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Adopting in Thailand is a long process be it two married foreigners or a foreigner married to a Thai national. The current time to completion in Thailand is 2 years. You will note that this is a brief overview of the process in Thailand and you are best advised to contact an attorney in Thailand for more information and assistance.

adoption in thailandThe adoption process starts in your home country and you can speak to an adoption lawyer in Thailand to guide you through the process from home and how this fits into the timeline in Thailand. The paperwork starts in your home country and many of the adoption papers will be completed in Thailand as there needs to be an interview process for the adoption with the adoption board as well as a arranging a US visa for the child or UK visa as the need would be. The child also needs a Thai passport before he or she can leave the country.

Thailand mainly has two orphanages where adoptions are done from. One is located in Bangkok and there is also one located in Pattaya. Note that many of the children in Thailand still have biological parents. They might be in prison or unable to look after the child. The orphanages are viewed by the Thai government as agencies while all adoptions in Thailand go via the Child Adoption Center of the Department of Welfare (DPW). This is a long term process.

The adoption requirements in Thailand:

  • 1)      You and your wife must have been married for at least 6 months;
  • 2)      You both must be older than 25 years of age;
  • 3)      You will have to be much older than the child you are adopting;
  • 4)      You must be legally qualified to adopt in your own home country;*
  • 5)      You must also show that the Thai adoption will be legalised in your home country.

The process starts with a homestudy in the United Kingdom where the study needs to be done by an authorised agent which has been appointed by the British government. The agent would have interviewed you and also assessed your home finances as well as your living arrangements. You can find more on the process [here]. For American nationals you will need to start with USCIS as well as with Homeland Security. You can find on it [here]. Each country will have its own process but the following is a brief breakdown of the process.

Each country has their own process but the basics are as follows:

  • ·         Start with your homestudy in your country;
  • ·         Select Thailand as well as your placement agency;
  • ·         You need to complete your homestudy
  • ·         Also complete your dossier with your placing agency
  • ·         Complete the Immigration paperwork + apply for Immigration (USCIS)
  • ·         Received your Immigration approval
  • ·         Wait for a referral of a child
  • ·         Discuss referral with placing agency, home study social worker
  • ·         Accept or reject the referral
  • ·         Travel to Thailand to meet/pick up your child (Adoption Board Interview + Embassy Interview)

Adoption is a very complex process and errors or omissions can become a problem. Always take legal advice from a law firm in Thailand for information and assistance.

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