Adopting From The Philippines - Phillippines Adoption Info (2024)

“Everyone at AGCI was so personable and eager to walk this journey alongside us. We could tell that this was more than a job to them–they really cared and celebrated each step with us. It felt good to know that we could reach out to AGCI anytime we had questions and they would be quick to help and make the process run as smooth as possible.”

Lesley Larson

How to Adopt from the Philippines

Since 2012, Christian Adoption Agency, All God’s Children International has worked to unite orphaned children in the Philippines with loving forever families. AGCI is also dedicated to making a difference for children throughout the Philippines—thanks to AGCI’s advocacy, 500 orphaned children received critical support in the wake of a devastating typhoon.

We’re excited to work with the Philippines Central Authority, which continues to be child centered, thoughtful, and efficient when working with families. Families enrolled in AGCI’s Philippines Adoption program receive detailed information and medical reports on waiting children through monthly bulletins from the Philippines Central Authority. Additionally, once families are matched with waiting children, families can be in country within 10 months! Our Philippines Adoption program also requires minimal travel—families spend 5-7 days in country before bringing their child home.

Due to country privacy restrictions, we are unable to post waiting children photos on our website.

• Most children available for adoption are between the ages of 2 to 15.
• Currently, families in our Philippines adoption program wait an average of 9.4 months to be matched with their child upon submitting their contract.
• The typical adoption timeline in our Philippines Adoption Program is 21 months–from submittal of contract to uniting with your child.
• Children with a varying range of medical conditions are waiting.
• Sibling groups are commonly in need of adoption.
• Families adopting from our Philippines adoption program can select the gender of their adopted child.
• Detailed developmental reports are available.
• To date, 98 children have been placed with their forever families.
• Timeframe: 1.5-3+ years.Timeframe is from registered dossier to completion. Timeframes are dependent on family’s openness to medical conditions, gender, and age of child.
• Complete aFREE Pre-Appto view waiting children.

Age of Parents

Married couples must be at least 27 years old to be eligible to adopt, and single womenmust be at least 27 years oldto adopt older children (9+ years).Parents must be at least 16 years older and no more than 45 years older than the adopted child.

Marital Status

Couples married at least three years are eligible to adopt from the Philippines. A total of two divorces is allowed per couple.

Children in Family

Couples with 5 or few minor children and single women with 2 or fewer minor children are welcome to adopt from the Philippines.

Income

Families will have an income of at least $15,000 per family member, including the adopted child.

Criminal History

Families with no criminal history are welcome to adopt from the Philippines. Criminal history will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Medical History

Applicants cannot have a past or current diagnosis of a communicable and/or life threatening disease or other condition that impairs their ability to parent and/or the quality of life of a child. Families with no history of significant mental health issues or substance abuse are welcome to adopt from the Philippines. Applicants must maintain a BMI of less than 35. Families will be required to complete a psychological test and submit a letter from their pastor as a part of their dossier.

AGENCY FEES

APPLICATION: This non-refundable fee covers the cost of a review of your application to confirm your eligibility for your desired program.

U.S. AGENCY*: Processing expenses for AGCI include, but are not limited to, personnel costs, administrative overhead, operational costs, staff training and education, state, federal, and international licensing and accreditations, oversight and supervision of cooperating agencies, post-adoption support services, communications and insurance. The agency fee covers AGCI’s cost to facilitate your adoption with agency and government officials in the United States and abroad.

*If adopting siblings, agency fees increase.

HOME STUDY AND POST-ADOPTION

HOME STUDY SERVICES: These fees cover the services needed to prepare and complete your adoption home study.These fees vary depending on your home study agency.

POST-ADOPTION REPORTS: These fees cover the cost for your home study agency to provide post-placement visits and reports upon arrival home.These fees vary depending on your home study agency.

INTERNATIONAL FEES

These fees cover the cost of facilitating an international adoption in the Philippines. These fees include, but are not limited to costs related to personnel, administration, training and education, legal fees and communications associated with government and agency authorities, government fees, and care of your child prior to the completion of your adoption.

FEE DISCLOSURE

All fees paid to AGCI are paid in advance of service. AGCI fees are non-refundable and may not be waived. If services are terminated and a refund is due, all refunds will be processed within 60 days of withdrawal and/or closure of the adoption file upon receiving the Adoption Termination Contract.

ADDITIONAL & THIRD PARTY EXPENSES

Additional or third-party expenses are outlined in the provided Fee Schedule.

“We were so thankful for the level of commitment AGCI showed to our family and our loved one across the ocean. AGCI was with us every step of the way to bring our little boy home. Not only were they committed to our family during the process, but after as well. We still enjoy hearing from our AGCI family at different times with their post-adoption communications, as well as just staying in touch with our caseworker that we worked so closely with. AGCI also has a committed community of fellow adoptive families that I have come to know and love. We are all part of this fantastic family because of AGCI’s love for the orphan and commitment to the children and our families. We are forever blessed by AGCI and the help they gave us to bring our son home. Can’t imagine life without him.”

— Mara Schack, AGCI Adoptive Mom

STEP ONE

Once contracted with AGCI, your next steps are to begin your home study, education, and dossier.

STEP TWO

Review waiting children! When a child who meets your approved parameters has been identified from the Philippines’ monthly bulletins, AGCI will request additional information on that child from the Central Authority. Once the information on the child is received, you will have two weeks to make an informed decision about accepting the referral.Wait times vary depending on your family’s openness to age, number of children and identified specialized needs.

STEP THREE

Wait for final approval from the Central Authority.

STEP FOUR

Parents travel to meet and bring your child home! In-country travel typically spans 5-7 days!

STEP FIVE

Welcome home! AGCI and the Philippines require post-placement visits and reports monthly through the first six months and bi-monthly reports until adoption finalization. The number of reports may vary, and additional reports may be required by your state until the adoption is finalized. During this time, NACC has granted your family legal guardianship of the child, but the adoption will not be final until you finalize the adoption in U.S. courts, which can be pursued after you receive your Affidavit of Consent to Adopt by NACC. AGCI is here for support throughout your child’s life—connect with us at any time for ongoing support services!

“It was very important to our family that we chose an agency that had a strong mission statement that we could stand behind, as well as an experienced agency in working with the country that we had chosen to adopt from. AGCI exceeded both of our expectations. The staff at AGCI went above and beyond in helping us navigate through our adoption journey. Their staff was reliable, kind, and informative. AGCI was very efficient in working with our family, and they were always two steps ahead of the process, so as to make sure our family would move along as quickly as possible. In addition, AGCI offered great support once we returned home with our child. WE are extremely thankful for all that AGCI did for our family and all that they are doing for other families in helping to create Forever Families for these orphans.”

— Ashley Felts, AGCI Adoptive Mom

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