Do you want to adopt from China? Be sure you understand the country’s updated adoption policies!

—Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 30 years old and cannot be more than 50 years older than the child they are adopting (so PAPs who are older than 50 may adopt younger children, teens, and adolescents, but probably not infants.)

—China will not allow married or single LGBTQ women to adopt, nor will they allow single men to adopt at all. Heterosexual married couples and single women may adopt from China, although married couples must have no more than two divorces and have been married for at least five years, if previously divorced. If neither PAP has been divorced, then they must be married for two years prior to adopting.

—PAPs must be healthy, including having a BMI lower than 40. Some health conditions with minor symptoms (like treatable depression) are allowed if a doctor submits a waiver testifying that the condition does not hinder the day-to-day parenting duties of the PAP. Some conditions (severe facial deformation, schizophrenia, blindness, or either partner possessing a communicable disease such as HIV or AIDS, for example) have no option for a waiver and will not be allowed in PAPs looking to adopt from China.

—Prospective adoptive parents must have completed high school or a vocational equivalent.

—Prospective adoptive families must have a stable income of $10,000 per capita, including the prospective adoptive child (so if you are a family of four looking to adopt, you must make at least $50,000 a year to qualify). Couples must have a net worth of at least $80,000; singles, $100,000.

—PAPs must have a clean criminal record and no history of drug abuse. If a PAP has a history of alcoholism, he or she must have at least 10 years of sobriety before adopting.

—No more than five children may live in the home of the prospective adoptive couple; singles may have no more than two in the home. In addition, the youngest child must be three years old before PAPs can adopt from China.

– Unless PAPs are adopting a sibling group or twins, only one child may be adopted at a time from China, and there is a mandatory one-year waiting period between adoptions.

If you are interested in learning more about adopting from China you can read this guide or check out this site for more information.

Written by Jennifer Galan