You must be over 25 to apply. Only couples married for at least two years may adopt healthy infants or toddlers. For healthy children under 2, Thai authorities prefer smaller families or couples with documented infertility. The mother must be under 39 and the father under 45. Older applicants may adopt older children or those with special needs. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.

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If you adopt through WACAP’s Family Finders program, it usually takes three to 12 months to receive the formal match of the child you hope to adopt. If you adopt an infant with no special needs, the wait for a boy is approximately 12 to 18 months from the time your dossier is approved by the Thai Red Cross board. Waiting times for girls is approximately 3 years. Once you’re matched with a child, it’s usually two to five months before you can travel to Thailand to pick the child up.

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Usually, you’ll receive a copy of medical information collected from the time the child entered the orphanage —including immunization records and results of routine HIV and hepatitis B testing— as well as basic social and developmental updates. Referral information also includes at least one photo and sometimes a video.

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Infants referred from Thailand are usually around nine months to 2 years old. Children with special needs are 1 to 15 years old. Children 1–3 or 6 and older, without special needs, are also available. Children 3–5 without special needs are available, but you may need to wait longer.

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"Special needs" is a broad term that encompasses very mild to severe medical and/or developmental concerns. A child with mild special needs might:

• Have mild hearing loss
• Have a complex medical history, but no currently known medical concerns
• Not be meeting his or her developmental milestones on target
• Have been born prematurely or had moderately low birth weight

Moderate special needs might include:

• Mild cerebral palsy or post-polio complications
• Moderate developmental delays
• Cleft lip or palate
• Moderate hearing or vision loss
• A missing limb

Severe special needs might include:

• A heart condition
• Deafness or blindness
• Severe cerebral palsy or post-polio complications
• Mild mental retardation

Adoption fees are often reduced by $1,000 to $4,000 for children with special needs, and financial assistance is available. Chronic upper respiratory and ear infections, mild premature birth weight, lice, scabies, anemia and delays related to institutional living are common to children referred from Thailand and are not considered special needs.

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Yes. Because more American families want to adopt girls, the waiting time to be matched with a boy is shorter than for a girl. Twins and sibling groups are rarely available from Thailand.

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Abandoned or relinquished children in Thailand are most often cared for in an orphanage. They are rarely placed in foster care, although officials in Thailand are beginning to expand foster care services. The management of these institutions varies, but considering the limitations inherent to institutional care, they provide an appropriate environment for a child’s good nutrition, growth and development.

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Both parents must travel to Thailand to bring their child home. You’re responsible for the cost of your travel, the cost of bringing your child home and an additional $400 (approximately) for the processing expenses in Thailand. You’ll stay in Thailand from seven to 10 days.

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All adoptions in Thailand must be processed through the Department of Public Welfare (DPW). We work directly with the DPW, accepting referrals of children from orphanages throughout Thailand. We also work with the Thai Red Cross Children’s Home, a private orphanage supported by the Princess of Thailand.

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Adoption of a child from Thailand is not considered finalized at the time of placement. You must submit postplacement reports through your homestudy agency at two, four, and six months from the time the child enters your family. WACAP reviews these reports and sends them to Thailand. You then receive approval from the DPW to visit one of the Thai consulates in Los Angeles, New York or Chicago, or the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., to finalize your child’s adoption. After this visit, you can refinalize the adoption in your local court. As a result of the Child Citizen Act, which became effective on February 27, 2001, the child is automatically granted U.S. citizenship once the adoption is finalized.