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Nepal Adoption

Nepal Fast Facts:

  • 2009 adoptions: 6 children
  • Estimated Total Cost: $25,000 to $35,000
  • Profile: Two-thirds of the children (67%) are ages 1-4; the majority of children adopted are girls (2008).
  • Parent Ages: Minimum age for both parents is 30. Single women must be 35 to 55 years old. There must be at least a 30-year difference between the parent and child.
  • Family Status: Couples must be married for at least 4 years. Single women may adopt; single men may not. Preference is given to infertile couples. If the prospective parents have a child, they must adopt a child of the opposite sex..
  • Travel: One parent must travel. Time in-country is typically 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Timeline: It is unknown how long the process will take. Prior to the 2007 closure, wait times averaged 8 months from completion of dossier to referral. Time from acceptance of referral to travel is 6 to 8 weeks.

Nepal Adoption Directory

Find an adoption agency placing children from Nepal in your state:

The Republic of Nepal has been processing intercountry adoptions since 1978. Many of the children are available for adoption due to financial reasons. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia; the average per capita income is $340 per year.

Nepal's Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare established new procedures for processing adoptions, as of January 1, 2009, and released names of 32 agencies in the U.S. that are approved to provide intercountry adoption services. Nepal had suspended intercountry adoptions in 2007 because of serious fraud. Under the new regulations, only 10 applications will be processed from each agency per year. Read more about the new process (Powerpoint Presentation). Nepal is not a member of the Hague Adoption Convention.

Both boys and girls are available for adoption in Nepal, but families who have a child of one gender are only permitted to adopt a child of the opposite gender. Families with two children of the same gender may also adopt a child of the opposite gender, but families with a boy and girl may not adopt from Nepal. Also, the adopted child must be the youngest child in the family. Sibling groups are rarely available for adoption.

Helpful article from Adoptive Families magazine

Helpful Websites for Nepal Adopters