U.S. Father Adopting Wife'S Daughter - Basic Info Needed!

[newbegin4]

Hello, I'm an American man, aged 41, married to a Thai wife, age 36 who has a daughter (born out-of-wedlock) age 3. We were married in October 2009.

Questions:

- How long will the process take?

- How much will this cost in attorney's fees?

- Has anyone completed this process without assistance of an attorney?

Thank you!

Edited July 12, 2010 by newbegin4

[Mario2008]

More information on adoption in Thailand here: http://www.thailawonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46〈=en&catid=34

But an important factor is if you want a Thai adoption (only recognized in Thailand) or an international adoption, (also recognized by the US and possibly leading to US citizenship).

The US state department also has some information on their website.

[newbegin4]

I would need an International adoption.

I have been looking at the official U.S. sites and am hopelessly totally confused. The forms I viewed seem to be wholly inapplicable to my particular situation...such as for adoption of orphan, etc. Adoption of your wife's daughter didn't even seem to be an appropriate option, at least on first glance!

Anyway, surely someone else with a nearly identical situation as myself has gone through this before. If so, please post here a basic outline of your experience and help point us in the right direction, thanks!

Edited July 13, 2010 by newbegin4

[kat1]

Hi newbegin4,

I have been through the process of adopting my wife's daughter (who is now 12).

As we have no intention of living in any other country other than Thailand, we opted for the local route.

It is a 'free' process to go through, but turned out to take a long time (18+ months), because I didn't want to 'push', having been told it would take about 6 months to process the initial application.

If you want to take this route, you will have to make an appointment and visit the Office: Child Adoption Centre, Department of Public Welfare, Ratchavithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. You will meet a case worker who will ask you some details and give you the necessary form and supporting paperwork.

Once you send the completed application and supporting paperwork (such as personal life history of both you and your wife), confirm by phone their receipt. Our experience of follow-up contact was frustrating. The phone would either be constantly engaged, or the office was closed, so I resorted to e-mail (which was lucky as I did get a message confirming receipt, which I had to refer to when they later suggested they had not received the application.)

The application form asks for references as to your character and suitability, including a Thai national (I used a teacher at the school I volunteer at)- they don't just want the contact details, they will expect you to obtain written references for them. I also had to contact my last employer to verify my work history with them.

Once they have all the required information, they will send someone from a local office to perform a home visit. Once that is complete and any further information is provided, your case will be assessed by the board of directors. After their approval, you will be invited to attend an interview at an office (seemed odd after the decision had already been made).

We met several other couples waiting for interview, most of who where taking Thai children abroad, one couple having only applied 7 days before, which made our 'simple in-country adoption' of 18+ months duration seem less of a priority.........

You will be provided with several copies of an adoption certificate, allowing you to change surname on official documents etc.

Good info here

Good luck