Some adoptive parents I know say that they 'just knew' where their child was. It just 'felt right' to them. I completely understand because I was drawn to Viet Nam, but deciding on where you will adopt from is not necessarily a simple process and can leave you with many more questions than you had when you started.

I began by reading the book Adoption for Dummies. It was a current edition and outlined many of the most popular programs in plain English. I was brand new to the world of adoption and this book was not over my head at all. I know it can be so overwhelming and confusing, but I can attest to it getting easier. Before long you will be an adoption pro ;)

The first big decision to make is domestic or international. This one was actually pretty easy for my husband and I; we were comfortable with not adopting a newborn (which is often stated as a reason families chose domestic adoption), and we felt secure that we would eventually have a living child through international adoption.

Once you have decided to take the international route, you need to determine which countries will allow you to adopt one (or more) of their children. I know many people are stunned to find out that countries have (some quite stringent) requirements concerning adoptive parents, but it's just something that we need to accept because there's not much we can do about it anyway :)

Countries will narrow down your choices for you by your:

• 
  age


• 
  marital status



• length of marriage



• weight



• number of children already at home

Then you will narrow your list even further based on the children available from the country you are interested in. You will need to consider the children’s:

• 
  race



• age



• health



• care given

Add to that travel requirements and country fees and you have some homework to do :)

Rainbowkids.com has a wonderful resource HERE that lists each country’s requirements, children available, travel information and anticipated time frame.

It is also important to note that some agencies have requirements that are not necessarily the requirement of the country. For example, adoption agency XYZ’s literature states that they will not accept adoptive parents under the age of 30 for their Viet Nam program, but the country of Viet Nam requires that parents be 25 years of age. So if an agency rejects you or tells you that you do not fit a certain country’s requirements, be sure to do your research and be sure that it is a country rule; not an agency rule, that they are referring to. If it’s an agency rule that won’t allow you to adopt from your country of choice, it may be time to find a new agency.

My next post will outline Viet Nam’s adoption requirements and some highlights of the program.