CHINA DOSSIER REQUIREMENTS

    The present Notice shall be implemented as from February 1, 2001. From February 1, 2001 onward, the adoption applications and certifying documents of foreign adoption applicants submitted by the adoption organizations to the CCAA shall be made according to the requirements set forth in the present Notice.  

 

CHANGES ARE IN BOLD FACE PRINT

A.  The Adoption Applicants shall submit the following documents and photographs:

1. Petition Letter from Applicants
2. Birth Certificate for Adoptive Parents only
3. Certificate of Marital Status
4. Employment Letter
5. Financial Letter
6. Medical Form for each Adoptive Parent (copy of new medical form is enclosed)
7. Policy Reports – one for each Adoptive Parent
8. Home Study Report;
9. Copy of I-171H Approval Form
10. Copy of Adoption Applicant's Passport
11. Two 2-inch bareheaded photos each of the adoption applicants and 6 photos reflecting their family life.

The above-mentioned certifying documents, except for items 10 and 11, shall be notarized, State Certified and Authenticated by the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China.

 

B.  Points of Attention for the Adoption Applicants in their Preparation and submission of materials are as follows:

1. Application /Petition Letter
   (1) Petition Letter shall be written by the adoption applicants personally, not to be written by the adoption organizations or by others by filling in standardized form;
   (2) It shall be signed by the adoption applicants in person and in the case of a couple, the application shall be jointly signed by both of them;
   (3) It shall include the following contents: the names of the adoption applicants, the dates of birth, the places of birth, nationality, the reason for adoption, the definite desire and request for adopting Chinese children, the adopters' statement of assurance that they shall not abandon or abuse the adopted child and statement of assurance that the adopted child shall be entitled to enjoy the equal rights as their biological children and be educated and brought up healthily.
2. Birth Certificate
   (1) The adoption applicants must submit birth certificates issued by the State (usually from the Bureau of Vital Statistics/Record in their places of birth;
   (2) Where there is no such department mentioned above to issue birth certificates, a copy of the original birth certificate notarized by the local notary agency or notary public shall be provided; and
   (3) A couple who jointly adopt, shall submit their birth certificates respectively.
3. Certificate of Marital Status
   (1) A married couple shall submit their marriage certificate issued by the department concerned in the place of marriage; and
   (2) Single adopters shall submit documents attesting to single status. The unmarried shall submit statement to show that they are unmarried and they are not homosexuals. The divorced shall submit their divorce decree of their previous marriage. The bereft spouse shall submit certificate of the death spouse.
4. Employment Letters:  one for each parent
   (1) The adoption applicants shall submit certificates of profession issued by the employer. The certificate of profession includes the following contents: the adopter's profession, position, the duration of employment, the annual income and the prospect of continuous employment;
   (2) The adoption applicants who are themselves the employers or professionals, shall submit certificates of profession and annual income issued by certified public accountant; where the adoption applicants are themselves the accountants, they shall submit certificates of profession and annual income issued by other certified public accountants;
   (3) Unemployed adoption applicants shall submit a statement of unemployment, which includes the financial source for the present means of subsistence and whether they have any plan for employment, etc.;
   (4) Retired adoption applicants shall submit statement of retirement, which includes the time of retirement, the annual income before the retirement, whether there is any income after retirement, the sum of income, etc.
5. Financial Statement
   (1) Financial Statement form is in our Adoption Guide .  The annual income of the adoption applicants should be identical with that of the Employment Letter. If there is discrepancy, a special explanation is required.
6. Medical Report Form : one for each Adoptive Parent
   (1) Adoption applicants shall submit medical forms issued by licensed doctors;
   (2) A couple who jointly adopt shall submit their health certificates respectively;
   (3) The health examination result of the adoption applicants shall be filled in the attached Medical Form. The filling in of the health examination result must be neatly written. If the handwriting is illegible, it is considered as null and void;
   (4) In the case that the adoption applicant has taken certain medication for a long time, the kind of medication, its usage and efficacy shall be specified;
   (5) If the adoption applicant suffered from a serious illness or had operation, a special medical report shall be made by a licensed doctor. The medical report includes the time the patient suffered illness or had operation, what kind of illness the patient suffered or what kind of operation the patient received, the course of treatment and its result or that of operation, whether the patient has already recovered from illness and whether the patient needs further medication to place his/her condition under control and the conclusion of whether the applicant is suitable for adopting a child;
