Adoption Program Criteria

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Click on a country name to view that countries' adoption criteria. These are the current requirements and practices of the sending country as best understood or interpreted by Holt International and its affiliate/associate agencies.

Bulgaria
Children Available	• 2 to 6 years at time of placement. • Families needed for boys.
Parent's Age	• Minimum 25 years old. • No more than 45 years age difference between parents and child.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 2 years of marriage.
Divorce	Up to two divorces per spouse considered on a case by case basis.
Children in Family	Up to 4 children
Single Applicant	• Single women 30 - 50 years old. • Contact Holt before applying.
Travel in Country	• Two trips. • First trip is approximately one week. • Second trip, which occurs approximately 3-5 months after first trip, is 2 weeks. • Escort available for second trip.
How Long it Takes	• Application to placement: approximately 18 - 24 months. • New Program, time frames will vary.
Waiting Child Program	Same as country guidelines.
Additional Information	Families needed for boys. Learn more about Holt's work in the Bulgaria.
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China
Children Available	• Standard Process: Girls 8-36 months at time of placement. • Special Needs Process: Girls and Boys 8 months-7 years at time of placement. • Children with minor to moderate health conditions. • Families needed for boys.
Parent's Age	• Standard Prcoess:Couples 30-49. • If both spouses are over 45, child referrals tend to be over 18 months, depending on the age of available children. • Special Needs Process:Couples 30-54.
Length of Marriage	• Minimum 2 years marriage. • Minimum 5 years if previously married.
Divorce	Up to 2 divorces per spouse considered on a case-by-case basis.
Children in Family	• Standard Prcoess:Up to 4 children in a home. • Only childless couples considered for twins. • Special Needs Process:May be flexible regarding number of children in the home.
Single Applicant	Single Applicants not accepted.
Travel in Country	Required for one parent; travel by both parents strongly encouraged; 12 days average
How Long it Takes	• Standard Process:Approx 31months from dossier sent to placement (Application through placement is 35-40 months). • Special Needs Process:**12-18 months from application through placement.
Waiting Child Program	• Open to couples 30-54. • Boys and girls 8 months to 6 years available. • Families may select gender. • Families needed for boys. • Expedited process. • May be flexible regarding children in the home.
Additional Information	Income requirements: $30,000 minimum annual income plus an additional $10,000 per child currently in the home (not including the child to be adopted), and minimum $80,000 net worth (total assets-total liabilities) Primarily girls available for standard process. Expedited process for parents of Chinese heritage Learn more about Holt's work in the China.
Note	Toddlers 24 months or older referred through the standard process are likely to have a minor special health need. *Wait times are expanding. While we cannot predict how long it will take for the CCAA to clear the backlog of families with dossiers in China, once it clears, we expect processing time to shorten for new families coming into the process. Please contact Holt directly for more information regarding the wait.
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Ethiopia
Children Available	Boys and girls 6 months to 7 years at time of placement.
Parent's Age	• Couples 25-44. • Couples with husband over 45 and wife under 45 accepted on a case-by-case basis. • .
Length of Marriage	Minimum 2 years of marriage.
Children in Family	Up to 5 children in the home.
Single Applicant	Single applicants not accepted.
Travel in Country	• Required for both parents. • One trip approximately 10 days.
How Long it Takes	• Application through placement: approximately 12-18 months. • As a new program, this timeframe may vary.
Waiting Child Program	Processing times and flexibility regarding family eligibility guidelines for waiting children has yet to be determined.
Additional Information	As this is a new program, families should be open to potential delays and unknowns. Learn more about Holt's work in the Ethiopia.
Note	Childless couples and families who already have a girl must be open to a child of either gender.
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Haiti
Children Available	24 months to 7 years at time of placement.
Parent's Age	• Couples 35-50. • Contact Haiti program if one applicant is over 50 years old.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 5 years marriage.
Divorce	• One divorce each accepted. • More than one divorce each considered on a case by case basic.
Children in Family	• Childless couples preferred. • If you have children of one gender, you can adopt the opposite gender (but not the same). • Families with no more than 2 children accepted.
Single Applicant	• Single women 35 – 50 years old accepted. • Contact the Haiti program before applying.
Travel in Country	• Family travel within Haiti currently not encouraged due to political instability. • Two short trips now recommended--a 3 day trip to file for child's via with DHS and then an airport pick-up of child 2-3 weeks later.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: 28+ months average.
Waiting Child Program	Waiting children from Haiti are often physically healthy, older, or part of a sibling group.
Additional Information	• Families should be open to delays and unknowns. • Often good child & birth family information is available. • Children are very well cared for in Holt-sponsored care. Learn more about Holt's work in the Haiti.
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India
Children Available	18+ months for Indian passport/OCI holders.
Parent's Age	• Minimum age 30. • Maximum of 85 years difference between combined age of parents and child. • No more than 45 years between older parent and child.
Length of Marriage	5 years, minimum 3 years at application when marriage is strong.
Divorce	1-2 divorces total for applicants.
Children in Family	Up to four children in or out of the home.
Single Applicant	• Single applicants 30-45 on a case-by-case basis. • Contact the India program before applying.
Travel in Country	8-11 days for one parent.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: 21-24 months.
