Tips
- Look for a reputable adoption agency or lawyer with experience in international adoptions. Ask for references. Check for complaints with the Florida Department of Children & Families’ licensing unit for child-placing agencies or research online. In Miami-Dade County, call 305- 377-5369.
- Narrow down the countries from which you would like to adopt. Aim for those with stable political situations and well-established adoption procedures with some government oversight.
- Get as much medical information about the child as you can, as medical care can be lax in some foreign countries. Talk with other parents who have adopted from the same country and same orphanage. You can find a listing of physicians experienced in adopted children at http://www.theadoptionguide.com/tools/adoption-doctor-search.
- Stay organized, be patient and prepare yourself for a mountain of paperwork. Adoption requires all kinds of forms, including financial statements, letters from employers, police records and home studies.
- Be flexible about what you want in a child. The more flexible you are in terms of age, sex and medical status, the less time you will have to wait.
Resources:
