The China Adoption Process

The Paperwork Process

1. Complete and send Formal Application to A.A.C. with the $100.00 Fee. Once we receive your formal applications and fee we will assign you your group # and dossier paperwork due date.
2. Review the formal packet that was sent to you, and begin completing the necessary paperwork. Before gathering the necessary certified copies of the legal documents, contact A.A.C. for an approximate timeline.
3. Submit Central Registry to your state for the home study process
4. The home study process begins which A.A.C. will initiate. A fee of $1,200.00 (Update Home Study) OR $2,000 (Regular Home Study) will be due to A.A.C at this time. A minimum of three (3) interviews (both in-group and individual formats) will be completed. If there are other people living in the home, they will need to be interviewed as well. A home visit is required, and additional meetings may be necessary.
5. Gather and mail all of the dossier documents to A.A.C. with the dossier fees payable to A.A.C. Adoption.

Dossier Process

1. You will receive a VISA PETITION APPROVAL letter (Form I-171H) from the USCIS. This is a very important document that you MUST send a copy to A.A.C. as soon as you receive it - be sure to start this process EARLY!! Approximately one month after receipt of the I-797C, you will receive a packet from the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Please hold onto this as we will assist you with it later on.
2. Your dossier will be sent to the appropriate states to be certified and then to the Consulate to be authenticated. A.A.C. handles and completes this entire part for you.
3. Families should apply for their passport.
4. The dossier, once received in China, will be reviewed by the Beijing China Adoption Center.

The Child Assignment Process

1. Once your dossier is sent to China, it takes approximately 48 months for an assignment. This time frame is not a guarantee but an estimate based on recent experience. CCAA sends the child�s information to A.A.C. and then we will call you with that information.
2. The family makes the final decision as to whether they accept the child.
3. A.A.C. initiates the referral meeting and the family signs the adoption agreement with A.A.C. At this time the following fees are due:
   A.A.C. Placement Fee

   $5,000

   Special CCAA Donation

   $   400

   Post Placement Fee (CO)

   $1,000

   Total Due

   $6,400
4. A.A.C. will mail (overnight) the acceptance to China.

The Travel Process

1. A.A.C. will assist you in applying for a Chinese Visa and making the travel arrangements. We will hold a travel meeting PRIOR to assignments.
2. Submit the following items to A.A.C., so that we may complete the visa process.
   • Passport
   • Passport Photos (4)
   • Application (Provided by A.A.C.)
   • Visa Fee of $180.00 per person, $150 per person after 3 people
3. We then wait for an "Invitation Letter" from China.
4. Once we have received the Invitation Letter, we will fax or email it to the US Consulate @ GuangZhou with the copies of each Invitation Letter asking for the next available Group Visa Date (Mon. to Thu. morning only) at the US Consulate. It usually takes 48-72 hours to receive the written confirmation response from the US Consulate.
5. After confirming all appointments with the Chinese government at the Provincial level and the US Consulate, we then make the travel arrangements (as a GROUP, not as individuals). Tickets may be purchased on your MasterCard, Visa or American Express Card directly through the Travel Agency. Prior to your travel we will provide you with a detailed daily itinerary and fee schedule for reference when in China.
6. After arrival in China, you will receive your child at the Provincial Office of Adoption Registration. After 24 hours with your child (including an overnight stay together at the hotel), you will then continue with the Adoption Registration.

Please note the following about your travel:

• Travel time will be approximately 12-14 days
• We recommend that you travel as a couple and act like a team player
• Everyone will leave and come back as a GROUP
• Take what you can carry but only what is necessary. You will receive your child within the first couple of days in China and it will be a lot easier and simpler to carry less.
• A.A.C. will make the travel and accommodation arrangements
• We recommend that each family have their own hotel room

When in China, you will have direct and continual contact with your China Coordinator. He will answer any questions, figure out logistics and arrange for some local touring.

The Registration Process

1. You will go through the Registration Process with the Provincial Civil Affairs Department in China. Fee varies depending on the province.
2. The Invitation Letter, identification (passports) and photo (1) of you, and the adoption agreement and other documents from the orphanage will be required for the registration process, but the orphanage and your China Coordinator will help you prepare them in China.

The Notarization Process

1. All of the documents listed above must be notarized by a notarization agency. They will interview the parents and have you sign more papers. They will also translate all of the documents. This usually takes about two to three days and then deliver the documents to your China Coordinator.

Leaving China

1. You will apply for your child's Chinese passport on the same day of your Adoption Registration at the Provincial Office. You will receive their passport within 4-5 working days of your application. Fee varies depending on the province.
2. Before you leave the PROVINCE, you should have the following documents:
   • Child's Birth Certificate
   • Adoption Certificate (Final Decree)
   • Certificate of Abandonment
   • Child's Passport
3. At this point, you have finished the Chinese Government portion of your adoption and are then ready to travel to Guangzhou to deal with USCIS. There you will receive your child's USA entry visa petition at the American Consulate in GuangZhou.
4. The medical exam and visa photo-taking are the next steps. A.A.C. will arrange this process and we will do this as a group together. You must have a medical examination, no matter what the age of the child.
5. The medical examination will not be accepted if conducted at an unauthorized clinic. Each child who is examined must have two photos of him/her for the clinic.
6. The U.S. Consulate General has authorized the Guangzhou Health and Quarantine Services to conduct a medical examination for U.S. Immigration purposes. It may be used in lieu of other authorized facilities.
7. Give the doctor your child's "Medical Examination of Applicants for United States Visas" form (provided at the clinic). The address of the Health and Quarantine Services is 33 Shamin North Street (two blocks from the U.S. Consulate/Victory Hotel). Their hours are as follows:
   • 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (Mon. to Sat.)
   • 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Mon. to Fri.)
8. The last appointment will be with the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou - your China Coordinator will help you to prepare all of the necessary papers before the appointment.
9. On the day of the Group Visa Appointment, the China Coordinator will turn-in the paperwork as a group to the US Consulate and pay the visa fee ($400 per child).
10. Between 3 to 4 pm on the following day, you will go as a group to the US Consulate for your Group Visa Appointment. This group interview and oath-taking ceremony usually goes relatively quickly. By 5 pm that day, the visa package for each child by agency will be picked up by the China Coordinator and passed on to you and your family.
11. Leave for the airport.

TRAVEL HOME AS HAPPY FAMILY