Child Adoption

It is sad to know that the number of orphans in Thailand are increasing every year. Some of the most common reasons for this is the economic problem, rapes and not being mature enough when they have a child. If we look at this on the other hand it is encouraging to know that people still choose to give birth instead of having an abortion. Personally I encourage foreigners to adopt a Thai child so they can have a better future.

THAILAND ADOPTION PROCDURES: Child Adoption Center of the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is the only governmental agency taking care of all adoptions of Thai children in Thailand. Therefore all adoptions must be processed through this agency. However there are four non-governmental organizations (NGOs)/charity organizations which are licensed by the government to deal with DPW's Child Adoption Center only in cases where a child is to be placed overseas. These are:

Holt Sahathai Foundation
Address: 850/33 Sukhumvit 71
Bangkok 10110, Thailand.
Mailing Address: P. O. Box Nana Nua 1478, Bangkok 10110
Tel: (02) 381-8834

Thai Red Cross Foundation
Address: Chulalongkorn Hospital
               Corner of Rama IV Road and Rajdamri Road
               Bangkok 10300, Thailand.
Tel:        (02) 252-8181, 256-4178

Pattaya Orphanage
Address: Pattaya City, Chonburi
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 15, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20151
Tel: (038) 422-745

For complete information and application forms, prospective adoptive parents should contact one of the above agencies or DPW directly at:

Child Adoption Center
Department of Public Welfare
Address: Rajvithee Home for Girls, Rajvithee Road, Bangkok 10400
Tel: (02) 246-8651

QUALIFICATIONS: Under Thai law there are strict procedures and requirements for adoption of children in Thailand. For some of these laws it is advisable that you recheck the current law to as some of these requirements are currently under review. Here are some of the basic criteria that an adoptive parent must meet before pursuing adoption of Thai children any further. These are:

You are rightfully married.
Both your spouse and you are at least 25 years of age.
Both your spouse and you are at least 15 years older than the child you are going to adopt.
You are legally eligible under the law of your country to adopt a child.

You are rightfully married.
Both your spouse and you are at least 25 years of age.
Both your spouse and you are at least 15 years older than the child you are going to adopt.
You are legally eligible under the law of your country to adopt a child.

REGULATIONS REGARDING ADOPTIVE CHILDREN:

It is not possible to apply for more than one child at a time, except twins, siblings, or in cases of adoption of the children of the applicant's Thai spouse.

Parents adopting from Thailand for a second time may request that a DPW social worker escort the child to your country instead of appearing before the Child Adoption Board as outlined below. All costs of such travel are the responsibility of the adoptive parents.
DPW advises that it is extremely unlikely that an abandoned child under the age of one year would be available for foreign adoption.

PROCEDURES TO ADOPT A THAI CHILD:

1. Prospective adoptive parents obtain official DPW application forms (these forms may be obtained from DPW or from one of the above NGOs). These forms elicit biographic, health, and financial information about the prospective adoptive parents.

2. Prospective adoptive parents engage an adoption agency or child welfare organization licensed by their country to perform a home study (this agency must also be recognized by DPW--a list of recognized agencies is available from DPW).

3. The licensed agency or organization assembles the application forms for submission to DPW. The application must be accompanied by the following:

completed home study
confirmation from a competent authority that after the adoption is finalized under Thai law, it will also be legalized under the laws of the applicants' country of residence
formal commitment by the licensed adoption agency in your country to supervise a pre-adoption placement of at least six months, during which at least three bi-monthly progress reports will be provided to DPW
medical certificate verifying good physical health, mental stability, and infertility (if applicable) for both prospective adoptive parents
birth certificates for both parents
marriage certificate
proof of termination of any previous marriages (death certificate of spouse or divorce decree)
proof of occupation and income (letter from employer)
complete financial statement indicating all assets and liabilities
recommendations from two responsible persons
current license of the involved adoption agency
photographs of both prospective adoptive parents (4 each), 4.5 cm x 6 cm, and of their children (if applicable)
statement from consular officer confirming that the child to be adopted will be the beneficiary of an immigrant visa (US citizens).

If the prospective parents reside abroad all the above-listed documents must be authenticated or "verified" by the Thai Embassy or one of the Thai consulates in your home country. All documents must be in English or Thai, or must be accompanied by English or Thai translations.

4. If the above documentation is acceptable, DPW (or one of the three NGOs) matches the prospective adoptive parents with a child. The prospective parents are provided with photos and information about the background and health condition of the child (NOTE: DPW reserves the right to review and investigate matches made by the NGOs).

5. The prospective adoptive parents must advise DPW whether they wish to proceed with the adoption of the proposed child. The application will then be given to the Child Adoption Board (CAB) for review. If the Child Adoption Board agrees to the suitability of the prospective adoptive parents for pre-adoption placement of the child, the case is referred to the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare for official authorization. (NOTE: Steps 4 and 5 together frequently take six months to one year to complete).

6. When the pre-adoption placement is approved, a definite appointment is made by DPW (or one of the NGOs) for the prospective parents to be interviewed by the Child Adoption Board. The meeting with the Board is essentially a formality. If one of the prospective adoptive parents is unable to attend this meeting, he or she must provide written consent. (NOTE: The waiting period for such an appointment may be as long as three months, depending on the CAB's schedule.)

7. DPW will issue documents necessary for the child's travel, including a Thai passport. These documents will normally be issued on the same day as the meeting with the Board. The parents will also receive the child on the same day (NOTE: Occasionally issuance of documents takes longer. DPW advises adoptive parents to plan to stay in Thailand for approximately two weeks total).

8. When the prospective adoptive parents have returned to their country with the child and at least three bi-monthly reports on the pre-adoption placement have been submitted to DPW, DPW will refer the case to the Child Adoption Board for approval of final adoption under Thai law.

9. The adoptive parents have to register their adoption under Thai law within six months of notification of finalization by the Board. This can be done at the Thai Embassy or Consulates in your country.

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