The requirements for prospective adoptive parents are based on current Taiwan Adoption Law, current Taiwan agency regulations and policies regarding International Adoption. Each case goes through the Taiwan court system and an adoption is not assured until the final court proceeding. The ASIA staff will answer any specific questions regarding your adoption process. Be aware that the requirements can change without advance notice. ASIA will issue changes and updates when confirmed by the Taiwan agency.

• ASIA works with U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. or U.S. citizens in another country. At least one spouse must be a U.S. citizen.
• Married couples between the ages of 25 and 50 and who have been married for over two years. The age difference between the adopter and the adoptee must be at least 20 years. Married couples between the ages of 50 and 55 can only adopt children five years old or older. Either spouse may only have one divorce.
• Prospective adoptive parents must have a stable residence, legitimate work and sufficient financial means ($10,000 per person in the household, including the child to be adopted) to provide proper care for the adoptee; they must be willing to follow all adoption procedures and participate in the preparation courses.
• Prospective adoptive parents must be in good mental and physical health and not have any criminal record. An elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more will be taken into account as a condition of one’s physical health.
• Prospective adoptive family should have no more than three children. A family with more than three children is eligible to adopt children five years old or older or a special needs child.
• Prospective adoptive families must be genuinely willing to accept, love and take care of the adoptee; must be willing to work with the adoption procedures and participate in the preparation course.
• At least one parent must travel to Taiwan to complete the legal process. This parent needs to be the I-600A petitioner.
• Taiwan requires five years of post-placement reports, including photos. In the first year, post placement reports are required at three, six and twelve months; after that one report per year is required. (This means seven reports over a five-year period.) The reports must be completed by licensed social workers or agencies through home visits.

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Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ ) for Adoptions from Taiwan

• Can couples over the age of 50 adopt from Taiwan? Couples between the ages of 50 and 55 years old must adopt a child age five years or older. Couples between the ages of 25 and 50 years can request a child of any age.
• Are there any health conditions of adoptive parents that would prohibit them from adopting from Taiwan? Adoptive applicants who have communicable diseases will not be permitted to adopt from Taiwan. Any other conditions require a doctor’s letter stating that the applicant is fit to be an adoptive parent.
• Is a DUI considered a crime in Taiwan that would prevent someone from being able to adopt? DUI is considered a crime in Taiwan. Applicants will be considered on a case by case basis, depending upon when the incident happened and whether there have been any repeat offenses.

• Children's Facilities

  What kind of special needs do the Waiting Children in Taiwan have? In Taiwan, children are considered special needs if they are over five years old or if they have conditions, such as exposure to abuse or neglect, low IQ or intelligence due to neglect, speech delays, physical delays or psychological issues due to early life traumas.
• What kind of contact is there with the birth parents? Are they given the adoptive parents’ information? Contact between birth parents and adoptive parents is agreed upon and ultimately the decision of the adoptive parents. Birth parents are not given the adoptive parents contact information. All contact goes through the agencies. However, when the child reaches the age of 18, there is an agency they may contact in Taiwan to receive their biological parents’ complete information.
• If we want to pursue a waiting child, do we have to choose one from the list? Taiwan has two types of waiting child programs. You can either choose a child from the waiting child list, or you can submit your paperwork with a request for the age, gender and special needs you would consider and the Foundation will match you with an available child.
• What types of children are available? Currently, the Foundation has special needs children with developmental delays or healthy children over the age of 5 years, which are considered waiting children. They also have healthy children of all ages with no known special needs.

• Children's Facilities

  Do healthy children have any issues that we should be aware of, such as malnutrition or delays due to institutionalization? So far the children receive very good care and do not have these types of issues.
• How many visits with the social worker are required for Taiwan? Taiwan requires three face to face visits with the social worker, with at least one occurring in the home.
• Can families with more than three children adopt from Taiwan? The decision will be made based on a family’s financial capacity to raise another child and whether they have room in their home.
• Are families required to provide post adoption reports after the adoption? Families will be required to provide post adoption reports completed by a social worker for five years after the adoption. The first year the family is required to submit a report every six months. After the first year, post adoption reports are required annually.

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