Waiting Child Program	• May be flexible regarding number of children already in the home. • Families needed for boys. • Parents may be up to 55 for child with special needs above 6 years. • Children under 30 months old may be available.
Additional Information	Families should be open to delays, unknowns and potential changes in process. Learn more about Holt's work in the India.
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Korea
Children Available	9 months to 20 months at time of placement.
Parent's Age	• Couples 25-42. • No more than 10 years age difference between husband and wife. • Branch office states: Parents through age 42 at time of application may apply for a child with no known special health needs.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 3 years.
Divorce	1-2 divorces total for applicants.
Children in Family	Up to 4.
Single Applicant	Single applicants not accepted.
Travel in Country	Optional (escorts available); 3 business days -- one or both parents may travel.
How Long it Takes	Due to new regulations, timeframes are lengthening. Timeframe from application through placement: 21-24 months
Waiting Child Program	• Family’s residence accepted in an additional 18 states (see below). • Children up to 3 years and occasionally up to 6 years with special needs may be available. • If home study completed, assignment process may be quicker; travel processing time frame remains the same.
Additional Information	• Families must be open to a child of either gender unless:Family is applying for a Waiting Child. • Family may request a girl if parents are Korean-American or family has 2 or more boys and no girls. Learn more about Holt's work in the Korea.
Note	The Korean government generally requires Holt to work directly with prospective parents. Holt can place Korean children in the following states: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota and Texas.Holt may place waiting Korean children with special needs (or healthy children to Korean-American parents) in the following States: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington DC, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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Philippines
Children Available	• 15 months to five years. • The majority 15-24 months at time of placement. • Families must be open to a child of either gender, unless adopting from the Waiting Child program.
Parent's Age	• Minimum age is 27. • Matches are based on primary caregiver's age at time dossier is submitted. • Parents under age 43 can be considered for a child ages 0-2 years, Parents 43-49 can be considered for children 3-4 years, Parents over age 50 can be considered on a case by case basis for children 5+ years.
Length of Marriage	• Minimum 3 years. • Number of years of common-law marriage can be accepted, but parents must be legally married for at least 1 year.
Divorce	1 divorce each accepted.
Children in Family	• Childless couples are given priority. • Up to 3 children accepted. • 4 children considered on a case-by-case basis. • Please contact country program prior to applying.
Single Applicant	Single women considered for child 7+ years old through the Waiting Child program.
Travel in Country	Required for one parent; minimum 5 days.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: 24-28 months average.
Waiting Child Program	• Families with 4+ children may qualify on a case-by-case basis. • Families are able to select gender. • Single women considered for child 5+ years old.
Additional Information	Filipino-American families are given priority for child placement, thus reducing timeframe. Learn more about Holt's work in the Philippines.
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Thailand
Children Available	• 14 months to 2 years at time of placement. • Children over 2 years may have some special needs.
Parent's Age	• Minimum 25 years. • Up to 40 years between younger parent and child. • Couples with one person over 50 accepted on a case-by-case basis.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 3 years.
Divorce	1 divorce each accepted.
Children in Family	• Up to 2; flexible for older or special needs children and for families who have previously adopted Thai children. • Youngest child in home should be at least 2 years old at time of application.
Single Applicant	Not currently accepting applications from singles.
Travel in Country	Required for both parents; 8-10 days.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: 24-30 months.
Waiting Child Program	Number of children in family may be flexible.
Additional Information	• No new applications are being accepted at this time, unless family has adopted from Thailand previously. • Childless couples and families who already have a girl must be open to a child of either gender. • Any medical issue will require pre-approve by Thailand government. • Please contact Thailand program before applying. Learn more about Holt's work in the Thailand.
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Ukraine
Children Available	Only accepting applications for families open to children from the Waiting Child program (children with special health needs, older children, and sibling groups).
Parent's Age	• Couples 30 - 55 years. • Up to 45 years age difference between parent and child.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 2 years marriage, exceptions considered on a case by case basis.
Divorce	Up to 2 divorces each considered on a case by case basis.
Children in Family	Up to 4 children in home.
Single Applicant	Not accepting applications from singles.
Travel in Country	One trip for both parents required for 4-6 weeks.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: estimated 12+ months.
Waiting Child Program	May be flexible regarding number of children at home.
Additional Information	• At this time, Holt is accepting applications only for families interested in children 36 months and older. • As this is a new program, families should be open to potential delays and unknowns. Learn more about Holt's work in the Ukraine.
Note	New Program - timeframes may vary.
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Vietnam
Children Available	• 1-5 years at time of placement. • Majority are 12-24 months at time of placement.
Parent's Age	• Minimum 25 years old. • Parents over age 50 considered on case-by-case basis.
Length of Marriage	Minimum 2 years.
Divorce	• 2 divorces each accepted. • More than 2 on a case-by-case basis.
Children in Family	Up to 5.
Single Applicant	Not currently accepting applications from singles.
Travel in Country	One trip is required for both parents for 3 weeks.
How Long it Takes	Application through placement: 24-30 months.
Waiting Child Program	• Number of children in family may be flexible. • Flexibility in parents ages. • Singles up to age 50 accepted on a case-by-case basis. • Good developmental information from care centers.
Additional Information	• No new applications are being accepted at this time. • Families must be open to either gender. Learn more about Holt's work in the Vietnam.
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