*Please note: as of October 1, 2025, South Korea (also known as the Republic of Korea) has ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. However, information on procedures for applying and submitting dossiers to their new central adoption authority, the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC), is not yet available. Please consult a placement agency that has experience with Korea’s former adoption procedures. Families who may qualify for the Korean Heritage Program should seek an approved, established agency for details on that process.
1. The Parents
To be eligible for the standard South Korea adoption program*, parents must be between 25 and 45 years old at the time of home study approval. Couples must have been married for at least 3 years, with a maximum of 1 divorce each in their history. Single parents cannot adopt from South Korea, and they do not knowingly place children with homosexual parents.
Both prospective parents must be in good mental and physical health. While not impossible, it can be difficult to adopt from South Korea if either parent has a history of mental health challenges. Each approved agency working with Korea’s adoption authority will have agency-specific guidance on health issues such as Body Mass Index (BMI), specific mental health diagnoses, and medications.
Additionally, both parents must have a minimum of a GED or high school diploma to apply, and parents with an arrest record should consult an agency to determine eligibility.
*Parents who are part of the Korean Heritage Program or who have previously adopted from Korea may be between 25 and 49 years old.
2. The Family
South Korea will place children in families with up to 4 children already in the home. The youngest child in the home must be at least one year old at the time of application.
Generally, South Korea expects prospective adoptive parents to have an income higher than the U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines and be financially able to support the adoptive child. Inquire with your agency for the specifics of income requirements per family.
3. The Kids
In South Korea, children waiting to be adopted internationally have been legally relinquished by the birth parent(s). They are generally between 2 and 3 years old at the time of placement. Families hoping to adopt from South Korea should be open to children with mild to moderate special needs. Often, medical conditions have already been resolved by the time a referral is made. Older children or sibling groups are rarely available for placement. Adopting more than one child at a time is not allowed. The children are of East Asian ethnicity.
Families are prohibited from specifying gender and must be open to parenting boys. This is because more girls than boys are adopted domestically in Korea. Some agencies may allow parents who are part of the Korean Heritage Program or families adopting a Waiting Child (those available with special needs) to request a gender.
While the children wait for adoption placement, they are generally in the care of foster homes that Korean child welfare agencies run. The typical reasons children come into state care include medical needs, poverty, social stigma, and lack of support for single mothers.
4. The Process
*South Korea recently became a signatory to the Hague Convention, but new procedures and policies are yet to be issued (as of this update). Prospective parents should consider contacting an approved placing agency with experience in the Korea adoption programs.
Work with your agency to start the home study process once you have applied to your chosen agency. (If your placing agency is not licensed in your state, they can direct you to a Hague-accredited home study agency to create the compliant home study report.)
Once the home study report is complete, your primary/placing agency will guide you through the steps to gain approval from USCIS. From that point, the central adoption authority, the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC), issues a referral. These typically occur within about 6 months. Parents have two weeks to review and accept or decline the referral. Please note that referrals cannot be declined due to gender. It is wise to seek an experienced review of the referral information regarding the child’s special needs at that time.
The referrals usually include detailed information on the birth family’s medical history, background, and prenatal history. There is also excellent medical care for the child once the child is in state care. After you accept a referral, you can receive periodic photos and progress reports on the child. Additional information and medical testing are readily available upon request.
Once you accept the referral, your agency will guide you through the remaining paperwork, including the Acceptance Dossier application to the central adoption authority, the NCRC, and travel approvals.
5. The Travel
Adoption from South Korea requires two trips, for approximately one week each. Both parents must travel on the first trip, but only one must travel on the second. On the first trip (usually 8-11 months after completing your Acceptance Dossier), you will meet your child and appear in court.
Once the court makes its final ruling (approximately 8-12 weeks later), you will return to Korea to apply for an IR-3 immigration visa from the US Embassy in Seoul. Your adoption is finalized in-country, and you can bring your child home.
Once you return to the States, you will automatically receive your child’s Certificate of Citizenship from USCIS. You will be required to provide proof of citizenship via the Certificate of Citizenship as soon as it is available and obtained from USCIS. You can expect the process to take about two years from application to arrival home.
6. The Program
South Korea recently joined the Hague Convention and has not yet reissued guidance on procedures. However, they have a history of being stable and predictable in their processing.
In FY2024, Korea placed 52 children in adoptive homes as a non-Hague signatory. This compares to 47 in 2023, 141 in 2022, 156 children in 2021, and 188 in 2020. Approximately 57% of the children adopted abroad were boys, and not quite 47% were girls in 2023.
7. The Cost
As of the preparation of the FY2024 Annual Report by the US State Department, South Korea was still not a signatory to the Hague Convention, so no Median Adoption Service Provider Convention Fee is documented. Adoptive families reported that their total costs ranged from $40,000 to $60,000, including all documentation, adoption service provider fees, travel, and in-country lodging.
8. The Needs
Families must be open to a child with special needs, including prenatal exposure to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Additionally, children in institutional care often experience various developmental delays.
Other common needs may include:
- prematurity/low birth weight with accompanying developmental delays or medical issues
- potentially hereditary family medical history
- heart murmur/heart conditions
- skin conditions (Mongolian spots, nevus, hemangioma, birthmarks)
- plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head or asymmetry of head shape)
- cryptorchidism (undescended testis)
Less commonly, the more complex needs might include significant impacts from prenatal alcohol exposure; birth parent history of intellectual disability or mental illness; macrocephaly/microcephaly; hearing or vision impairment; intellectual disability; cerebral palsy; hypothyroidism; neurological conditions; seizures; neurofibromatosis; congenital syphilis; eye conditions.
Many international adoption doctors report that the incidence of prenatal substance exposure is increasing. Still, they are not generally seeing neurological impacts in the children who are coming home (at the average age of 2). However, be aware that this could mean the type, quantity, and timing of alcohol consumption were not of the nature to cause FASD. Impairments may be subtle in the early toddler and preschool ages and thus will not be detected until the child reaches school age.
9. The Post-Adoption Reports
South Korea requires at least six post-adoption reports to be written by a social worker on the following schedule: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months after placement. These reports must include home visits, a summary of the child’s developmental progress, and pictures.
Many agencies will provide these reports as part of their adoption provider services. Please inquire with your agency or home study provider about this process and the financial aspects of those services.
Creating a Family always urges families to comply with post-adoption requirements in a timely manner. Your cooperation contributes to the program’s stability and to South Korea’s history of positive experiences with US citizen parents.
10. The Additional Resources
- US Department of State Intercountry Adoption from the Republic of Korea
- US Department of State Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption, FY2024
- US Department of State Adoption Statistics
- US Embassy and Consulate in Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Creating a Family’s International Adoption Resource page
- Children’s Home Society of MN/Lutheran Social Service of MN Resource Page on South Korea
- Holt International: Adopt from Korea
This information is current as of November 2025 and represents only our best estimates and approximations. Depending upon your individual circumstances, even the widest ranges can vary greatly. Please always refer back to your chosen adoption service provider for specifics regarding your process.
This information is subject to change; therefore, check with an agency approved to place from this country for the most current information.
© Creating a Family
Image credit: just_a_cheeseburger; Dave Shafer