What is the minimal age that a single person must be in order to adopt a child?

I am 21 right now and am not ready yet financially to adopt since I just finished college, but would like to do so when I am ready. I have planned to eventually adopt since I was in junior high and read back then that the minimal age was 25, but I can't remember now where I read that and can't find it again. Yesterday I saw an article that said that "generally" single people have to be 25 in order to adopt. This article didn't cite its sources though and wasn't part of a government website, so I would like to find something from a reputable source that clearly states what the age is.

When I do adopt I plan to do so from a third world country because my adopting a child from there would do them more good than were I to adopt a kid from here in the U.S. I'm not sure if being an American citizen adopting from another country affects what age I have to be to adopt in the U.S., but if it does it would be great to find out.

Please cite your sources!

Thanks in advance!

Lillie

You have to be 25 to obtain your little "charity case".

Will you then be moving to that 3rd world country in order to raise that child there? Or would you rather an innocent young child have to sacrifice their entire culture, language, people, history and heritage just so you can feel good about yourself?

Steve K.

Don't listen to Lillie... she's just bitter.

Realistically, most of these kids in Third World Countries have no culture, family or anything else to loose. Many of these countries are torn apart by war, widespread poverty, famine, draught or disease. My family sponsored a boy in Kenya, and all he had was one elderly grandfather who was unable to take care of him. No aunts, uncles, cousins, parents or siblings. Two year olds roam the streets and beg there. While yes, some children will be loosing their culture, it is rare; most have absolutely nothing aside from a caretaker that they have to share with 50 kids and a bed they have to share with 8 others.

Google or Yahoo! international adoption. About a million sites will pop up, and they will give the countries that they work with, and the guidelines for those countries. Some agencies have different guidelines in different countries (ie, some agencies won't let singles adopt, even if the country will) so you need to check several different sites.

I'd suggest rainbowkids.com and use that as a springboard to finding an agency, because it gives you the outlines for the COUNTRY, not an individual agency.

Anita K

My cousin had to wait untill she was 23 to adopt from china.

Sarah K

r s

It depends on where you live and what kind of adoption..

usually to adopt inside the USA it is 21....

every internationl country had their own requirments

Leeluh

It depends on the country. For example in Haiti, you must be 45 if your single. In the Congo, you can adopt at your age, its really a simpler process there. Keep looking in the internet for adoption agencies in other countries, they help with all the legal stuff and fill in all your doubts. Good Luck!

Nameless

Techniccly 18 but I would be easier at 25. Inernational adoption is nota great idea though. What happens in third world countries is parents give up abies that they are capable of caring for in hopes that they will be adopted in the west whitch increases the nimber of children in institutions. That being said those children still lead miserable lives and it couldn't hurt to adopt one, just try and chack if the orphange knows the kids parents.

sunny

Children want to be with their MOTHERS.

Why not work to keep families together instead of ripping them apart?

A couple ideas: UNICEF or the Peace Corps.

Give instead of taking--that's humanity.

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