BAAS has the privilege of partnering with several different agencies who recognized by the government of South Korea to conduct international adoptions. Each of these liaison agencies gives assistance to various government approved children’s homes of the region and has a long history of conducting international adoptions there.

TYPES OF CHILDREN

Many children from Korea are infants when they become available for adoption. Korea makes every effort to first promote domestic adoption and therefore, this program is relatively small. Social and medical background information about the child and the birth mother (when possible) will be provided at time of adoption. For most children, available family background is scarce or non-existent. Children generally become available for adoption due to abandonment or birth parent relinquishment. All children are tested for hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis.

Special note: Parents are required by the Korean government to comply with all mandatory post placement reporting, after child arrives home.

REQUIREMENTS

All international adoptions must be approved by the Korean government. Orphaned, abandoned and relinquished infants are usually placed in foster care. Older children are placed in children’s welfare centers until the finalization of the adoption. The following people can adopt from Korea:

• Married couples only
• One parent of the couple must be a US citizen
• First time parents must be open to either gender
• Parents must be of medium weight
• Married at least 3 years
• Both parents must be between 25 and 45 years old
• CA parents must be pre-approved by Korean government before applying to program
• Families must present written confirmation, from their insurer, that their child will have medical coverage upon arrival to the U.S.
• Upon arrival to US, one parent must stay at home with child at least 6 weeks

BAY AREA ADOPTION SERVICES

BAAS will assist families in all the preparatory steps for completing a Korean adoption, including: assisting with procedures, conducting the mandatory homestudy and giving support in meeting with the requisites for CIS/USCIS. In partnership with our supporting agencies who have staff in-country, BAAS will assist parents in the dossier preparation and post placement visits.

The first post placement visit is normally conducted within 2 weeks after the child arrives to the US. A second post placement is usually done when child has been home 6 weeks. Monthly visits are required between agency staff and family until adoption is finalized in US courts. The child’s US pediatrician must also make a report immediately after the arrival of child and prior to finalization of the adoption—which takes place in the US.

IN KOREA

Adoptive families will be met at the airport by liaison agency staff members in Korea. Travel to country is not mandatory. However it is highly recommended by BAAS that both parents travel to meet their child and become acquainted with the country.

TIME INVOLVED

BAAS will assist the family in the preparation of their homestudy and application for CIS approval, which is mandatory. This first part of the process can take 4-6 months. During this time, the family must also prepare their dossier for Korea according to country requirements.

The wait from time that parents are dossier ready to referral of child is usually 12 months or less.

FEES Involved

All adoptions are finalized in Korea. These adoptions are considered “inter-country” adoptions and Korean children enter the US on IR4 visas.

BAAS FEE: $6,950
Korean adoptions are finalized in the US, and are therefore “Intercountry adoptions”. The following is a general estimate of costs involved:

• Registration & Pre-adopt class
  
• Homestudy
  
• Paperwork Assistance, including dossier preparation and USCIS filing
  
• Overseas program consultation and liason agency coordination
  
• 5 post placement visits
  
• Assistance in finalizing the adoption and obtaining a California birth certificate for the child, certificate of citizenship, and any other post-adoption paperwork

PARTNERING AGENCY FEES (Varies - approx. $20,000-23,000):

• Services Fees
  The service fee covers all case management, liaison work with the home study agency, (BAAS) dossier translation, and early preparation for adopting from Korea.  The partnering agency oversees and manages entire adoption process in Korea and provides families with the needed support to complete their adoption.

• Approximate cost of total adoption:  Approximately $29,000- $31,000, includes travel

• Please note that this information is subject to change without notice as changes occur in government/country regulations and/or adoption procedures. For the latest information, please call BAAS directly.