Adoption In Thailand

[magenta]

Hope somebody can give me some advice.

I'm a European woman living in Thailand for 3 years, single, early 30s, staying on a non-B visa tied to my work permit.

Is it possible to adopt a Thai baby or child and stay in Thailand?

All resources I seem to find online are about adoption from overseas through an agency and taking the child abroad. I don't have $$$$ to pay them. In my country, single women are not eligible to become adoptive parents anyway.

Thank you for any insights.

[Boo]

It is quite a strict process to fully adopt a Thai child, it will cost money & involve having checks done from your own county before they will start your process in Thailand. (to be able to claim citizenship for the child in your home country) Do some searches on the forum as it has been covered in many threads & links to the right agencies (Thai govt) were given.

I haves heard (2nd/3rd hand information) that the process is less stringent in Cambodia but believe that you would still have to complete the necessary checks from your own country first.

I am not a lawyer & have not adopted myself so this info is what I have read on here & through people I know who have looked into it but maybe you should visit one of the orphanages & ask their administration.

[Mario2008]

This is the Thai government agency responsible for adoptions in Thailand:

Child Adoption Center

Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW)

225 Ratchawithi Road

Bangkok 10400

Tel. (66) (2) 354-7515;

Email: [email protected]

I can also recommend contacting forum sponsor isaanlawyers, you find their banner on top of the page.

Edit:

I understand that when you live in Thailand you must be able to speak Thai.

[Goinghomesoon]

A friend visited DSDW a few weeks ago to enquire about adopting after her emails went unanswered. The social worker she met with they admitted they don't answer their emails but are happy to talk to people who call or walk in. The first step after your initial inquiry is to complete an application form (which they will provide you) plus provide a bunch of documents. Our friend was told single parent adoption is very limited and you may need to be open to a special needs or older child. Chances of adopting a healthy baby as a single are apparently quite low. You do not need to speak Thai.

[magenta]

Thank you everyone for the answers.

Sorry if my question was repetitive, I did make a search for a start but couldn't find anything relevant. Maybe need to brush up my searching skills.

I am confused because I haven't been to my home country for 3 years and I cannot take months off work to go and process paperwork there for a start. Also, I cannot go to Bangkok repeatedly for enquiries, etc. I live in Chiang Mai.

I'll follow some of the leads you've given and may be back to ask more questions.

Thank you.

[coventry]

There are no private adoption agencies in Thailand only Government. I applied at the Government office about 3 years ago. Your talking alot of money, time and stress. If you haven't got any of those 3 then it's nothing but bad news. Plus at the Government office their first demand is that you must be married. So I'm sorry to say "you've fell at the first fence".

Edited February 3, 2009 by coventry

[Goinghomesoon]

The rules about single adoptions have been relaxed in the past 12-18 months. I have a single colleague who has gone through the paperwork process and is now awaiting allocation of a child. However singles are apparently required to adopt an older child or those with special medical or developmental needs.

Edited February 3, 2009 by Goinghomesoon

[coventry]

Thanks for correcting me Goinghomesoon. Whilst on can I ask the OP ? Has she considered a 'Sperm Donor' ? A cheaper and much quicker method.

[magenta]

Again, thank you for the replies. Much appreciated.

> However singles are apparently required to adopt an older child or those with special medical or developmental needs.

An older child - would that mean a kid in kindergarten? or older? My Thai is really basic so that would be so awkward. Even a Thai kid with a farang "mother" is very awkward for a start. As for special needs - I just don't think I could manage that having to work 9 hours a day and being all on my own. Not to mention finances.

Doesn't sound any good.

> Whilst on can I ask the OP ? Has she considered a 'Sperm Donor' ? A cheaper and much quicker method.

In theory, is it available for single women in Thailand? It is definitely not in my home country. Only if you are married.

In practice, my inside is quite badly messed up. Not very likely I could carry a baby to near full term. Wish I could.

[coventry]

In theory, is it available for single women in Thailand?

The only way to find out is to phone an IVF clinic in BKK and ask . Try this clinic 'Nawabutr Clinic 02-6777370'. We've used it twice and both times we were successful. My wife was never asked if she was legally married. They certainly don't ask to see the marriage certificate. With medicine improving all the time the chances of carrying a baby full term must have improved also. Good luck in your quest, which ever way you decide to go.

[featography]

Thanks for correcting me Goinghomesoon. Whilst on can I ask the OP ? Has she considered a 'Sperm Donor' ? A cheaper and much quicker method.

Again, thank you for the replies. Much appreciated.

> However singles are apparently required to adopt an older child or those with special medical or developmental needs.

An older child - would that mean a kid in kindergarten? or older? My Thai is really basic so that would be so awkward. Even a Thai kid with a farang "mother" is very awkward for a start. As for special needs - I just don't think I could manage that having to work 9 hours a day and being all on my own. Not to mention finances.

Doesn't sound any good.

> Whilst on can I ask the OP ? Has she considered a 'Sperm Donor' ? A cheaper and much quicker method.

In theory, is it available for single women in Thailand? It is definitely not in my home country. Only if you are married.

In practice, my inside is quite badly messed up. Not very likely I could carry a baby to near full term. Wish I could.

Not that I would argue with previous opinions, I would add my personal experience to the pot. I have a single sister in law (Thai) that went to the above address to apply for adoption, 4 yrs ago. Being the patient stubborn woman that she is, she waited them out. 3 months ago she got the call that there was a new baby available if she still wanted one. They did make her wait until the baby boy was 30 days old before handing him over to her. She is still single btw. The boy is not a special needs baby either. On the contrary in every aspect, he is as close to perfect as a baby can be. It might be worthy to mention, that my sister in law is and has always been "unimployed". She lives and works on the family farm, is in her 40's, and has no higher education. So, take it for what its worth to you.

[thaisail]

It is quite a strict process to fully adopt a Thai child, it will cost money & involve having checks done from your own county before they will start your process in Thailand. (to be able to claim citizenship for the child in your home country) Do some searches on the forum as it has been covered in many threads & links to the right agencies (Thai govt) were given.

I haves heard (2nd/3rd hand information) that the process is less stringent in Cambodia but believe that you would still have to complete the necessary checks from your own country first.

I am not a lawyer & have not adopted myself so this info is what I have read on here & through people I know who have looked into it but maybe you should visit one of the orphanages & ask their administration.

I saw this thread and tried to search for a thread that would cover my issue but so far, I haven't found any thread closer than yours. If you know how to search further back in Thai Visa for this information, please can you explain how?

I am 53 years old US citizen married to a Thai woman who is 36 years old. We live in Phuket and we have a baby together who is almost 2 years old. My wife has a 16 year old daughter who lives with us for two years now. Her daughter's Thai father died 10 years ago and I would like to adopt the 16 year old. I have been getting the run around by the Thai adoption agency in Bangkok who will not even send me an application for adoption.

If you know a lawyer in Bangkok or Phuket who specializes in this kind of problem, please let me know. If there are any other's out there with Thai Visa who have been through this process, it would help a lot to make contact through this forum.

[Boo]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Adopting-Tha...ml&hl=adopt

thos thread looks like it might be helpful

and here is a selection of other threads to check out.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/search.html&...ghlite=%2Badopt

[Mario2008]

Your embassies webiste list several lawyers, including some specialized in family law.

In your case the problem might be that the father has died. So he cannot give up his rights, which I believe is required for adoption. Adoption will mean that the (legal) family ties with the father are severed and you would be replaced by becoming your legal family.

(Note that I don't know that much about Thai adoption law, this is more an educated guess to explain where the problem might be).