   (6) The health examination report of the adoption applicant shall be valid within 12 months from the date of examination (taking the date of examination as commencement) to the date of registration of documents by the China Center of Adoption affairs.
7. Police Reports: separate one for each Adoptive Parent
   (1) Each adoption applicant must submit a certificate issued by local police department of the country of his/her constant residence indicating whether the applicant has any criminal record signed by a competent official;
   (2) A couple who jointly adopt must submit their certificates respectively;
   (3) If the adoption applicant has lived and worked overseas away from his/her country of constant residence for one year and more during the last five years, the applicant must submit a corresponding certificate to indicate whether the applicant has any criminal record in the overseas locality;
   (4) The certificate remains valid within 12 months starting from the date when the certificate is issued to the date of registration by the China Center of Adoption Affairs.
8. Copy of I-171H Approval Form
   (1) Adoption applicants must submit valid certificate of approval for coming to China for adoption issued by the government of their country of constant residence.
9. Home Study Report (Adoptive Parents should give a copy of these requirements to their Social Worker and please make sure all issues are addressed in the completed homestudy.)
   1.    The home study report shall include the following contents:
   (a) Meeting and interviews. The number of occasions, the time, the place and the method with which the social worker interviews the adoption applicants. The social worker must hold talks, meetings and interviews face-to-face with the adoption applicants. The number of times shall not be less than four (home interviews included).
   (b) Motivation of adoption. The reason for the adoption applicants to make decision for adoption and their decision for inter-country adoption from China; their understanding of inter-country adoption, the potential risk and delay in the adoption of perspective adopted child and the understanding and mental preparedness for the child's unadaptability that may arise in the post placement.
   (c) Family background /brief introduction to the individuals. Education the adoption applicants received, their working experience, interests and hobbies, religion, spare-time activities and their relationship with parents and siblings, etc.
   (d) Marital status. A couple who adopt in concert shall give their views on each other, their attitude toward marriage, method for the solution to marriage issue and the extent of satisfaction with their marriage; the single adopters shall give appraisal of singleness, whether they will get married in the future, and attitude they will adopt toward their adopted children after marriage in the future; the divorced shall state the causes and times for ending the relationship of previous marriage or marriages.
   (e) Children status. Whether adopters have any legitimate children, children born out of wedlock and adopted children. If they have, they shall state explicitly the children's sex, age, interests and education; the children born in the previous marriage shall be mentioned whether they have lived together with the adoption applicants; children at the age of ten and above living with the adoption applicants shall clearly state their views on their parent(s) adopting a child from China.
   (f) Health status. Whether the adoption applicants have suffered from mental or psychological illness and whether these conditions will constitute unfavorable elements that affect the raising of the child. The health status of the adoption applicants shall be identical with the medical report specifically provided by the doctor. The social worker who prepares the home study report, shall make assessment of the health status of the adoption applicants as to determine whether they are suitable for adoption.
   (g) Family financial status. The adopters' income and expenses, for instance, annual income, other income from various investments, family assets, liabilities, living expenses, the situation of balance between income and expenditure shall be described in the family resources. The social worker who prepares the home study report shall make conscientious assessment of the financial capacity of the adoption applicants.
   (h) Whether there is any history of abuse or violence and criminal record. It includes whether the adoption applicant has any history of alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, domestic violence, sex abuse, child abuse, etc. (even if there has been no arrest or conviction because of the behavior mentioned above), whether there is any criminal records (including arrests and conviction), whether there is any punishment and there is any sign of repentance and correction after punishment. The social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment of the adoption applicant whether he/she is eligible to adopt.
