What you need to consider

Since you are dealing with impressions as much as with facts, the decision about which country to adopt from is not, and should not be, an entirely rational one.

In all cases the first consideration is whether you are eligible to adopt within that country's guidelines. The ages of the prospective parents, marital status, the number of years you have been married, and whether you have other children will effect your eligibility.

You will find it helpful to prioritize what factors are important to you, realizing that they are subject to change. You’ll want to remain flexible as conditions and opportunities in international adoption change frequently.

Additional factors to consider when making your decision about which country program best fits your family are:

Care of the children

• type of care
• attitude towards children
• medical treatment and expertise (resources, amount, and reliability of information)
• facilities
• staff/child ratio

Extent of the information available on the program

• length in existence
• access to parents who have adopted through program
• quality of working relationships of people involved

Additional Considerations

• Health of the children
• Extent of information on the child and birth parents
• Ease of communication and receptiveness to inquiries
• Predictability and reliability of country's legal system for adoption
• Your degree of interest in the culture
• Extended family and community attitudes towards this culture
• Racial heritage of the children
• Ages of the children
• Fee to the source and cost of travel
• Length of wait before and after assignment of the child
• Stability of country's political system including the presence and predictability of the adoption process
• Travel requirements
• Possibility of an ongoing relationship with the source