In theory, you can adopt from any country in the world as long as a moratorium has not been placed on that country and you fulfil the criteria. Britain has placed a suspension on adoption from Guatemala and Cambodia. You will not be permitted to adopt from either of these two countries.Some countries, like Romania, have placed a stop on international adoption and they will not allow you to adopt one of their children. Certain countries like Russia have a very positive international adoption policy while others like India are very reluctant to work with UK families. China is known for having a very good adoption process; however there is currently a wait of up to six years to adopt a child.
Things can change quite quickly with regards to international adoption and a country that wasn’t accepting applicants may introduce a programme. Similarly, a country who is currently accepting applicants for international adoption may cease to do so. However, there are a list of more than one hundred countries and regions from which you should be able to adopt from. These include:
Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Most parts of Australia
Azerbaijan
The Bahamas
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
China
Cook Islands
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
El Salvador
England and Wales
Ethiopia
Fiji
France
Finland
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Indonesia
Israel
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Kenya
Latvia
Liberia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Moldova
Myanmar (Burma)
Namibia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Northern Ireland
Norway
Papua New Guinea
The Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Scotland
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
USA (parts of)
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Several other countries remain under review, and there are several more that do not comply, but again, speaking to an solicitor before you begin the adoption process should solve any problems.
