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Getting Started

Q If I decide to adopt internationally, how do I get started?

A There are three easy steps that you should start at the same time.

1. Send us your Application for Adoption & Adoption Services Agreement. Once we are in receipt of your Application for Adoption & Adoption Services Agreement, we immediately send you an email with a usernameand password that gives you access to My FTIA - an amazing online database that provides FTIA adopting parents immediate access to a Dossier Guide. The Dossier Guide provides detail and sample forms of all documents you will need to prepare for your adoption.
2. Select your home study agency. If you have already selected a home study agency when you send your Application for Adoption & Adoption Services Agreement to FTIA, please include the agency's name and the name of the social worker on the application. If you have not yet selected a home study agency, please contact us as we have worked with many, many home study agencies across the country and may have some good recommendations regarding home study agencies in your area. Some countries have specific requirements for home study agencies. Please do not start the home study process until we confirm with you that the home study agency is qualified to prepare a home study for the country from which you are adopting.
3. Begin the CIS procedure. Either call 1-800-870-FORM, visit the CIS website, or go to a CIS office and obtain the I-800A form (if adopting from Brazil, China, Guatemala, India, or Panama) or the I-600A form (if adopting from Russia or Vietnam). You can probably collect all the documents necessary to submit with the I-600A or I-800A, with the exception of your home study, within a week. Some CIS offices allow adopting parents to submit the I-600A form and all required documents, except for the home study, along with a cover letter explaining that the home study will be submitted in the near future. Other CIS offices require adopting parents to wait to submit the I-600A form and required documents until they can include the home study. The home study and all supporting documents must be submitted with the I-800A form. Please note: the CIS will accept checks for fees; however checks and money orders must be made out to “US Department of Homeland Security.” No abbreviations can be made.

As you work on your home study, you will see that you are required to gather certain documents for your home study which may appear similar to what is necessary for the dossier you submit to the foreign country. We are often asked, "Can I use the same documents for the home study and the foreign dossier?" The short answer is, "no," because most of the documents for the foreign countries must be the originals and some are very specific forms that must be completed. Since you may not be able to use documents prepared for your home study in your dossier, we do recommend when you are collecting birth certificates, marriage licenses, and other documents that you obtain more than one original. You may need two originals during the procedure, and if you don't need two originals, it's always good to have an extra original of these documents available. If you are trying to adopt two or more children, you will usually need a dossier for each child-it depends on the country.

We hope that with the above directions you can get a quick start to your international adoption. As always, please feel free to e-mail or call us with your questions. We look forward to working with you.