The Inter-Country Adoption Board

Department of Social Welfare and Development

6th Floor Sinagoga Bldg., Sinagoga St., Malate, Manila
Attn: The Executive Director
Tel. Nos. : 525-1375; 524-1243
Fax : 524-1425
URL: www.dswd.gov.ph

Inter-Country Adoption- Relative adoption case.

Refers to the adoption of Filipino child/ren by relatives residing abroad within
the fourth (4th) degree of consanguity.
Nature of Adoption
Inter-Country Adoption refers to the socio-legal process of adopting a Filipino
child by a foreigner or a Filipino citizen permanently residing abroad where
the petition is filed, the supervised trial custody is undertaken and the
decree of adoption is issued outside the Philippines.
Benefits of adoption

Deem the adoptee as a legitimate child of the adopter;

Give adopter and adoptee reciprocal rights and obligations arising from
the relationship of parent and child, including but not limited to;

The right of the adopter to choose the name the child is to be known;
and

The right of the adopter and adoptee to be legal and compulsory heirs
of each other.
What to take note in Adoption Proceedings
WHERE TO FILE THE APPLICATION

The application shall be filed with the ICAB through the Central Authority
(CA) on Inter-country Adoption or an ICAB accredited Foreign Adoption
Agency (FAA) or Governmental Adoption Agency (GAA) in the country where
the applicant resides.

Former Filipinos permanently residing abroad and/or foreigners intending to

undertake either local adoption (the filing and the finalization of the adoption
is done in the Philippines and have the intention of bringing the adoptive
child to their country of residence) or through the inter-country adoption
route MUST first secure the approval from the Central Authority or
appropriate government agencies before filing any adoption petition
MODIFIED PROCEDURE FOR RELATIVE ADOPTION CASES
(AS APPROVED BY THE BOARD ONAUGUST 30, 2007)
The Questionnaire for Relative Adoptive Applicants (ICAB Form No.2)
which can be downloaded from this website shall be submitted by the
prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) to the Central Authorities (CAs)/ Foreign
Adoption Agencies (FAAs). The CAs/FAAs shall endorse to ICAB the completed
Questionnaire for Relative Adoptive Applicants (QRAA) with the agencys
assessment and recommendation on the prospective adoptive parents.
1.

If the CA/FAA favorably recommends the PAPs, the ICAB social worker
will then request the CA/FAA to proceed with the preparation of the PAPs
dossier. On the other hand, based on the significant data on the child as
indicated in the QRAA, the assigned ICAB Social Worker will request the
DSWD Field Office (FO) to conduct the Child Study Report with
supporting documents. Periodic follow-ups will be made with the DSWD-FO.
(The time frame from request to ICABs receipt of the report will be 3-6
months. In situations where the FO could not prepare the Child Study Report
within the expected time frame in view of heavy adoption caseload, the ICAB
social worker will assist in the conduct of the CSR).

2.

Once the ICAB receives from the DSWD-FO the childs dossier and
the complete adoption application dossier of the PAPs from the CA or
FAA, the ICAB social worker will prepare an executive summary on the case
with his/her recommendation on the childs adoptive placement for the
disposition of the Board.
Fees, Charges and Assessments

The applicants are to bear the following costs

a) Adoption Application Fee--$100.00 (non-refundable upon endorsement of the Adoption Application and Supporting Documents)

b) Processing Fee--US$900.00--for relative and non-relative adoption

US$ 400.00--for Special Needs Children

c) Pre-travel Expenses-- The cost of the passport, visa, medical examination, psychological evaluation, travel expenses of the child within the
Philippines and for abroad ( the cost varies on a country to country basis)

d) US$500 Child Care Support Fund for the Child Caring Agencies

These fees are provided for by Article III Section 13 of the Inter-Country
Adoption Act of 1995 (RA 8043) and Section 29 and 40 of the Amended
Implementing Rules and Regulations on Inter-Country Adoption. Effective
February 2007, the ICAB fees which applies to all adoption categories
(Regular or Non-Relative, Relative, Special Needs, Special Home Finding,
Summer Program and Medical Missions) are as follows :

FEES

AMOUNT IN US DOLLARS

WHEN TO
PAY

200.00

Upon filing of
the adoption
application

Processing
Fee

2,000.00 for single placement; 3,000.00

for sibling group of 2 or more
(as of October 13, 2007)

Upon
acceptance
of the
matching
proposal

Preadoptive
placement
costs

The amount varies from one child to another

depending on what part of the Philippines the
child comes from and what country he/she is
going to. Some Embassies of the Receiving
Countries charge visa fees and require visa
medical examinations while others do not. The
total amount will be quoted by the ICAB in the
placement proposal.

