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Due to the increased demand for international adoptions from China, there have been changes to the requirements for families wishing to adopt. These changes are incorporated in the list below.

• We currently only work with couples in which at least one spouse is a U.S. citizen with residency in the U.S. or who live on a military base in another country. This is in order to apply for the immigration of the adopted child into the U.S. as an immediate relative.
• Married heterosexual couples between 30 and 50 years of age (55 for the Waiting Child Program) can apply for adoption of abandoned or orphaned children from China. The CCAA requires that couples be married at least two years and five years if the current marriage is the second marriage for either spouse. A couple cannot have more than two divorces.
• Families cannot have more than five minor children (biological or adopted) living in the home and the youngest child must be at least one year old. This requirement is waived for the Waiting Children Program.
• A family can only adopt one child at a time with the exception of the adoption of twins or siblings living in the same welfare institute. When twins or siblings are available, priority will be given to childless couples with higher incomes. A family who has adopted one child and wishes to adopt another child from China may submit documents again one year after the first adoption is completed.
• Both applicants need to have a high school diploma or vocational training of the same level.
• Either spouse should hold a stable occupation with a family income level at least $10,000 per household member per year (including the child to be adopted). The family also must have a net worth greater than $80,000.
• The couple should be physically and mentally healthy and should not have the following conditions:
• • AIDS
  • Mental handicap
  • Infectious disease in an infective stage
  • Binocular blind or binocular parallax or monocular blind with no ocular prosthesis.
  • Binaural hearing loss or language function loss, however adoption of special needs children with the same condition will be exempt from this limitation.
  • Afunction (without function) or dysfunction (abnormal function) of limbs or trunk caused by impairment, incompleteness, numbness or deformation, including severe facial deformities.
  • Severe diseases requiring long-term treatment, which affect life expectancy, such as malignant tumor, lupus erythematosus, nephrosis, epilepsy, etc.
  • People with major organ transplants must be ten years post-surgery
  • Schizophrenia
  • People with a history of being medicated for severe mental disorders such as depression, mania, anxiety, neurosis who have not been off medication for at least two years.
  • Body Mass Index of greater than 40.
• Neither applicant should have a criminal record or history of substance abuse (must have stopped drinking at least ten years ago). Adoption applications will be considered on a case by case basis when either the husband or wife has fewer than three minor criminal records with no severe outcomes or fewer than five records of traffic law violation with no severe outcomes occurring at least ten years ago or more.
• The applicants should have a thorough understanding of adoption, be able to provide a warm family life and meet the needs of the children. They should be fully prepared for the potential risks of inter-country adoption, such as potential diseases, developmental delays and post-adoption maladjustments.
• At least one parent must travel to China to complete the legal process and file an orphan petition on behalf of the child with the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China. This parent should be the I-800A petitioner and have the spouse's power of attorney. The power of attorney must be notarized and authenticated. ASIA highly recommends that both spouses travel to China. Some states impose additional pre-adoption requirements on married couples that send only one spouse overseas to legalize the adoption. Please check with your local CIS district office or your home study agency for clarification.
• The Chinese government requires a donation of 35,000 rmb from the adoptive family to the welfare institution where the child has been raised (donation will be paid in US dollars based on the exchange rate in effect at time of payment: As of October 2009 1USD=6.7rmb or 5,224USD). When traveling to China, adoptive families present this donation in person to the welfare institution to support its child welfare endeavors.
• Two post-adoption reports with photos are required by the China Center of Adoption Affairs. The first report is due six months after the child arrives in the U.S. The second report is due six months later. The reports must be completed by licensed social workers or agencies through home visits. Audio and video tapes are also welcome. Additional reports may be requested until the child becomes a U.S. citizen.

Requirements for prospective adoptive parents are based on current Chinese Adoption Law, current Chinese regulations and policies regarding the adoption of Chinese children by foreigners and current U.S. Immigration and Naturalization regulations, as well as by Hague Convention requirements. ASIA's Beijing staff maintains direct contact with the Chinese adoption authorities, is familiar with Chinese adoption law and regulations and is able to quickly answer any questions regarding new policies that may be implemented by the Chinese government. The staff will seek clarification on unusual situations.