Adoption Wait Times in California

Adoption waiting times in California may be one of the biggest things standing between you and your dreams of starting a family.

How long is the adoption process in California? Depending on the type of adoption you choose and the professional you work with, your adoption waiting time could vary drastically.

To join our program and reduce your adoption wait times, please contact our closest office to you.

Below, you’ll find some average adoption wait times for each of these processes.

Adoption Wait Time for Foster Care Adoption

How long does adoption take in the U.S. foster care system?

While every adoption process is unique, the adoption wait time for foster care adoption can be shorter in comparison to private domestic infant adoption and international adoption.

Still, hopeful parents must complete pre-placement training and an adoption home study. Once these requirements are completed, most families receive an adoption placement within six months.

Although the adoption cannot be finalized for at least another six to 18 months, the placement of a child within a family is something that many adoptive parents look for in their family-building process.

For more information about FCCA’s fos-adopt program, please contact our agency or attend one of our free information sessions.

Adoption Wait Time for Private Domestic Infant Adoption

How long does it take to adopt a baby in California?

If you are interested in adopting a baby, then the private domestic infant adoption process will be the best fit for you. This type involves a prospective birth mother who chooses an adoptive family to raise their baby. Private domestic infant adoption is the only process that can guarantee placement of an infant with hopeful adoptive parents. But, how long does the adoption process take with this type?

As you can imagine, private domestic infant adoption across the U.S. is a popular choice for hopeful parents. Because of this, the adoption wait time for an infant can be longer than other processes. As of 2020, 82% of families adopting matched within two years.

But with our program, the average wait time is only 9-12 months.

Keep in mind, though, that your adoption time for waiting could be faster or slower than those numbers indicate. Although you can do things to reduce your adoption wait time, how long it takes to adopt will depend on when the prospective birth mother chooses you.

To be considered by more prospective birth mothers, you can expand your preferences for an adopted child (factors such as race, gender, age or medical background), post-adoption communication and budget. The more open you are to different adoption situations, the more adoption opportunities you will likely have.

For more information on the average time for adoption with FCCA, please contact our agency.

Adoption Wait Time for International Adoption

How long does it take to adopt a child from a different country?

Just like with private domestic infant adoption, many factors affect how long this type of adoption takes. One of the biggest factors is which country you want to adopt from.

Every country has different processes and requirements for adopting a child. Adoptive parents must go through different steps confirming their eligibility to adopt. So, make sure you understand the expected adoption wait time for that country. Here are a few examples of the average time for adoption in a few countries:

• Bulgaria: Wait for a match is roughly 2-12 months (children with disabilities) or 2-3 years (able-bodied children)
• China: Wait for a referral is roughly 12-18 months (children with disabilities) or more than five years (able-bodied children)
• South Korea: Wait for a referral is roughly 1-6 months

How long does it take to adopt through FCCA’s Hong Kong adoption program? Please contact our agency at any time to learn more.

Speak to a Professional

Not sure which adoption program is right for you? Our staff is here to help. They can answer any questions you may have, including the average time for adoption in California with our agency. For more information about our adoption programs, contact our agency today.