Intercountry Adoption of a Thai Child

Guidelines for the intercountry adoption of a Thai child under Thai adoption law.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Department of Children and Youth.

Responsible authorities

Under the Child Adoption Act B.E. 2522 (1979), intercountry adoption cases must be processed through the Department of Children and Youth and approved by the Child Adoption Board.

The Child Adoption Board comprises representatives of the government authorities concerned with child welfare and adoption. The Child Adoption Center is responsible for processing applications, coordinating with competent adoption authorities and submitting cases to the Board for consideration.

Preliminary qualifications of applicants

Applicants must meet the following preliminary requirements:

1. The applicant must be at least 25 years of age and at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted.
2. The applicant must be legally eligible to adopt a child under the law of the country in which the applicant is domiciled.

Submission of an intercountry adoption application

Applications, including applications to adopt a stepchild or relative, must be submitted through the competent government authority or an adoption agency authorized to handle intercountry adoption in the applicant's country of domicile. The application is then coordinated with the Department of Children and Youth or an authorized child welfare organization in Thailand.

As an initial step, the competent social welfare authority, government agency or authorized adoption organization in the applicant's country of domicile must provide the following principal documents:

Home study report

A home study report should include information concerning the applicants' physical and mental health, family background, financial position, assets and liabilities, personal reputation, living conditions, family composition, maturity, ability to provide love and care, motivation to adopt and any other circumstances relevant to the welfare and best interests of the child.

Approval of the prospective adoptive parents

A statement confirming that the applicants have been assessed and found qualified and suitable to adopt a child from another country.

Pre-adoption placement supervision

A statement confirming that the responsible authority or agency will supervise the pre-adoption placement where the child is placed with the applicants on a probationary basis. The supervision period is generally at least six months, with progress reports submitted to the Department of Children and Youth at the intervals required by the competent authorities.

The application will then be processed through cooperation between the Department of Children and Youth or an authorized child welfare organization in Thailand and the competent government authority or authorized intercountry adoption agency in the applicants' country of domicile.

Application Procedure

If the Department of Children and Youth or an authorized child welfare agency determines that the applicants are preliminarily qualified, the official adoption application forms will be forwarded through the competent authority in the applicants' country of domicile for completion.

The completed application should be returned through the competent authority together with the following documents:

• Medical certificate confirming the applicants' physical and mental health (and infertility, where applicable).
• Marriage certificate (if married).
• Evidence of occupation and income.
• Evidence of financial status.
• Evidence of assets.
• At least two letters of recommendation.
• Four recent photographs of each applicant (4.5 × 6 cm).
• Evidence from the immigration authorities of the applicants' country confirming that the child will be permitted to enter and reside in that country.

Documents originating outside Thailand should be legalized or authenticated in accordance with the applicable requirements, for example by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate, where required.

Assessment and Matching

Where an application is submitted through an authorized child welfare agency, the Department of Children and Youth may investigate the background of the child to confirm that the child is legally available for adoption and that the adoption is not connected with exploitation or trafficking. This assessment must be completed before the application is submitted to the Child Adoption Board.

Where the applicants wish to adopt a child in the care of the Department of Children and Youth, a suitable match will be made between the prospective adoptive parents and a child who is legally available for adoption.

After a suitable match has been identified, information concerning the child's background and health, together with photographs, will be forwarded through the competent authority to the prospective adoptive parents. If the proposed match is accepted, the application will be submitted to the Child Adoption Board for consideration.

Approval and Travel to Thailand

If the Child Adoption Board approves the application, the case will be submitted to the Minister of Social Development and Human Security for approval of the pre-adoption placement.

Following this approval, the Department of Children and Youth or the authorized child welfare agency will invite the prospective adoptive parents to travel to Thailand to meet the child and attend an interview with the Child Adoption Board. If only one spouse is able to travel, the written consent of the other spouse will normally be required.

The necessary travel documents for the child will then be arranged. Prospective adoptive parents should generally expect to remain in Thailand for approximately two weeks while these formalities are completed.

Source

Department of Children and Youth (DCY)
Ministry of Social Development and Human Security
Bangkok, Thailand

Article source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand