Adopting a child -just how difficult is it?

[Deserted]

Hi there. We have an only child and are thinking we would like our daughter to have a sister. Have difficult is it to adopt a child in Thailand. My partner tells me it involves a lot of money being paid. Is this true?

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, Deserted said:

Hi there. We have an only child and are thinking we would like our daughter to have a sister. Have difficult is it to adopt a child in Thailand. My partner tells me it involves a lot of money being paid. Is this true?

It shouldn't.  If married, and going to orphanage/dumping ground, with parents approval, if living, 

 

Go to family services in your amphur and ask.  I did, (A Muang, Udon Thani) but since not married, told almost impossible.  

 

If not, just be foster parents to one from an orphanage.  More than a few waiting.

 

Instead, I, just raised my daughter, and she simply adopted us (new GF, now wife), when legally able, actually just this year.

 

Don't let the legalities, get in the way of providing a loving home to an orphan.   Especially a true orphan, as no worries about her parents changing their mind.

Edited July 2, 2023 by KhunLA

[ubonr1971]

Pattaya orphanage will not allow adoption if one parent is a farang. Ironic considering who founded it. 

 

Theres one other orphanage in bkk you can try. They can give you the name and phone number

[Rimmer]

A post advocating an illegal activity has been removed

[dddave]

Sadly, from the 70's on, "orphans" became an international commodity and adoption "agencies" (brokers would be more accurate) became hugely profitable businesses, especially in Asian countries, particularly South Korea & Cambodia.  Tens of thousands of children, from infants to about 8 years old were essentially sold to wealthy Westerners, sometimes to the benefit of the kids but way too often, to what became very unhappy situations.   

As the scope and abuses of this flesh market became more apparent, many nations, including Thailand passed stringent laws to prevent their children from being trafficked in this way.   

The sad side effect has been that many deserving orphans and rejected children never find homes and many potentially great parents never get to raise them. 

There is no known way to discern who will be a good and loving parent and who will turn out to fall far short of that.  The kids pay the price.

Edited July 2, 2023 by dddave

[scorecard]

Maybe true but there's also many couples everywhere who are well capable of and have a strong very sincere desire to adopt and love / care for a child and make that child their own.

 

Every child deserves the love and care of a family. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by scorecard

[chickenslegs]

If you are married to a Thai and living in Thailand, and able to handle all the paperwork/procedures yourself (no lawyer costs) cost should be minimal.

 

If you are foreigners wishing to adopt a Thai child and take them out of Thailand, it can be complex and expensive. I know a couple who did it (actually the child was stateless).  

 

The Department of Children and Youth in Bangkok oversees/approves adoption in Thailand.

The website https://www.dcy.go.th/ isn't exactly user friendly, but if you (maybe your wife, if you are not fluent in Thai) contact them and ask to speak to someone in the Child Adoption Centre, I'm sure you will get the best advice.

 

[Deserted]

I should say her mum and I are divorced but we still live together. Does that make a difference?

[NevisIndustry]

Look into “Recognition of paternity” through your local embassy. It was a fairly straightforward process not involving the government departments of the child’s nationality, hence making it easier, as long as you can fulfil all requirements of your local government.
An additional “plus” was be that the child got immediate citizenship of your country with all the rights and obligations on your and the child site as if it would have been your biological child, of course depending on the regulations of your government. Did that myself with a child of Philippine decent with the German Embassy in Thailand. 

[JBChiangRai]

On 7/2/2023 at 7:18 AM, KhunLA said:

Don't let the legalities, get in the way of providing a loving home to an orphan.   Especially a true orphan, as no worries about her parents changing their mind.

15 years ago I adopted my first Thai child, actually she was my Thai partner's child and having shown her a good life and sent her to an international school, it would have been very unfair of me to send her back to abject poverty because the relationship broke down.  Her grandma who brought her up prior to living with me, told my (ex)partner to get real and realise that I could give her by far the best start in life.

