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Guidelines on the Adoption Formalities Foreigners Shall Go through in China

Updated : 2016-08-01

1. Where foreigners come to China for adoption, they should come to China in person to go through the registration formalities. Where a foreign couple adopt a child in concert, they should come to China in concert to go through the adoption formalities; when one of the spouses cannot come to China for some reasons, the other spouse should submit on his/her behalf the Power of Attorney which should be notarized and authenticated by the country where they reside.

2. Foreigners who come to China for adoption should conclude a written adoption agreement with the person placing out the child for adoption. The adoption agreement should include in general such contents as the adopters’ willingness to adopt, the consent of the person placing out the child for adoption and the agreement of both parties to form the adoptive relationship. The agreement should be done in triplicate, of which the adopters, the person placing out the child for adoption and the adoption registration organ keep one copy each.

3. For the adoptive registration, foreign adopters, the person placing out the child for adoption and the adoptee should go together to the civil affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality under the jurisdiction of the Central Government in the locality of the adoptee's permanent residence. During the course of registration, the foreign adopters should, as required, fill in the registration application for adoption of children in China and submit to the registration organ the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children issued by China Center of Adoption Affairs, identity credence and photos of the adopters. The registration organ will conduct examination within 7 days from the following day of the receipt of the registration application for adoption of children by foreigners who come to China, handle the adoption registration and issue registration certificate to the adopters in conformity with the Registration Measures for Adoption of Children by Foreigners in the People’s Republic of China. The adoptive relationship will be thus established as of the date of registration.