a great option for anyone who is unable to conceive children on their own to be able to start a family. It’s both beneficial to those who want to become parents and for children who would otherwise be stuck in the foster care/adoption system. Adoption is a difficult process, but it’s worthwhile. My only experience in dealing with adoption is a storyline from the show Parenthood where one couple adopts a son who is around 8 or 9 years old. The process is a challenge, but in the end, they know they made the right decision. The average age of an adopted child is eight, but it’s possible from the day of a child’s birth until they turn 21.
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There are two main ways to adopt children. The first option is via an agency where they do all the work for you. They handle international and overseas adoptions and make sure to look carefully at who you are and whether or not it’s the best option for you. It’s quite expensive. If you’re the type of person who wants to do all the work, there are private adoption processes where you find the child or parents on your own and hire a lawyer to take care of the official paperwork. It’s almost as expensive, but a lot more work. You can learn more about this type of process from the Easiest Countries to Adopt a Baby From.
According to the National Adoption Center, there are a few steps to go through when you’re adopting. You should first learn about the process and explore all your options. There are a lot of resources online, like Circle of Moms, where you can find support and advice. Then, you should look for agencies if that’s the option you choose. You should find an agency that works well for you with regard to payment, preparation, terms, and the length of the process. If an agency is the option you want, which most people choose, then a home study will be conducted. This is a series of meetings with a social worker who ensures that the candidates are suitable. Children who are adopted often have a lot of mental trauma, so the social worker wants to make sure that the new potential parents will be able to handle this. If you pass the home study, you’ll get to choose a child. The social worker helps with this process. After this point, there are often a variety of things that could happen, such as arranged visits to get everyone acclimated and comfortable. Some places require fostering before adoption to check if the child and parents are capable of living together. Because it’s such a stressful event for foster care children, it’s important that you only go through this process if you’re absolutely ready. Thankfully, social workers are able to detect whether or not people are going to be able to make it through.
In order to create this list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care, we took a look at Children of All Nations, All God’s Children, and MLJ Adoptions for some data. We looked at the average cost, average time you have to spend with the child before the adoption is official, and the average amount of time the entire process takes. The places where it’s least expensive and takes the least amount of time are at the top of our list.
Keep reading to learn about the easiest countries to adopt from foster care.
10. South Korea
South Korea’s adoption program is one of the oldest and most efficient in the world. Toddlers are available at age two and their medical history and progress is detailed and accurate. Social workers provide the medical history if possible. Approval can take from a few weeks to two months. If the parents have already adopted from South Korea, the process is much shorter. Parents are encouraged to send packages and letters to the child during this time.
Parents who want to adopt must have been married for at least three years before they can begin this process and they must not have been divorced more than once previously. Their medical history must be clear and they have to be between 29 and 49 years old. No more than four children must already live in the household and the advantage is given to parents who either have Korean roots or were adopted by Korean parents themselves. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care.
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9. Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s adoption program is one of the fastest growing in the world. It began in 1998. Children are available from infants to teenagers. The country doesn’t have a “wait child” program and children are given to parents based on home study reviews. In order to be adopted, children must have been registered with the Ministry of Education for at least three months.
The adoption advantage is given to married couples with no more than two divorces previously and no history of arrest. Single mothers can apply as well. Mothers must not be more than 45 years older than the child. Opportunity for adoption is given to families with no more than three children. Both parents must go to Kazakhstan at least twice in a four-to-five week period before the process is done and it takes less than two years.
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8. Haiti
Because of the high poverty rate, there are about 200,000 children in foster care in Haiti that ranks 8th in our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care. The country is seeking more and more adoptive parents to help these children, which is why the process is much simpler compared to other places. Children can be adopted from infants to teenagers. Haiti offers a Waiting Child Program for children with special needs, siblings, or older children. This program allows future parents to access all pieces of information about the child, like medical paperwork, pictures, and progress reviews.
Single moms and couples who have been married for at least five years can apply to adopt from Haiti. It’s required that at least one parent is older than 30, but neither should be more than 50 or have a criminal history. There is no limit to how many children can already be in the household before adopting from Haiti as long as the family has a high enough income. Parents should travel to Haiti at least three times. First, to meet the child and spend at least two weeks with them and a social worker. Second, to go to family court to make the decision legal. Third, to take the child home. Both parents are encouraged to go on these visits.