 

Three years later, her cousin who was 8 spent her summer holiday with us, her parents went to Korea to work illegally whilst she was with us and I was told to take her to a school specialising in hill tribe kids where she would board at the state's expense.  Unsurprisingly, she was distraught over this and so I gained another daughter and she gained a sister.

 

Fast forward to today, they are now 20 and 19 years old, completed their education at a private school and are now in the 2nd year at Payap University (we call it payup because it's expensive).

 

I have tried years ago to properly adopt, it's practically impossible for anyone living in Thailand unless you are married and a permanent resident, I am neither.  There are 2 routes, you either go by the adoption center which used to be run out of some convent in Bangkok, or your provincial governor can sign it off, ours was asked by my lawyer whilst playing golf with him and he refused.

 

It's pretty much ridiculous, because as far as the school was concerned, I paid the fees so I was the father.  Properly adopting them would have got them a UK Passport if it was before their 16th birthday.  I stood to gain nothing.

 

We recently went to the Tessaban, now the oldest is 20, she's an adult and it's simply a matter of signing paperwork at the Tessaban to adopt an adult.  Now comes problem two.  Because I was divorced 25 years ago, I had to ask the court in the UK for my Decree Absolute, so I got that.  Now I have to prove I have not remarried.  How do you prove a negative?  Well it turns out, I MUST have a statutory declaration made at the UK Embassy in Bangkok.  The UK Embassy ONLY do it if I am getting remarried and for no other reason.  So back to the Tessaban who told me "Pretend your getting married", a typical solution to a Thai bureaucratic problem, so that is in process.  

 

I appreciate the need for being careful in the adoption process, but in my case they threw the baby out with the bathwater.

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

15 years ago I adopted my first Thai child, actually she was my Thai partner's child and having shown her a good life and sent her to an international school, it would have been very unfair of me to send her back to abject poverty because the relationship broke down.  Her grandma who brought her up prior to living with me, told my (ex)partner to get real and realise that I could give her by far the best start in life.

 

Three years later, her cousin who was 8 spent her summer holiday with us, her parents went to Korea to work illegally whilst she was with us and I was told to take her to a school specialising in hill tribe kids where she would board at the state's expense.  Unsurprisingly, she was distraught over this and so I gained another daughter and she gained a sister.

 

Fast forward to today, they are now 20 and 19 years old, completed their education at a private school and are now in the 2nd year at Payap University (we call it payup because it's expensive).

 

I have tried years ago to properly adopt, it's practically impossible for anyone living in Thailand unless you are married and a permanent resident, I am neither.  There are 2 routes, you either go by the adoption center which used to be run out of some convent in Bangkok, or your provincial governor can sign it off, ours was asked by my lawyer whilst playing golf with him and he refused.

 

It's pretty much ridiculous, because as far as the school was concerned, I paid the fees so I was the father.  Properly adopting them would have got them a UK Passport if it was before their 16th birthday.  I stood to gain nothing.

 

We recently went to the Tessaban, now the oldest is 20, she's an adult and it's simply a matter of signing paperwork at the Tessaban to adopt an adult.  Now comes problem two.  Because I was divorced 25 years ago, I had to ask the court in the UK for my Decree Absolute, so I got that.  Now I have to prove I have not remarried.  How do you prove a negative?  Well it turns out, I MUST have a statutory declaration made at the UK Embassy in Bangkok.  The UK Embassy ONLY do it if I am getting remarried and for no other reason.  So back to the Tessaban who told me "Pretend your getting married", a typical solution to a Thai bureaucratic problem, so that is in process.  

 

I appreciate the need for being careful in the adoption process, but in my case they threw the baby out with the bathwater.

Well done. 

 

On daughter adopting us, no paperwork was asked of me, except my PP.  (A. Muang, PKK).  Actually surprised how easy it was.

[JBChiangRai]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Well done. 

 

On daughter adopting us, no paperwork was asked of me, except my PP.  (A. Muang, PKK).  Actually surprised how easy it was.

Then I am guessing you were married at the time you adopted your adult daughter? And your wife must have gone with you?

