Philippine Adoptions

Adoption From the Philippines

Children Available for Intercountry Adoption

Children available for intercounty adoption placement are those who cannot be placed with an adoptive family in the Philippines. All children have to be cleared for intercountry adoption by the Competent Authority - Programs and Projects Bureau of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (PPBDSWD) Central Office.

Children of either sex are usuallly available but there may be a longer waiting period for girls. The general ages of children cleared for intercountery adoption usually range from 6 months to 10 years old. The allowable maximum age of Filipino children for intercountry adoption is below 15 years olds. A child who is above 15 years old may be processed for intercountry adoption when the child is part of a sibling group or if the application for adoption was filed before the child reached the age of 15.

Special needs or hard-to-place children include: older children who are 7 to 15 years old; sibling groups of three or more; children with major medical/physical problems; children with major developmenta/neurological delay/handicaps. 

Who Can Adopt?

Adoption between the United States and the Philippines is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore, to adopt from the Philippines, the prospective adoptive parent(s) must first be found eligible to adopt by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government agency responsible for making this determination is the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  USCIS requires the adoptive parent(s) to be a U.S. Citizen and, if unmarried, at least 25 years old. The prospective adoptive parent(s) must meet certain requirements that will determine their suitability as a prospective adoptive parent(s), including criminal background checks, fingerprinting, and a home study. In addition to qualifying to adopt under U.S. law, they must also meet their home state's requirements for prospective adoptive parent(s). Learn more about individual state requirements on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website.

 In addition to these U.S. requirements for prospective adoptive parent(s), the Philippines also has the following requirements:

• Adoptive parent must be at least 27 years of age and at least 16 years older than the childe to be adopted at the time of   application. The maximum age gap between the adoptive parent and the child to be adopted must not exceed 45 years.
• If a couple, the prospective adoptive parents must have been married for three (3) years.  They must file jointly to adopt a child. 
• There are no minimum income requirements set by the Philippines. Prospective adoptive parents must, however, prove financial stability.
• The prospective adoptive parent(s) must not have ever been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. 
• The prospective adoptive parent(s) must be in a position to proivide proper care and support and to give necessary moral values to all his/her children, including the child to be adopted. The prospective adoptive parent(s) must agree to uphold the basic rights of the child as embodied under the Philippine laws and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Processing Time

Adoption applications that have a substantive Home Study Report and complete supporting documents are reveiwed by the Intercountry Adoption Board of the Philipppiens (Central Authority) and approved within one month from receipt of the adoption applicant/s' dossier.  The matching of a child largely depends upon the stated child preference (i.e. child's age, gender and state of health or extent of known background) of the prospective adoptive parent(s).  Thus usually takes nine (9) months to one (1) year after the approval of the prospective adoptive parent(s).  However, this can vary acording to the availablity of children to be matched, the number of prospective adoptive parent(s) on the waiting list, and the caselaod of Philippine social service agencies and the courts. 

Travel to Country

U.S. citizens require a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave the Philippines.  If traveling from the U.S., a visa is not required if the stay in country is 21 days or less.  If a couple, only one adoptive parent is required to travel and the anticipated stay in country is generally 7 days or less.

Post Placement

According to Philippine law, after the adoptive parent(s) escort the child to the U.S. and assume custody of the child, they enter a six-month trial period where the accredited adoption agency in the U.S. monitors the child's welfare.  After the adoptive parent(s) complete the trial custody period, the adoptive parent(s) should file a petition for adoption before the court in the U.S. The final U.S. adoption decree must be submitted to the Intercountry Adoption Board of the Philippines within one month after its issuance. 

Cost

Please click here to view an Itemized Schedule of Fees and Costs for adopting from the Philippines. 

Refund Policy

Please click here to view a Schedule of Refunds. 

For more detailed information on the requirements and process to adopt a child from the Philippines, go to http://adoption.state.gov/country_informaiton/country.