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7. Ukraine
We are continuing our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care with Ukraine that has an increasing number of poor families without proper healthcare, which is why there are over 100,000 children in foster care. According to MLJ Adoption, children in Ukraine are left without any care as soon as they turn 16 and about 60 percent of boys become criminals, 50 percent of girls go into prostitution, and 10 to 15 percent commit suicide during the first year of independence. This is why Ukraine developed a unique adoption program that takes less than one year. Children are available for adoption from 9 years old to teenagers, but siblings and those with special needs can be adopted sooner.
New parents don’t get to choose the child they get. The child is instead chosen by a social worker after home study reviews. Married couples with or without children who are willing to adopt must be at least 25 years old and 15 years older than the child. They also must have no criminal record. There is currently no existing protocol for single parents.
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6. Philippines
The Philippines ranks 6th in our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care. It offers a stable and well-organized adoption program. There may be some delays because of the detailed process. Healthy children can be adopted from the ages of two to 15. For single parents, the child must be at least 9 years old. Siblings and special needs children can be adopted at any age.
When applying, couples must have been married for at least three years, should be at least 27, and have an age difference between them and the child between 16 and 45 years. They can’t have more than three children and there should be at least one year between the most recent child entering the household and the adopted child. Parents must not have a criminal record and preexisting medical conditions are taken into consideration. Social workers also ask for a letter of recommendation from a Christian church or organization.
5. Burundi
Burundi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world with more than 80 percent of citizens living in poverty. It’s estimated that there are over 500,000 children in orphanages, which is why it’s one of the easiest countries to adopt from foster care.
Parents can apply for children who are at least 18 months old. Prospective parents must have been married for at least five years and neither may have a risky medical condition. Each parent should be at least 30 years old. The process ends in about 30 months maximum.
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4. Ghana
Ghana’s Department of Social Welfare only approves international adoption if the child can’t be placed in a home in Ghana or the country can’t take care of the child anymore. Even so, it’s fairly easy to adopt from here as there are no special requirements. It simply depends on the court. If the court approves the adoption from the beginning, there won’t be anything standing in the way of an adoption.
Children are available from ages six and above, but there is a Waiting Child Program for older children, siblings, and children with HIV or other diseases.
There is currently no program for single parents, but couples must be each 25 years old or more and have no more than five children. They also must have no criminal record. The whole process can be finished in less than two years. And now, let’s see the top three on our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care.
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3. Honduras
We are continuing our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care is Honduras that is one of the leading countries in child abuse, as children are used for labor, sexual exploitation, trading, trafficking, or similar violence. The country is looking for as many parents as possible to adopt and save children whose parents have died as well.
Parents can adopt from babies to teenagers, siblings, more than two unrelated children at a time, and children with special needs. Couples should be married for at least three years and be between 25 and 50 years old. There should be no more than three children already in the household and the youngest must be older than three. The entire process takes less than 36 months.
2. Thailand
Thailand ranks second in our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care. It offers detailed medical paperwork, progress reports, and all children are tested for HIV and hepatitis. Children can be adopted from ages one to 15, but Thailand doesn’t generally support international adoption for children over 10 because of language and cultural differences.
Parents must be between 25 and 40 years old and married for at least three years. They’re not eligible if they have a medical condition that affects how they can care for a child and they must be financially secure. The entire process can be finished in less than two years.
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1. China
Because of the stable and predictive adoption program, China, the number one in our list of easiest countries to adopt from foster care has become a trusted country to adopt from. Children can be adopted from 5 months old to 7 years old, and through the Waiting Child Program, children older than 7 can be adopted if they have special needs.
For regular adoption, parents must be between 30 and 49 years old, but they can be as old as 55 if they’re applying for the Waiting Child Program. Couples must be married for at least two years, but if there’s been a divorce in the past then they must be married for at least five years. Families with biological or previously adopted children must send a dossier when applying that states their child is at least a year old or it’s been a year since the last adoption.
That concludes our list of the easiest countries to adopt from foster care. All children deserve a good home, and the countries on this list do their best to try to help.
