
For example: If you give birth to your child biologically, an official will not come to your house to ensure that you have a pool fence. But if you adopt, a social worker will make sure that your entire home is baby-proofed before you bring the baby home. "There's an element of mistrust in the adoption process, but when someone is born biologically we just assume that everything is fine," Juntunen says.
If you're looking to adopt a cat, consider adopting from a shelter rather than purchasing her from a pet store or breeder. For one thing, it's less expensive. The adoption fee usually covers the cost of a health check, vaccinations and spaying or neutering, all of which are typically done before a cat is placed up for adoption. Many shelters also evaluate cat characteristics, such as temperament, prior to making her available, and they can help you select a suitable cat for your household, personality, and lifestyle. Shelters also offer a wide range of cat characteristics, from young to old, long-haired to short-haired, varying colors, coat patterns, and temperaments. Many shelters carry a variety of purebred cats. With so many cats to choose from, however, a cat shelter can be a little overwhelming. Here are some guidelines to help you narrow your selection and make the best match.

American Adoptions’ agency fees are fixed, so there are no surprise fees. We work with you at the beginning of the adoption process to set a budget, and we help you stay within that budget during the process. Our specialists handle distribution of fees for birth mother expenses to make sure all of your money is going to the right places, and we will always look out for your best interests. Additionally, in the case of a disrupted adoption, we have a Risk-Sharing Program that allows the adoptive family to be refunded the fees that have already been paid.
Once you are approved to bring home an immigrant child, most countries will require you to create and submit a dossier. This is a document which tells the sending country about you, and that you have been proven to be a fit parent. Documents in the dossier can include doctor’s statements (yes, more doctor’s appointments), employment verification, birth, marriage, and divorce certificates (you’ll have to spring to get brand new ones), financial statements, photographs, and personal references. Every single item in your dossier will most likely need to go through the certification process at both the state and country levels, though some states also require an additional county certification. All of these various certifications cost money ranging from just $2 per document up to more than $40 per document. Once they are certified, you will probably need them to go to the consulate or embassy of the country you are adopting from and have them either authenticated or apostilled, depending on what is required. Once again, there is a fee per document to have this done. If you do not live in a city with an embassy or consulate, you will also need to make use of a courier to carry your documents in for you. Don’t forget to add in your FedEx account spending to overnight these precious documents back and forth. You’ve worked too hard on them to lose them in the mail! For those adding up numbers, figure somewhere between $1,000 and $3,000 for paperwork costs.



If you are new to the topic of adoption or are currently in the beginning stages of your adoption process, a question that has most likely crossed your mind is, “Why is the adoption process so expensive?” If there are millions of waiting children in the world, why must it often cost tens of thousands of dollars to help bring them into the love and protection of a family?

 – Travel Expenses – As seems to be the theme of this article, this number will depend on what country you are adopting from. Some countries require more than one visit before you are able to complete your adoption. Some countries require longer stays than others. Again, make sure to discuss with your agency what travel will be expected of you before deciding on what country you wish to adopt from. Travel costs can range from $5,000 to $10,000. 

