A successful adoption from China requires the approval of the U.S. and Chinese governments. Since China opened its doors to international adoption in 1992, U.S.-China relations have been through many challenges, but none of these political issues has stopped the adoption process. Understanding each government's role in the adoption process helps families prepare themselves for the road ahead.

The U.S. Government

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) represents the U.S. government in the adoption process. The USCIS approves families to bring a foreign-born child into the U.S. Before Chinese government paperwork can be completed, families must be approved by the USCIS.

Although the USCIS is a federal agency, the procedures may vary depending on the state in which you live. You will be required to submit birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, etc., along with your state-approved home study to the USCIS. Regardless of where you live, families start the process by filing the I-600A form with their local USCIS office. Once the USCIS approves you to adopt a foreign-born child and bring him or her back to the U.S., you have 18 months to travel to China and return home with your adopted child.

One of the last stops that families will make during their adoption trip is at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China. There, the USCIS will review the adoption paperwork and issue a visa for your child to enter the U.S. CCAI staff in the U.S. and China will equip you in preparing the necessary paperwork for this appointment. If both parents travel to China, your child will become an automatic citizen of the United States once you reach U.S. soil.

The Chinese Government

The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) is the government agency in Beijing that matches all adoptive parents with Chinese children. They are the ultimate authority in China adoption. They set many of the guidelines that appear on the Qualifications page of this site.

The "dossier" is the compilation of documents that each family must gather and submit to the CCAA. CCAI provides families with our copyrighted Adoption Dossier Guide which helps our families successfully compile their dossier. The dossier is a profile of the adoptive parents. Based on this paperwork, the CCAA reviews each family's qualifications and matches them with a child.

Once the CCAA receives the family's child match acceptance, they issue the "Travel Notice." The Travel Notice is the invitation for you to come to China and adopt your child. The local Chinese government as well as the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, need to see this notice before you are able to travel.

CCAI keeps you informed of the policies of these two governments and acts as your liaison between the CCAA and the U.S. Consulate in China. With your child in your arms and approval from the CCAA and the USCIS, you return home from China with the family of your dreams.

While CCAI will attempt to provide you with all available information about the adoption process, we strongly encourage families considering China adoption to understand the risks involved. Some of those risks include sudden changes in the adoption requirements of the U.S. and Chinese governments or changes in international relations between China and the United States.