Overview: China’s revised adoption guidelines

By Lucy Gotell

As of May 1, 2007, adoption from China has been limited to married couples (a man and a woman) that meet the following criteria:

1. The couple must be married for at least two years. If either has been previously divorced, the couple must have been married for 5 years. No more than two divorces are allowed.

2. Both partners must be between 30 and 50 years of age. Couples adopting a special needs child must be between 30 and 55.

3. Both partners must be physically and mentally fit and have none of the following conditions:
AIDS, mental disability, blindness, hearing loss or loss of speech, dysfunction of limbs or trunk, severe facial deformation, infectious disease that is actively contagious, severe diseases that require long-term treatment and that may affect life expectancy, major organ transplant within ten years, schizophrenia, severe mental disorders requiring medication for more than two years, or a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher.

4. At least one partner must have stable employment. The total value of family assets must be at least $80,000 and the family’s annual income must be at least $10,000 for each family member.

5. Both partners must be high school graduates or have vocational training equivalent to a high school education.

6. The parents must have fewer than five children under the age of 18, and the youngest must be at least one year old (those applying for special needs children are exempt from this rule).

7. Both partners must have clean criminal records and a history of honorable behavior and good moral character.

8. The parents must show an ability to provide a warm family environment capable of meeting the needs of an orphaned child and providing for his or her development, as well as an understanding of the risks that could arise from intercountry adoption, and;

9. The couple must provide an adoption application letter that makes clear the applicants’ willingness to allow post-placement follow-ups and provide post-placement reports as required.

Click here for a full description of China’s revised adoption guidelines.