Adoption

Agencies and Attorneys

The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security does not allow the use of powers of attorney for the purpose of signing the I-600 Petition to classify an orphan as an Immediate Relative. Responsibility for various procedures necessary to adopt a child in China in accordance with Chinese law is divided among the following Chinese government authorities:

The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA)
103 Beiheyan Street
Dongcheng District
Beijing 100006
Phone: (8610) 6522-3102
(8610) 6513-0607

Department of Civil Affairs
147 Beiheyan Street
Beijing, 100032

Children's Welfare Institutes - is administered by the Ministry of Civil Affairs through provincial Civil Affairs Bureaus. These are government-operated homes for orphaned or abandoned children. Children can only be placed in the welfare institutes if their parents have died or abandoned them. In cases of abandoned children, the authorities attempt to locate the children's biological parents before allowing them to be adopted from the institutes.

Notarial Offices - the Provincial Notarial Offices, which are administered by the ministry of Justice, Department of Notarization Division (10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Beijing 100020 China) issue the final adoption certificate. That process terminates parental rights of the birth parent(s). Each adoption certificate is accompanied by a notarial birth certificate for the child and either a statement explaining the circumstances of abandonment for abandoned children or notarial death certificates of the orphaned child's parents.

Public Security Bureau - the Public Security Bureau in the locality where the adoption takes place is responsible for issuing Chinese passports and exit permits to children adopted by foreigners.