Thailand Adoption InformationThaila

Thailand Adoption Information
Thailand Adoptions are unique when compared to most international adoptions. The process can be very slow. So unless you are prepared to wait, you may wish to consider adoption from another country program. For prospective adoptive parents living in Thailand, adoption applications must be submitted to the Child Adoption Center of the Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW), which is the sole governmental social welfare agency responsible for adoption of Thai children. There are other agencies in Thailand registered to process adoption requests, but they will not accept dossiers from expats living in Thailand. A Thailand adoption application and other documents needed for the adoption process can be found on this website.

Thai law (Adoption Act, April 1979) stipulates strict requirements and procedures for adoption of children in Thailand. The basic criteria for prospective adoptive parent(s) are:

Being legally qualified to adopt a child under the law of your home country

Applicants must be legally married.

Between 25 and 40 years of age. You may be considered to adopt over 45 if you are open to an older child.

Be at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted.

Single applicants are now being considered for special needs children.

Preference is given to childless couples or couples with one child.

No criminal record.

Good physical health & emotional health (no major illnesses, mental illness or depression in background)

No severely overweight applicants.

Sound financial position (middle class income of most westerners is sufficient)

Other restrictions not written in these guidelines may occur on a case by case basis.

It is not possible to apply for more than one child at a time, except for twins, siblings, or in cases of adoption of the children of the applicant's Thai spouse. DSDW advises that it is extremely unlikely that an abandoned child under the age of one year would be available for foreign adoption. The Child Adoption Board may match you with a child under one year of age if you are living in Thailand at the time of the adoption.

As in many programs, there are usually more boys available than girls in both infants (approximately 9 months to 18 months) to pre-school and school-aged children. You may state your preference, however, if you only wish to have a girl, you may have to wait longer. All children available for adoption from Thailand are thoroughly tested for HIV and Hepatitis.