Ugghhhh, this is the part EVERYONE hates!!! So many people do not adopt because of this! It is so sad that it comes down to money but everything we have read and learned from adoption is that you should not make it about the money (although kinda hard with those costs). So here is the breakdown. Look if only if you have a strong heart!!!
Catholic
Charities as our Home Study Agency
New
Home study, facilitation, and 3 post-placement visits for Maryland is $4,750. Plus
$350 for each of the additional four post-placement visits required by China. Total of $6,150 for the new home study
(plus fingerprinting & background checks). No Application fee with second adoption (regularly
$300) No Hague training because we already did it (regularly $250)
Holt
International as our Adoption Agency:
Application Fee $300 This fee covers the cost to
review the application & determine the best direction to take with the
adoption process.
U.S. Processing Fee (WAS $3,000 & Holt just discounted it to $1,500) The
processing fee covers Holt's cost to facilitate the adoption with agency &
government officials in the US & China. Processing expenses for Holt
include – but are not limited to – personnel costs, administrative overhead,
operational costs, staff training & education, communications &
publications costs. This fee also covers registration & translation costs
related to submitting your dossier.
Document Processing Fee: DISCOUNTED FROM $600 to $150 BECAUSE NOT AS MUCH PREPARATION IS
REQUIRED BY REUSING OUR PREVIOUS DOSSIER: Holt
staff will assist in obtaining vital records needed for the dossier & have
the documents certified as required by county, state, federal & foreign
governments. They will also make necessary photocopies & mount photographs
required for your dossier. This does not cover fees charged by gov’t offices to
certify the documents nor the cost to mail documents via Federal Express or
priority mail.
Adoption Program Fee: CHINA IS $9,360 (includes special
focus child discount of $2,000)
The adoption program fee helps cover the
cost to facilitate the adoption in CHINA. This includes, but is not limited to,
costs for personnel, administrative overhead, training, education, legal
services & communications, working with gov’t & agency authorities,
legal fees, & passport & visa fees. It also covers costs related to the
care of our child prior to adoption, including – but not limited to – costs for
food, clothing, shelter, medical care, foster care, orphanage care, & any
other services provided directly to our child. It also includes any mandatory
donations required by child welfare authorities. This fee may also cover child
welfare projects in China.
USCIS application $805-$1,250
(COST US ABOUT $1,100 LAST TIME &
MUST BE DONE AGAIN) All U.S.
families must receive approval from U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
(USCIS) before bringing a child to the U.S. for adoption. USCIS requires
families pay an application fee, fingerprinting fee &, in some cases, a
renewal or change fee.
Adoption Education Classes $150-$500 (WE DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN). You
will be required to complete a number of general adoption trainings using
approved online courses..
Dossier Preparation $100-$700
(THIS WILL BE SLIGHTLY REDUCED AS SOME
ITEMS CAN BE REUSED, APPROXIMATING $500). The home study & dossier
process requires families to obtain official copies of documents such as birth
certificates, marriage certificates & divorce decrees. Some countries
require that these & other documents go through a process of notarization,
certification & authentication before being submitted.
Travel expenses $3,000-$15,000
(FOR OUR LAST TRIP, TRAVEL & HOTEL COST
US APPROX. $9,900 PLUS EXPENSES IN CHINA, WILL ESTIMATE IT AT $13,000
THIS TIME BUT HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING JUST YET)
Travel expenses vary greatly depending on the number of trips
required, the number of people in our travel party, & the time of year that
we travel. These expenses include airfare, lodging, meals & ground
transportation, and visa’s.
Adoption Finalization $500-$1,500
(ALTHOUGH OUR CHILD’S ADOPTION WILL BE
FINALIZED IN CHINA – BECAUSE BOTH PARENTS TRAVELED – WE STILL MUST FINALIZE IT
THE US AFTER BEING HOME FOR 6 MONTHS, WE ARE NOT SURE OF THE EXACT COST BUT
WILL ESTIMATE IT IN THE MIDDLE AT $1,000).
Total
for Holt International: $26,910
Total
for Home Study: $6,150
Total cost for adoption: $33,060
*
Cost
to give a child a home: PRICELESS!!!!
* some costs listed
above are still estimates
Thanks for checking in again! Please continue to pray for the orphans around the world and for all of those trying to bring them home!!!
