The CCCWA, China’s official adoption authority, announced new and very positive policy changes over the weekend of December 6-7, 2014.

To better help children in China living outside of family care in orphanages and foster-homes find suitable families, the CCCWA will make improvements to their policy on eligiblity requirements for adoptive parents.

China Adoption’s New Eligibility Requirements

These new eligibility requirements affect families with dossiers logged in after January 1, 2015.

Please note that the information below addresses only eligibility requirements that have changed. Other requirements remain the same. These requirements are determined by the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA).

Who is affected by the CCCWA’s new eligibility requirements?

Single applicants:

Single applicants are now eligible to adopt either a non-special focus child (a young child with minor special needs) or a special focus child. Single applicants may submit a dossier to China prior to being matched with a child. There must be no more than 45 years difference between the age of the parent and the age of the child.

Singles may have no more than 2 children at home, and the youngest child should be older than 5 years old. Singles cannot adopt if there are already 3 children in their home under the age of 18.

Families over age 50:

Singles and couples over the age of 50 are now eligible to adopt either a non-special focus or a special focus child and can submit their dossier to China prior to being matched. There may be no more than 50 years difference between the age of the younger parent and the age of the child.

Families with more than 5 children living at home:

Couples with more than 5 children living at home are now eligible to adopt either a nonspecial focus or a special focus child and can submit their dossier to China prior to being matched.

Families who want to adopt a non-special focus child and have not yet submitted their dossier:

More families are now eligible to adopt a young child with minor special needs (a nonspecial focus child). We anticipate that the wait for the referral of a non-special focus child will increase as more families submit their dossiers before they are matched.

Families currently wait approximately 6-9 months for the referral of a young girl with minor special needs.

Families with medical conditions:

The following is the official policy of the CCCWA.  However, exceptions are common. We encourage families who have a medical condition that may make them ineligible to contact a licensed Adoption Agency for clarification. Exceptions are possible in certain circumstances.

Families must be free of medical conditions that affect their life expectancy or parenting ability to be eligible for an adoption from China. According to the CCCWA, the following conditions will make a family ineligible:

• intellectual disability
• positive for HIV or other contagious infectious disease
• schizophrenia,
• blindness
• Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater.

Mental disorders, such as mania, anxiety, phobia, depression, obsession, etc. will make a family ineligible for adoption, except in the case of a couple if the disorder is minor and well controlled by medication.

Diseases that require long-term treatment and affect parenting ability will make a family ineligible, except in the case of a couple where one parent is completely healthy and the other parent’s condition is well controlled after treatment.

According to the CCCWA, the following conditions fall into this category:

• malignant tumors
• lupus
•  nephrosis
• epilepsy
• multiple sclerosis
• an organ transplant within the last ten years

Parents with severe hearing loss/deafness or loss of language function may adopt a child with the same condition. In an adoption by a couple, if one parent is completely healthy and the other parent has one of these conditions, the family will be eligible to adopt.

Families who have difficulty meeting China’s income or net worth requirements:

The CCCWA requires that families have a minimum income of $30,000 plus $10,000 per child living in the home (including the prospective adoptee). Minimum net worth for couples is $80,000. Minimum net worth for singles is $100,000. However, if a family lives in an area where the local cost of living is lower and they have above average income for their area, an exception to these income requirements may be made.

Families who have a criminal background:

The following crimes on a background check will make a family ineligible for an adoption from China:

• history of domestic violence
• sex abuse, or abuse/abandonment of children
• drug use including opium, morphine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc; and history of alcohol abuse less than ten years old.

If the parents have 3 or fewer minor criminal records more than ten years ago or 5 or fewer traffic violations with no severe outcomes, they may be eligible to adopt from China.

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