All adoptions, wherever from and via whatever method, include a home study, the process where a social worker checks that you are eligible to adopt. After that, adoption budget items vary.
Home Study
- Social worker (one or more visits)
- Certified marriage and birth certificates
- Criminal records check
- Physical exams and vaccinations
- Notarization of documents
- Postage (certified mail or courier) and phone
Private Infant Adoption via Agency:
Home study costs PLUS
- Application fee
- Agency fee
- Pre-adoption education for adoptive parents
- Birth mother’s medical expenses
- Birth mother’s living expenses
- Birth family counseling
- Travel, food, lodging for adoptive family
- Court filing fees for finalization
Private Infant Adoption with an Attorney:
Home study costs PLUS
- Attorney’s fees
- Attorney’s office expenses
- Advertising and networking
- Birth mother’s medical expenses
- Birth mother’s living expenses
- Birth family’s attorney
- Birth family counseling
- Travel, food, lodging for adoptive family
- Court filing fees for finalization
International Adoption via Agency:
Home Study costs PLUS
- Agency application
- Agency program fee
- Country fee
- Certification of documents
- Translation of documents
- Fingerprinting
- Court fees in sending country
- Medical exams for child
- Orphanage donation
- Foster care between referral and travel
- Passport for child
- U.S. visa fee for child
- Passports for adoptive family
- Visas for adoptive family
- Travel to meet child
- Travel to bring child home
- Escort fee to bring child home
- Court filing fees for finalization
Adoption from Foster Care
Depending on whether you are adopting directly from foster care, doing fost-adopt (applying to foster a child you plan to adopt), or fostering with the possibility of adoption later, you may have:
- Home study costs
- Court filing fees for finalization
- Agency application
- Foster-parent orientation and training
- Foster-parent license fee
But bear in mind, all of these may be waived or subsidized, depending on your circumstances and the child’s situation.
