Adopting From Another Country: Process, Visa, and Citizenship

Adopting a child from another country typically takes two to four years and costs between $30,000 and $60,000 once agency fees, travel, legal work, and government filings are added together. Two federal agencies run the U.S. side: USCIS decides whether you qualify to adopt and whether the child can immigrate, and the State Department oversees compliance with international adoption standards. The child’s country of origin runs its own parallel process, with its own eligibility rules and its own court or administrative proceedings.

The rest of what follows walks through who can adopt, the two tracks the process can take, and each step from home study to citizenship.

Who Can Adopt

At least one adoptive parent must be a U.S. citizen. Lawful permanent residents cannot petition to bring an internationally adopted child into the country. Married couples must adopt jointly, with both spouses filing together. An unmarried U.S. citizen can adopt but must be at least 25 when filing the child-specific petition.¹ For Hague adoptions, an unmarried applicant can file the preliminary eligibility application (Form I-800A) at 24 but cannot file the Form I-800 petition for a specific child until turning 25.²

The child’s country of origin adds its own rules on top of these. Countries commonly require adoptive parents to be at least 25 or 30, set a maximum age gap between parent and child, require a minimum length of marriage, or refuse to place children with single parents. These rules vary widely and can change without much notice. The State Department publishes country-specific information you should read before you commit to a particular country.

The Two Tracks: Hague vs. Non-Hague

The most important structural question in international adoption is whether the child’s country participates in the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Convention creates standardized safeguards intended to prevent child trafficking and to ensure the adoption serves the child’s best interests. Countries that have joined it (called Convention countries) follow one set of procedures; countries that haven’t follow an older process under U.S. immigration law known as the “orphan” process.

The practical difference shows up most clearly in timing. In a Hague adoption, USCIS must approve you before you are matched with a child or accept any placement. In a non-Hague adoption, you can file your eligibility application and your child-specific petition at the same time, which gives more flexibility when a child has already been identified.³ The forms, visa categories, and some documentary requirements also differ, but the overall arc is the same on either track: prove you’re eligible, get matched, complete the foreign legal process, and bring the child home on an immigrant visa.

Working With an Accredited Agency

Any U.S.-based organization providing adoption services in an international case must be accredited or approved. This applies to both Hague and non-Hague adoptions under the Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012.⁴ The agency you pick becomes your primary provider, responsible for ensuring all required adoption services meet U.S. standards. It must also be authorized to operate in the country you plan to adopt from, so confirm that before signing anything.

The Home Study and Initial USCIS Approval

The home study is the document everything else depends on. A licensed social worker visits your home, interviews you and anyone else living there, reviews your finances, verifies criminal background checks for all adults in the household, and assesses your readiness to parent an internationally adopted child. Hague adoptions also require at least ten hours of preparation and training, separate from the home study, on subjects like attachment, the effects of institutionalization, and cultural adjustment.⁵

Once the home study is complete, you file the initial eligibility application with USCIS. Use Form I-800A for a Convention country or Form I-600A for a non-Convention country.⁶ As of 2026, either form carries a $920 filing fee.⁷

Approval expires. The I-800A is valid for 15 months from the date USCIS receives your fingerprint results, with one free extension available and a second extension for an additional fee. The I-600A lasts 18 months.⁶ If your approval expires before you’re matched, you’ll need to refile, which means new background checks and possibly an updated home study. Matching can take many months depending on the country, so these dates matter.

Matching and the Foreign Legal Process

With USCIS approval in hand, the process moves abroad. The child’s country of origin proposes a match based on the child’s needs and what your approved home study shows you can handle. In Convention countries, matching is tightly regulated: the country’s central authority must confirm the child is eligible for intercountry adoption and that domestic placement options have been exhausted before proposing a match with a foreign family.

For a Hague adoption, expect a detailed report on the child’s medical history, social background, and developmental status. Federal guidance gives you at least two weeks to review the information and decide whether you can meet the child’s needs before accepting the referral.⁸ Independent medical review by a physician familiar with international adoption is worth the fee. Institutional medical records from other countries are often incomplete, and a specialist can flag concerns that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Orphan Definition in Non-Hague Cases

For non-Hague adoptions, the child must qualify as an “orphan” under U.S. immigration law. That term is broader than most people assume. It covers children who have lost both parents through death, disappearance, abandonment, or separation. It also covers a child with one surviving parent, as long as that parent cannot provide adequate care and has given written, irrevocable consent to the child’s emigration and adoption.¹ The foreign country’s courts or child welfare authorities must document that the child meets one of these criteria.⁹

Foreign Court Proceedings

After you accept the match, you complete the legal process the child’s country requires. That may involve court hearings, administrative reviews, or both. Most countries require at least one adoptive parent to travel in person, and many require a stay of several weeks. Some countries grant a full adoption abroad; others grant legal custody for the purpose of emigration and adoption in the United States. Which of these applies affects the type of visa the child receives and whether you’ll need a second adoption proceeding in state court.

The Child’s Immigrant Visa

Once the foreign legal action is complete, you petition USCIS to classify the specific child as your immediate relative. File Form I-800 for a child from a Convention country or Form I-600 for a child from a non-Convention country.¹⁰¹¹ The petition requires documentation confirming the child’s identity, the foreign adoption decree or custody grant, and evidence that the child meets the legal definition of a Convention adoptee or an orphan.

