Firstly, "where foreigners come to China for adoption, they should come to China in person to go through the registration formalities. Where a foreign couple adopts a child in concert, they should come to China in concert and go through the adoption formalities; when one of the spouses cannot come to China for some reasons, the other spouse should submit Power of Attorney on his/her behalf and it should be notarized and authenticated."

Secondly, foreigners who come to China for adoption should conclude a written adoption agreement with the person placing out the child for adoption. The adoption agreement should include in general such contents as the adopters' willingness to adopt, the consent of the person placing out the child for adoption and both parties agree to establish adoptive relationship. The agreement shall be done in triplicate, the adopters, the person placing out the child for adoption and the adoption registration organ each keep one copy.

Thirdly, foreign adopters, the person placing out the child for adoption and the adoptee should go together to the civil affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality under the jurisdiction of the Central Government for the adoptive registration in the locality of the adoptee's permanent residence. During the course of registration, the foreign adopters should as required, fill in the registration application for adoption of children in China and submit to the registration organ the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption issued by the China Center of Adoption Affairs, identity credence and photos of the adopters. The registration organ will conduct examination within 7 days from the following day of the receipt of the registration application for adoption of children by foreigners who come to China, handle the adoption registration and issue registration certificate to the adopters in conformity with the Registration Measures for Adoption of Children by Foreigners in the People's Republic of China. The adoptive relationship will be thus established as of the date of registration.

(China-ccaa.org October 16, 2006)