FAQs about Inter Country Adoption (ICA)
Frequently asked questions about international adoption
Can I adopt from overseas?
You must have indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship to be able to adopt from overseas. You must also meet the criteria of the country you wish to adopt from. All countries have their own criteria to meet. For more information on this, please contact us.
Can I adopt a family member’s child?
No, you cannot adopt a child that is not free for adoption.
‘Free for adoption’ means a child who is in an orphanage and is eligible for adoption or has been removed from their birth family by the authorities. Family members cannot gift children – this is illegal under UK law.
Why is adopting overseas expensive?
There are so many children in the UK awaiting homes that the Government encourages families to adopt children who are waiting for stable, loving homes in the UK first. Therefore, charges apply for Inter Country Adoption.
To find out more about UK adoption, click here.
What can I do if I have already adopted a child in their birth country and want to now bring them to the UK?
You should not adopt or obtain guardianship for a child in their country of origin without firstly complying with the legal requirements to adopt in the UK. Failure to comply could result in imprisonment. We would advise you seek legal advice as we are unable to assess you in this situation.
Can I adopt from an Islamic country? Can I adopt via Kafala?
Morocco, Egypt and some other Islamic countries prohibit legal adoption and instead, have Kafala.
Kafala, or Islamic law, is used to describe a situation like adoption, but not necessarily with the transference of inheritance rights or the legal change of a child’s full name. Kafala is generally defined as a voluntary commitment to take charge of the needs, upbringing and protection of a child. Yorkshire Adoption Agency does not offer assessments for Kafala.
How long will it take to be matched with a child overseas?
Each country has their own systems in place and timetables for adoption processes, some of which are unknown.
If you know the country you wish to adopt from, please contact us for our most up to date information and costs.
Will I have to stay in touch with birth parents?
Many children adopted from abroad do not have a record of birth family. Some will have.
Maintaining ongoing relationships with the child’s birth family is really important for their identity and their sense of self. It helps them to understand their life story and their journey to you. It can be face to face or via Letterbox and can include other key birth relatives, such as brothers and sisters, grandparents or other significant people for a child.
Maintaining relationships with birth familyhelps your child to understand who they are, eliminates fantasies and can support a child to be more accepting of their adopted status.
Can birth families get a child back after the court has made an adoption order?
Once the adoption order has been granted the child is legally your child and you have full parental responsibility.
Once we have an adoption order, will we get any support?
Yorkshire Adoption Agency offers life long support. Once the adoption order is granted, during your first year you will have contact at least every three months from us. You can also contact the Agency at any time if you feel like you need some support.
Do we need experience of looking after children to become adopters?
We understand it is hard to gain experience with children before becoming a parent. We encourage you to care for children within your network or maybe even volunteer at a nursery, school or local group such as Scouts. By gaining experience, this will provide you with the foundations of what it could be like to care for your own child/ren.
Am I too old to adopt?
You need to be at least 21 years old to adopt in the UK. There is no upper age limit to adoption, however there is a need to be realistic. If you are an older adopter, it may be beneficial for you to consider adopting an older child. There are many older children waiting for adoptive placements and with your experience and wisdom you would make a great parent.
We would explore the impact of your age on g your health and ability to parent a child into adulthood. You will need the energy and well-being to raise a child into adulthood.
I’m disabled/have a long-term illness, so I will I not be allowed to adopt?
Not all disabilities and illnesses would prevent you from adopting but we would explore this with you during the process and explore how you would be able to care for a child. You would need to have a medical and medical clearance from our medical advisor to proceed.
I have mental health worries or conditions - can I adopt?
We would need to discuss any mental health worries or conditions openly and honestly, but they wouldn’t necessarily prevent you from becoming an adopter.
We promote self care and mental wellbeing with all our adopters. We would work with you to identify your strategies to staying mentally well, how you manage any diagnosed conditions and how becoming a parent may impact your mental wellbeing.
As our main focus is the wellbeing and safeguarding of children, this means there may be occasions where we advise that your mental health is not stable enough to parent a child who has experienced trauma and may have behavioural difficulties. This is why it is important to be open about any mental health worries from the start of your journey with us so these can be explored.
I have a criminal record so can I not become an adopter?
There are very few convictions that would stop you adopting; we ask you to be open and honest with us from the start. We would discuss any convictions and let you know if they would prevent you form moving forward in the process.
I don’t own my own home, so will I not be able to adopt?
You do not have to be a homeowner to adopt a child, but we recommend you check with your landlord that they agree for children to be placed in the property. We would also need to know you had a long-term tenancy so you would not be moving soon after a child is placed with you.
Do I need to have lots of savings and/or earnings to become an adopter and have no debts?
Not necessarily. We explore how you manage your finances, not how much money you have. We would need to know you could financially support a child throughout their life and meet the financial obligations of being a parent.
You may have debts but as long as these are understoodand repayments can be managed alongside living expenses, then this should not be a problem. We encourage everyone considering the adoption journey to consider how they will manage financially whilst taking time off work when a child joins your family.
Can I adopt if I have a faith, religion or from a global majority ethnicity?
Yes! Please see our faith or heritage page for further details
Can I adopt if I already have children, adopted or birth children?
Yes, see our already a parent page for more details
Can I adopt if I smoke or vape?
We strongly advise you to consider the benefits of ceasing smoking prior to your application. If you wish to start your adoption journey with Yorkshire Adoption Agency, we need you to be smoke free for 12 months, including vaping, before starting the adoption process. Please discuss any worries about smoking or vaping with us at the earliest opportunity.
I have pets - can I adopt?
Pets are often an important part of family life and many children gain a great deal from the experience of having pets. However, some pets may pose dangers to children and we will always assess the risk of this as part of our discussions with prospective adopters.
You would also need to consider that some children, because of their past experiences or for medical reasons, may not be suitably placed in a household with pets.
Do I need to be a UK resident to adopt?
You do not have to have British Citizenship but should have domicile or habitual residence in the British Isles.
Where there is a joint application, one of the applicants needs to be domiciled in the British Isles or both should be habitually resident here. During the process, we would need to see all relevant documents in order to fully establish nationality and immigration status.
We recommend that if you are unsure, you should seek independent legal advice.
Can I adopt if I am self-employed?
Yes, we welcome adopters who are self-employed. You need to consider how you would manage financially during adoption leave as currently, potential adopters who are self-employed are not entitled to statutory Government support or statutory adoption pay. This is being reviewed by the Government and may change in the future.
Do we need to have been in a relationship for a long time to adopt?
If you are a couple wishing to adopt, you would need to have been living together for at least two years before we could start the process with you. We would explore the strength and dynamics of your relationship with you and ensure that it is well established and that you work as a team.
Do I need to have finished fertility treatment to start my adoption journey?
If you are wishing to adopt, you will have needed to complete any fertility tests and treatment. To begin your journey with us, we suggest you need to have had a period of time, usually about 6 months, since completing the tests to allow you time to grieve the loss and fully process having birth children is no longer an option. The timing is dependent on your circumstances so please talk to us at the start of your journey about your fertility treatment.
Can I adopt if I am LGBTQ+?
Yes! Please see our LGBTQ+ adoption page for further details
Can I adopt if I am single?
Yes you can. See our single adopter page for more details.