Medical Exam and Vaccinations

After USCIS provisionally approves the petition, the child must be examined by a physician designated by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the child’s country. The exam screens for communicable diseases and other “Class A” medical conditions that can make a person inadmissible. If a Class A condition is found, the child is ineligible for a visa until the condition is resolved or waived. For Convention adoptees, parents can request a waiver of known medical inadmissibility when filing Form I-800, and the waiver can be folded into the petition’s provisional approval.¹²

Immigrants ordinarily have to show proof of vaccinations following U.S. immunization guidelines. Internationally adopted children under 10 are exempt from the overseas vaccination requirement.¹³ Instead, the adoptive parents sign an affidavit promising to bring the child’s vaccinations up to date within 30 days of arrival in the U.S., or at the earliest medically appropriate time. If you object to vaccinations on religious or moral grounds, you’ll need a separate individual waiver from USCIS.

Visa Categories

At the final embassy or consulate interview, the child is issued one of four immigrant visa types depending on whether the adoption was completed abroad and whether it followed the Hague or non-Hague track:

IR-3: non-Hague adoption finalized abroad, with at least one parent having seen the child before or during the proceedings.
IH-3: Hague adoption finalized abroad before the child enters the United States.
IR-4: non-Hague case where the adoption will be completed in the U.S., where neither parent saw the child during foreign proceedings, or where only one spouse of a married couple adopted abroad.
IH-4: Hague case where the adoption was not finalized abroad, or where only one spouse of a married couple adopted abroad.

The “3” versus “4” distinction has major consequences for how and when the child acquires U.S. citizenship.¹⁴

Citizenship After Arrival

Under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, a child who enters the U.S. on an IR-3 or IH-3 visa (adoption fully completed abroad) automatically becomes a U.S. citizen the moment they are admitted. This applies as long as the child is under 18 and in the legal and physical custody of their U.S. citizen parent.¹⁵

Children who enter on an IR-4 or IH-4 visa do not receive automatic citizenship at entry, because their adoption is not yet full and final under U.S. law. These children need a re-adoption or finalization proceeding in state court. Citizenship then takes effect automatically once the state court issues the final adoption decree, assuming the same age and custody conditions are met. Some states also require re-adoption for children who arrived on IR-3 or IH-3 visas if the state does not recognize the foreign adoption order, so check the law of the state where you’ll live.¹⁴

Proving Citizenship

Automatic citizenship is real, but it does not come with paperwork unless you ask for it. File Form N-600 (Application for Certificate of Citizenship) to get an official Certificate of Citizenship documenting the child’s status.¹⁶ A U.S. passport also proves citizenship and is often easier to obtain first. Do not leave citizenship undocumented. Your child will need proof for school, work, and their own identification later on.

Social Security Number

Your child needs a Social Security number for taxes, insurance, and most of ordinary life. If your child enters as a lawful permanent resident, a Social Security card should arrive within about two weeks of the green card through automatic information-sharing between agencies. If it doesn’t, visit a local Social Security office with the child’s immigration documents (the I-551 permanent resident card or the machine-readable immigrant visa), proof of the child’s identity, and proof of your own identity. Once citizenship is established, a U.S. passport or Certificate of Citizenship works as the primary document.¹⁷

Post-Adoption Reporting

Many countries require periodic reports on the child’s welfare after placement, and your adoption agency is responsible for collecting and submitting them. These reports document the child’s adjustment, health, and integration into the family, and they are typically required for the first one to three years after arrival. The schedule depends on the child’s country of origin.

Skipping reports creates real problems. Delinquent reports can jeopardize your agency’s authorization to operate in that country, which affects every family the agency is currently working with. If you plan to adopt again, missing reports from a prior adoption can block your next application. In some countries, noncompliance can carry heavy fines or criminal penalties under local law.¹⁸ Widespread noncompliance is one of the reasons countries suspend or shut down their intercountry adoption programs.

Costs and the Adoption Tax Credit

Total costs generally run from $30,000 to $60,000, with meaningful variation by country. That figure covers agency fees (usually the largest single expense), the home study, USCIS filing fees, document preparation and translation, required training, travel (often two trips), foreign legal and court fees, and the child’s medical examination. The USCIS filing fee for either Form I-800A or Form I-600A is $920.⁷

The federal adoption tax credit offsets some of this. For the 2026 tax year, the maximum credit is $17,670 per child. Qualified expenses include agency fees, attorney fees, court costs, travel expenses (including meals and lodging), and other costs directly related to the legal adoption, including home study fees paid before you identify a child.¹⁹ The credit is non-refundable: it can reduce your tax bill to zero but won’t generate a refund on its own. If your credit exceeds your tax liability in the year you claim it, you can carry the unused portion forward for up to five years.

The credit phases out at higher incomes. For 2026, it begins to shrink when modified adjusted gross income reaches $265,080 and disappears entirely above $305,080. Families in that range should calculate what, if anything, will remain before counting on it in an adoption budget.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1101 – Definitions
2
Federal Register. Classification of Aliens as Children of United States Citizens Based on Intercountry Adoptions Under the Hague Convention
3
U.S. Department of State. Side-by-Side Comparison
4
Federal Register. Intercountry Adoption: Regulatory Changes to Accreditation and Approval Regulations in Intercountry Adoption
5
eCFR. 22 CFR 96.48 – Preparation and Training of Prospective Adoptive Parents in Incoming Cases
6
U.S. Department of State. Eligibility to Adopt
7
eCFR. Part 106 USCIS Fee Schedule
8
U.S. Department of State. Convention Adoption Process
9
eCFR. 8 CFR 204.3 – Orphan Cases Under Section 101(b)(1)(F) of the Act
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative
12
Department of State. Foreign Affairs Manual – Adoption-based Classifications and Processing – Overview
13
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. International Adoption
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Your New Child’s Immigrant Visa
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1431
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship Frequently Asked Questions
17
Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
18
U.S. Department of State. Post-Adoption Reporting Overview
19
Internal Revenue Service. Adoption Credit