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In international adoption, families adopt children who live in a different country. Sometimes prospective parents fly to the child's country of origin and stay for a few days to a few months. Sometimes the children are brought over by agency workers.

Hopeful parents in the United States have to meet both U.S. adoption standards and those set by the country from which they're hoping to adopt. Because of this, international adoptions can vary widely depending on where the child is from. What you will pay, how you will travel, and the type of child available for adoption (for example, sometimes only children of a certain sex or age are available) will depend on which country you choose....

In international adoption, families adopt children who live in a different country. Sometimes prospective parents fly to the child's country of origin and stay for a few days to a few months. Sometimes the children are brought over by agency workers.

Hopeful parents in the United States have to meet both U.S. adoption standards and those set by the country from which they're hoping to adopt. Because of this, international adoptions can vary widely depending on where the child is from. What you will pay, how you will travel, and the type of child available for adoption (for example, sometimes only children of a certain sex or age are available) will depend on which country you choose.

"You'll also want to feel comfortable with your future child's nationality," says Richard Mintzer, author of Yes, You Can Adopt! He explains that international adoption creates a multi-ethnic family, so it's important to find a country whose culture you will feel comfortable exploring and sharing with your child.

If you're interested in pursuing an international adoption you should learn upfront what countries expect from adopting parents. Some require that parents be married, meet certain financial expectations, or be within a certain age -- or even weight! -- range. You can get these details by contacting agencies that work in international adoption.

Here are some great places to start your research:

• Adoption.com is the monolith for adoption information, with links to nearly everything adoption-related.
• The Evan B. Donaldson Institute regularly reports on adoption ethics, both domestic and international.
• Ethica, a frequent partner with the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, focuses on education about ethical practices for international adoptions.

Learn more about choosing an agency.

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