Adoption Bills: Why Does It Cost So Much?
Kevin mentioned that we got a bill from Children’s Home Society today. One of the many questions we get is “how much does it cost?” I’ll talk about the costs but in all honesty asking how much does it cost is like asking a pregnant woman “So, was this an accident?” At least that’s how I feel.
Anyway, here’s a breakdown of the costs:
$45 – registration with the agency
$500 – application fee
$2300 – pre-adoption class (2 day seminar required of every person wanting to adopt)
$30 – fingerprinting for the background check
$4600 – for the home study
$670 – processing fee (from the government) for the I-600A form (Immigration paperwork, I think this is the baby’s visa)
$160 – fingerprints (again) for Homeland Security
$67 – renewing Abby’s passport
$97 – a new passport for Kevin
$82 – a new passport for Lexi
$8700 – Country Fees (this pays for all the care our child has received from the orphanage)
$189.60 – filing fees from the Ethiopian Embassy
$14 – Department of State (filing fee – the government really likes their “filing fees”)
$50 – Ethiopian Courier Service (for the baby’s passport, birth certificate, immigration papers, etc)
$385 – travel fees for Kevin and I to go to Hosanna – the region of Ethiopia our child will most likely be from. Traveling this extra few hundred miles will give us a chance at meeting our child’s birth family, seeing where they were born, possibly meeting sibblings, etc)
And add in plane tickets to Africa and that’s where all the money goes. Children’s Home Society tries very hard to make it clear that nobody is “buying” a child. They also make it clear that money does not go towards paying staff salaries, or the mortgage on their new building. The money goes towards counciling services for birth mothers, it goes to the care of the children overseas, it goes towards international aide relief, it goes towards training nannies for the various care centers and as you can see, it goes towards the government for filing and processing. They also request that you don’t donate any money to the agency or it’s affiliates until the adoption is finalized so that there isn’t any way you can be accused of bribing the agency.
So that’s the money trail. It varies from agency to agency, from international to domestic adoptions and from country to country, but this is what it is for us.
Edit: I think part of the money does go to staff salaries as well as to pay the Nannies who work at the Care Center in Ethiopia.
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Hey, is that correct that our payments don’t go to staff salaries? I don’t remember hearing that. I remember they made a point that their beautiful new building was paid for by donations alone and our payments don’t go to the building at all. But I don’t remember them saying the same of salaries.
I just wanted to be sure. That’s impressive if salaries are raised by donations. I actually expected that salaries were part of our payment. Nonprofit staffs need to be paid, that’s just part of the deal.
Okay, gonna have to double check on the salary part – I thought they said that, but now I can’t remember.
OK I AM AN IDIOT. We have been buying TONS on Amazon recently to get ready to go overseas…. can I have a “redo” to link through you? Still more to come, however, so LOOK FOR US through Amazon.
Interesting post. I imagine people asking about the cost as a curiosity, as many people know it is expensive, but not really quite sure how expensive. Some ask with no intention of ever adopting and others, because they would consider adoption, but aren’t sure of the costs. Perhaps I will feel differently down the road when we are more invested, both financially and emotionally, in the process.
It is the question of the year for us too. We have been working every extra job possible. Even jobs that many people look down on…we are willing to raise all the money through work. It is crazy in someways but when I look at the first year of day care for a child it is pretty close.
I am thrilled that you have a travel date. Are you taking Lexi with you?