 

The guy at the Tessaban says it is very easy if you get your ducks in a row,

 

My daughter really wants this.

[DaRoadrunner]

Just marry a Thai. Pretty soon you will have a whole tribe of em on your hands.

[JBChiangRai]

8 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

Just marry a Thai. Pretty soon you will have a whole tribe of em on your hands.

Been there, got the T-shirt, I am reminded of the definition of stupidity "Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result".

[David Whitemore]

I'm going through adopting my son I been taking care of him 5 years now, it's a long process two years, you will need a criminal background check, full medical and a psychiatrist report, you will need two witnesses reports

[jcmj]

My foster son, who is Thai, just turned 21 and wants to have my last name and adopt me. I am single now, but wondering if this can be done or just explain to him that it I would love it, but it’s just not possible? 

[JBChiangRai]

30 minutes ago, jcmj said:

My foster son, who is Thai, just turned 21 and wants to have my last name and adopt me. I am single now, but wondering if this can be done or just explain to him that it I would love it, but it’s just not possible? 

It is possible, it's easy if you're married to a Thai.

[jcmj]

Thanks JB but I’m single now. I guess I’ll have him look into it and see what we can do. He’s been asking for years, but I knew I couldn’t do it when he was under 18 and I was single. Now he has brought it up again. We shall see. He is and will always be my son, with the last name or not. 

[JBChiangRai]

39 minutes ago, jcmj said:

Thanks JB but I’m single now. I guess I’ll have him look into it and see what we can do. He’s been asking for years, but I knew I couldn’t do it when he was under 18 and I was single. Now he has brought it up again. We shall see. He is and will always be my son, with the last name or not. 

Then it depends on your nationality, you will need your divorce certificate and have to swear a statutory declaration, if you're British, you'll have to pretend you're getting married again.

[FireMedic]

This is pretty interesting. My wife and I are trying now for a baby...I asked her if it didn't work out would she be interested in adopting. I'll be nice here and paraphrase, but the answer was a hard no. She said too many have psych and developmental problems. She said she'd rather adopt a sister's or cousins kid but never from an orphanage or home. 

[scorecard]

10 hours ago, jcmj said:

My foster son, who is Thai, just turned 21 and wants to have my last name and adopt me. I am single now, but wondering if this can be done or just explain to him that it I would love it, but it’s just not possible? 

It is possible. Seen it done with little difficulty, young man was 21, father early 60's, divorced for many years.

 

Quickly approved by the Thai Interior Minstry after quick interviews, all in English.

 

Approved as an adoption and arrroved for the young man to change his family name to typical western name.

 

Several Thai folks claimed that by law Thais are not allowed to change either of their names (first name (chua) or family name (namsakhun) to typical western names.

NOT TRUE!

Edited July 3, 2023 by scorecard

[jaiyenyen]

My wife is Thai. We've been married and living in Thailand for the past 18 years. My stepdaughter had a baby when she was very young. The father did a runner and has not been seen since the birth of his daughter (My granddaughter). My wife and I have taken care of our granddaughter, from just after her birth until now (She's 10). I would like to know how difficult it would be for me to adopt my granddaughter, and what, if any, are the advantages of adoption for her.

I have a good, steady job with a major Thai company, WP, Non imm 'O' visa, and yellow tabien baan.

Any comments would be appreciated.

[JBChiangRai]

We recently finished the process of adopting my eldest daughter (20).

 

I needed to get a PDF email copy of my divorce certificate from the UK Court that handled it and made an appointment at the British Embassy in Bangkok where I made a statutory declaration that I hadn't remarried.

 

That stat. dec. was then translated and certified locally into Thai and we took it to the "Legalisation Dept" at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chiang Mai for them to "improve" it.  This means they stick a QR code on it.  They rejected the translation and so we had to get it translated again in Chiang Mai.

 

Back to the Ampur in Chiang Rai and the process was completed, my daughter was asked if she wanted to take my name.

 

Like everything in Thailand, the process is arduous and a PITA, probably a dozen different visits overall.

Edited September 28, 2023 by JBChiangRai
add age