How Long Does An Adoption Take

From the first minute you decide to adopt, register with agencies, create a parent profile and pass your homestudy, and receive approval to adopt, you may feel like there's never enough time to prepare to anything. Time flies. Then you're approved for adoption. Then comes the waiting. And more waiting. And even more waiting. And all of that time you didn't have earlier in the process is compounded in an abyss of seconds.

How long an adoption takes depends on the kind of adoption you're pursuing. International and legal risk foster programs are among the longest times for adoption, due to paperwork and legal regulations. On average, a foster adoption can take about two years to finalize. An international adoption can take years to finalize depending on whether or not the child's country of origin requires the adopters to have some form of residency in that country. Even an independent or agency-facilitated adoption with a due date can take a while to initiate.

Couples who have been open about their decision to adopt have every right to be anxious, but it can certainly be annoying when a relative or co-worker gets nosy. The key to making it through is to not obsess about it. While it's good to read a parenting or adoption book during the wait, try to take up a new hobby or old unfinished project. The child is the light at the end of the tunnel, so try to stay positive during the wait. (Fear before being placed with the child is completely normal.)