WHAT IS INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION?

Intercountry adoption is the process by which you adopt a child from a country other than your own through permanent legal means and then bring that child to your country of residence to live with you permanently.
 

There is an international convention (which New Zealand is a signatory to), the  Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Convention seeks to ensure that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights. It also seeks to prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children. 

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We only facilitate adoptions with countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention.

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Click here for an outline of The Hague Convention

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Click here for an information brochure on The Hague Convention

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Intercountry adoption should only be considered when there is evidence that a child cannot be cared for suitably in his or her country of origin. Intercountry adoption may be one child protection measure among many to be offered to the child, in this will depend on each child’s individual needs, with his or her best interest been the paramount consideration.

(Reference: International Social Service)

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