How much will it cost to adopt a child internationally?

• Adoption expenses are due at different stages throughout the process so you will not be required to pay all your adoption expenses at one time. Lifelink fees remain the same for all our country programs. Those fees are due early in the process as you complete your home study and prepare your dossier. Foreign fees vary widely and are due later in the process when you are matched with your child and travel to the foreign country to adopt. Generally speaking, adoption expenses in Asian countries are lower than adoption expenses from Eastern European or Central and South American countries.

Why does adopting a child cost so much?

• Adopting internationally does require a significant financial commitment because it is a very complicated legal process that involves many people - - your local agency, both state and federal governmental agencies, and numerous authorities in your child's country of birth. You will pay for medical exams, notaries, state certification and authentication of your dossier, police checks, and fingerprinting in the U.S., not to mention legal and other fees in your child's country, a donation to your child's orphanage, a medical exam for your child, and travel costs for you and your child. Many individuals and agencies work to facilitate your adoption. Lifelink works hard to keep our agency fees as low as possible; however, we have no control over foreign fees. You will be given a comprehensive list of expenses when you receive our informational packet.

• Federal Adoption Tax Credit - The U.S. federal government offers a tax credit for families who adopt. It allows an exclusion from gross income of amount up to $10,000 for qualified adoption expenses for non-special needs, adjustable for inflation after December 31, 2002. It phases out the allowable amounts for the credits between adjusted gross income of $150,000 and $190,000. For the tax year 2005 the amount of the tax credit increased to $10,630 per adoption. Read more about the adoption tax credit at www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html or www.adoptivefamilies.com/clip.php
• Employer Adoption Subsidy - Check with your Human Resources office to see if your employer offers adoption subsidies for their employees. If your employer does not currently offer this benefit, you may want to consider lobbying your employer to start offering this benefit. Check out www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org or www.adoptivefamilies.com/clip.php
• Military Adoption Subsidies are available to active-duty personnel. Check http://childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_milita.cfm for further information.
• Grants and Loans - Various foundations offer low-interest adoption loans or grants. For a list of such organizations, search "adoption financial aid" at www.google.com
• Churches and Civic Groups sometimes offer donations.
• Help from your family and friends - Perhaps grandparents or other family members would like to contribute.
• Be Creative! Don't let cost stop you from realizing your dream! How about a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser? Or selling cookbooks, crafts, t-shirts, etc?
• Read "How To Make Adoption An Affordable Option", available through the National Endowment for Financial Education at 888-878-3256 or at www.smartaboutmoney.org