How can I find out/research if a foreign adoption agency I am considering adopting from is legit?

Question

How can I find out/research if a foreign adoption agency I am considering adopting from is legit?

Answer 1

Why would you want to adopt from a foreign country, when there are millions of children and babies here in America waiting to be adopted. Baby's everyday are born in American hospitals and just left because the parents didn't want them. Think about an American baby.

Answer 2

I would highly suggest contacting a US based adoption agency that specializes in International Adoption.  The reason is that each state has it's own requirements for adoption - even international adoptions.  You will most probably have to have some type of paperwork, etc., completed in order to bring the child back into the US.  I would suggest having the process done by someone here in the states so that you do not face any hardships when bringing the child home.  

Good luck to you!

Answer 3

Search groups.yahoo.com for "adoption agency research." They are a very supportive group with lots of info on which agencies are legit, ethical, timely, etc, etc.

If you know which country you would like to adopt from, search for yahoo groups that focus on adoption form that country. You will hear firsthand accounts from people using many different agencies. This is also a great resource to learn which questions to ask when you call agencies, and learn how the different programs operate. Timelines, financial requirements, care of children, vary greatly, so the more research you do beforehand the better.

That said the best starting place is always the state department. You can search the countries you are interested in and they will give a list of the requirements for that country and the agencies who are licensed to operate there. Do not think you have to use an agency located in your state. We used an agency on the other side of the country as our placement agency (the agency which deals with the foreign country), and a local agency for our homestudy agency (the agency that handles our US approval). This is quite common, since their might be only a few agencies in the whole US that work with the country you want to adopt from. Choose a placement agency first (based on their recommendations and references, NOT location) and they will connect you with a local homestudy agency that they have worked with before.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

My husband and I are adopting internationally, and contrary to what many people think, the US does not have an abundance of healthy children available for adoption, and many states make it very difficult to adopt children already in the system. I would suggest networking with other adoptive parents, using one of the Yahoo groups for the country you are adopting is one way that we found our agency. Also checking the BBB report can be helpful and insisting that the agency give you contacts for several clients who have adopted through them. Good luck on your journey!

Answer 5

Do you mean an American agency that handles foreign adoptions?  If so, you can ask to see their license, and contact the state government to see if they are a legitimate agency.  Also, ask them for referrals from other adoptive parents.  You can also contact the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints against them.

Answer 6

There are so many needy children here in the USA, you should adopt a child here before going overseas.