   (i) Living Conditions. The adoption applicants' present situation of their residence, the area of their home and the environment in the community; the education institution, medical facilities and public service utilities, etc, especially the attitude of the community toward alien children of different nationalities. The description of the home must include the assessment of the living conditions of suitability for the child and determine whether the living space meets the requirements of the local government (if there are such requirements).
   (j) Plan for parenting. The interaction between the adopters and the child, their experience in raising, ways and means of parenting the adopted child; the adoption applicants intending to adopt children of special needs or older children shall state clearly their mental preparedness and desire for the adoption and their ability suitable for parenting this kind of children. The social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment whether the adoption applicants are suitable for the adoption of this kind of children in the light of their parenting plan.
   (k) The situation of persons who live together or of cohabitants who are not members of the family. The adoption applicants (husband and wife or singles) who have cohabitants who are not members of the family shall state the relationship between them and the reasons for cohabitation. Single adoption applicants living together with the cohabitant of the same sex shall submit statement that both of them are not homosexuals and the social worker preparing the home study report shall make reasonable, true and responsible assessment; single adoption applicants living together with friends of opposite sex shall truly reflect the attitude of the heterosexual cohabitant friends towards their adoption from China and their relationship between the cohabitant friends of opposite sex.
   (l) Guardianship/raising commitment. Should the adoption applicants encounter an accident or premature death, who shall be designated as the child's guardian/raiser, and their age, profession, marital status, the status of children, health and financial situation shall also be given, and the social worker preparing the home study report shall make assessment whether the designated guardian/raiser is suitable for the guardianship/raising of the child. The guardian/raiser designated by the single adoption applicant must present a statement in writing to give his/her consent to the guardianship or raising of the adopted child.
   (m) Whether the adoption applicants have been rejected or been a target of unfavorable home study before adoption. It includes whether the adoption applicants have been rejected as perspective adoptive parents or given an unfavorable home study report. If they have been rejected before and have been given an unfavorable home study report, please give reason for that with the rejection and the unfavorable home study report attached.
   (n) Assessment and recommendation. The social worker shall make an overall assessment of the adoption applicants as to whether they are suitable to adopt a child from China and put forward suggestions of the child's age and health status.
   2.   Requirements for the social worker preparing the home study report and the adoption organizations are as follows:
   (a) The home study report must be written by the social workers engaged by the adoption organizations which have established relations of cooperation with the China Center of Adoption Affairs. If the adoption organization has no branch (or office) in the place where the adoption applicant reside or even if there is branch (office) but no social worker is available, they can entrust the social worker engaged by the other adoption organizations to make the home study report for the adoption applicants. The entrusted adoption organization must be one of non-profit organizations.
   (b) The China Center of Adoption Affairs shall not accept the home study report of foreign adopters written by an independent social worker.
   (c) Should the social worker preparing the home study report fail to give a responsible true appraisal, the China Center of Adoption Affairs shall terminate the handling of the adoption applications and certifying documents of foreign adoption applicants presented by the adoption organization.
   3.    The following documents shall be attached to the home study report:
   (a) A copy of the license of the adoption organization which engages the social worker to prepare the home study report shall be submitted.
   (b) When entrusting other adoption organization to do home study report, a copy of the agreement between the adoption organizations shall be attached. (We have attached a copy of this agreement to be completed by the Home Study Agency)
   (c) The guardian/raiser appointed by the single adoption applicant shall make statement in writing consenting to the guardianship/upbringing of the adopted child.

    After submitting your dossier to the China Center of Adoption Affairs and before the completion of the adoption procedures, if there is any change in the family situation, the relevant adoption organization shall timely inform the China Center of Adoption Affairs.