New Requirements for Chinese Adoption

The CCAA has posted their new adoption regulations:

According to the Adoption Law of the People’s Republic of China (published
11/4/1998 ), current Chinese government policies and practices, and U.S.
immigration laws, you must meet the following guidelines to qualify for a
China adoption:

1. Applicants must be a legally married heterosexual couple. At least one
applicant must be a U.S. citizen.

2. Couples with no previous marriages must be married for at least two
years at the time the dossier is logged in at the China Center of Adoption
Affairs (CCAA). If either spouse has been previously married, the current
marriage must be at least five years old at the time the dossier is logged in
at the CCAA. No applicant may have had more than two divorces.

3. Applicants must be at least 30 years old and no older than 49 years old at the time their dossier is logged in at the CCAA . Applicants are qualified to adopt children based on their ages as specified below. When spouses have ages that fall into two categories, they must be open to the upper age limit of the child to be adopted.

Applicants ages 30 - 44 qualify for a child with no known medical conditions
up to 12 months of age.*
Applicants ages 45 - 49 qualify for a child with no known medical conditions
up to 24 months of age.*
* Currently, the youngest children coming out of China are about seven
months old. All families are qualified for a child older than the above-
mentioned age range, if desired.

4. All above applicants are qualified, if desired, for a child with medical conditions.

5. Families must have no more than four minor children living in the home,
and the youngest child must be at least 12 months old at the time the
dossier is logged in.

6. Families must document $10,000 of annual income per member in the
household, including the to-be-adopted child. A minimum of $80,000 net
worth is required.

7. Applicants must be in good physical and mental condition necessary to
provide responsible care for an adopted child. Each applicant’s Body Mass
Index (BMI) must be under 40. (BMI equals a persons weight in kilograms
divided by height in meters squared. BMI\u003dkg/m 2).

8. Applicants must have a minimum of high school education or equivalent.

9. Applicants must have no criminal record or history of domestic violence,
sexual abuse, child abuse, or substance abuse.

10. Families who have adopted from China previously may submit their next
dossier to China once their previous adoption has been finalized for at least
one year.