Upon
acceptance
of the
matching
proposal

Application
Fee

The finalized Local Adoption cases requiring ICABs ratification has its
own schedule of fees.
The ICAB also supports the request of the Association of the Child
Caring Agencies of the Philippines (ACCAP) to increase its Child Care Support
Fund (CCSF) from US$ 500.00 to US$ 1,000.00 per placement.
These new fees will not affect prospective adoptive parents whose
adoption applications were received by the ICAB prior to February 2007 and
are currently awaiting approvals and child proposals. This means that once
these families receive a match, they will still pay the processing fee of US$
900.00.
All payments (except for the CCSF which shall be addressed to the
child caring agency where the child came from) shall be in the form of a
company check or international bank draft and shall be made payable to the
Inter-country Adoption Board. Personal checks, travellers checks or cash WILL
NOT be accepted.
No adoption application will be processed and no Placement Authority
will be issued unless the corresponding fees are received by the ICAB.
The following are the common Pre-Adoptive Cost of the Philippine Intercountry Adoption Program: (Exchange Rate: US$1 = PhP45.00)
ITEM

PHp Cost

National Statistics Office Birth or Foundling

Certificate
E-Passport
Commission on Filipino Overseas Certificate

US$ Cost

P400.00

$8.89

P1,200.00

$26.67

P280.00

$6.22

The following childs documents require authentication from the Philippine

Supreme Court, Department of Health and Department of Foreign Affairs:
ITEM
1.

Birth or Foundling
Certificate

PhP Cost
P250/document

US$ Cost
$5.55/document

2. Deed of Voluntary Commitment

or Declaration of Abandonment or
DSWD Certificate of Child Legally
Available for Adoption

P250/document

$5.55/document

3. Placement Authority

P250/document

$5.55/document

4. Placement Proposal

P250/document

$5.55/document

5. Medical Evaluation
Report/Medical Certificate

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

in compliance to the requirements of the following Receiving Countries:

Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
Spain
Other pre-travel/pre-adoptive cost such as visa pictures, visa medical fee,
visa fee, authentication or legalization fee of documents varies according to
the Receiving Country.
The Adoption Process
The ICAB is expected to act upon the application within one (1) month
from its receipt. Documents such as the Child Study and Home Study
Reports, Birth or Foundling Certificate, Certification from the DSWD that the
child is legally available for adoption must be submitted together with the
application. Applications are reviewed and processed only when the required
documents are completely submitted.
Matching the prospective adoptive child with an applicant shall thereafter be
carried out in a matching conference conducted by the ICAB. The
process of matching entails the review of adoption dossiers, submission of
matching proposals, and deliberations. Matching or child referral will depend
largely on the stated child preference of the PAP. This usually takes two
(2) to three (3) years after the approval of the matching proposal.

Upon approval of a matching proposal, notice shall be given to the concerned

Central Authority or foreign adoption agency. After the applicant has
accepted the matching proposal, the ICAB shall issue a Placement
Authority. The applicant is thereafter assessed for pre-adoptive
placement fees which may range anywhere between US$2000 to
US$3000 per placement. The amount varies from one child to another.
Factors such as visa fees and medical examinations contribute to the
variance in fees.
Scope of Work, Fees and Duration
Requirements

Authenticated Birth Certificate

Authenticated Marriage Certificate
Written consent to the adoption of the legitimate, adopted or
illegitimate children living with the applicant who are aged 10 years old
and above.
Health Certificates of Couple and family members
NBI Clearance or Police Clearance
Latest ITR (Income Tax Return) or any proof of income
Three Character References
Statement of Acceptance from Designated Guardian
Latest Family Picture and Home Picture
Home Study Report

Process

Attendance to Adoption Counselling

Application
Preparation of Home Study Report
Approval/Disapproval of application
Matching or Family Selection
Pre-placement of the child with the prospective adoptive parents
Placement
Supervised Trial Custody
Finalization of Childs Adoption
Issuance of the Adoption Decree/Certificate of Finality
Issuance of Amended Birth Certificate
Provision of Post-Adoptive Services