What is the Waiting Period to Adopt?
Typically there are 4 waiting periods.
The first is how long it takes you to decide that adoption is the way to create or expand your family. The second waiting period is from when you start the process until you take actual custody of the child.
The third waiting period is the time that the birth mother and birth father have to change their minds. The fourth is the waiting period until you can formally adopt the child.
The first two waiting periods depend on you and the adoption agency or attorney you work with. The third and fourth waiting periods are set by the adoption laws of each state and "the standard practices of local courts." The information below discusses the waiting period from when you start the process until you take actual custody of the child.
Waiting Period for a Domestic Adoption
The total waiting period in a domestic child adoption depends on several factors including the age, health, cultural heritage, race, and nationality of the child. It also depends on your child adoption budget, whether you find the child yourself, work with a private agency, an attorney, or adopt through a state foster care adoption program.
The wait with a private child adoption agency can also depend on whether the agency uses a fixed waiting list or a pooling/profile program. In general, waiting periods vary from about 6 months up to several years.
Our (Adoption Services) waiting times:
- Our waiting times for a healthy newborn or infant have typically been much shorter than many other agencies. However, the waiting times all across the country for our agency and other agencies have increased significantly. Please give us a call so we can give you an up-to-date timeline.
- We use a fixed waiting list and not a pooling program. As soon as registration materials are received you are placed on our fixed waiting list. By using the fixed waiting on a "first-come, first served" basis, we are able to provide you with a realistic waiting time.
- We specialize in placing healthy newborns, infants, and children.
- We use direct placement and not foster care. With a newborn you will come to the hospital to take custody of the newborn.
- We conduct both open and closed adoptions. You can meet the birth parents or decide not to meet them. You can select both the type of adoption you want as well as specifying the type of child you wish to adopt.
International Adoption
In an international child adoption there is usually no agency waiting period, but the waiting time depends on the process used and the country you are adopting from. Waits usually average from about 1 to 5 years depending on the country involved.
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WHO WE ARE
Our Adoption Agency is licensed in multiple states and is able to help birth parents and adopting families in all 50 states and in foreign countries. We are different from county child adoption programs and have worked with birth parents and adopting families from all over the world and our overall satisfaction rating has been excellent.