Adoption Process

What you need to know about adopting in Singapore

Before embarking on this arduous journey, it is advisable to visit the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Adoption website to find out the steps of the adoption process.

Pre-Adoption Briefing & Disclosure Workshop

The Pre-Adoption Briefing (PAB) is compulsory for every person intending to adopt a child. PABs are generally held throughout the year to provide information on the adoption procedure by the four MSF-accredited agencies:

You also will be required to attend a Disclosure workshop to understand the importance of letting your child know about his/her adoption and not keeping it a secret.

You can register for both the PAB and Disclosure workshops here.

Home Study Report

Once you have attended the PAB, you’ll need to obtain a Home Study Report (HSR) by these same agencies. For those who wish to adopt a child from China, you have to get your HSR done through Fei Yue and Touch only.

The HSR is a crucial document and it is not to be taken lightly. Take it that nothing is private in your life anymore. The agency will probe into your life choices, family history, finances, insurance etc. You will have to give a breakdown of your monthly expenses, declare all your income and investments, as well as a statement of all your bank accounts. This is all to ensure that you are prepared to care for the child and have the means to do so — the child’s welfare is what MSF prioritises.

You will have to answer a ton of questions, including the reason why you want to adopt, how your childhood was, how your parents were like as you were growing up, your relationship with each family member, your hobbies, your job and so on.

You also need to provide character references, and most importantly, an alternative caregiver should something happen to you. For this, a couple is recommended and they need to be financially stable. Reasons on why you chose them is vital in the report. They also need to be below the age of 50 preferably.

You will also attend interviews with the agency. Then, there is a home visit as they need to see if your home is suitable for a child. If there are any issues, they will advise you on how to improve, e.g.: window grilles, safety plugs etc.

In my case, because I already have a child, they interviewed him separately to see his preparedness for a new sibling. If you have other family members living with you, the agency will also need to interview them, including domestic helpers.

The HSR costs $1,500 and is valid for two years. Each HSR is for one adoption only, so if you wish to adopt another child, you’ll need another HSR. However, if you happen to adopt twins, one HSR will suffice.

Own contacts

Pros:

If you know of a baby up for adoption, you can settle with the birth mother directly
You engage your own lawyer to handle the adoption process
Less expensive
You would be able to find out more on the child’s background/family history

Cons:

There is no guarantee that the birth mother won’t change her mind
You could get scammed
You have to handle all paperwork and documents (which is A LOT)
You may not get the legalities correct

Adoption agency

Pros:

You will be guided through the entire process by the agency
All paperwork will be handled by agency except for certain ones you need to submit on your own
Most agencies have lawyers who will see through the legalities
You will be notified by the agency of any available child
You can meet the child first for those who prefer to see if there is a connection
You get updates on your child during the process (before he/she comes home with you)

Cons:

Agencies treat babies/children like products, so sometimes they may be impersonal
Agency fees are high — ranging from $28,000 – $35,000
Updates are only as and when the nanny sends photos or videos over, which can be as long as 2-3 weeks apart
You won’t know much about the child’s background/family history

Once you have decided which way to go, you’re on the way to finding your child.

Dependent’s Pass

Once you have found a child to adopt, then you need to go through the procedure to get the Adoption Order.

If your child is from overseas, then you need to apply for a Dependent’s Pass in order for the child to enter Singapore. For this, the following documents are required to go with MSF’s Form 12A:

For the child:

Copy of child’s birth certificate
Copy of child’s passport (every single page)
Recent passport-sized photograph of child
Copy of child’s student pass (if any)
Consent for adoption by child’s biological parents

For adoptive parent/s:

NRIC
Letter of Employment
CPF Statement for past 12 months
Income Tax Notice of Assessment for past 3 years
Copy of Home Study Report
Itemised breakdown of costs involved, like receipts for services paid for (lawyer, agency, hospital etc)

You need to submit the completed Form 12A and all the required documents to MSF. You can do so 3 ways:

MSF Drop Box
By post
Online on MSF website

The MSF website states that the DP takes about 4-6 weeks to process, but may take longer.

Once approved, you will receive the In Principle Approval (IPA) letter. This means your child can now be brought into Singapore for adoption.

You will need to make an appointment with MSF to collect the DP. Your child must be present, and you need to bring along the originals of the documents that were previously submitted.

The fees involved:

DP application: $105
Issuance of DP: $225
Child’s visa: $30
Security deposit: $1,000 – 2,000 (refunded when Adoption Order is approved or rejected)

You will need to bring the exact amount in cash. NETS is accepted for the security deposit.

The DP is valid for 9 months, after which you will have to renew it if the adoption process is still not completed. The process is similar to applying for the DP.

Documents required:

Form 12A
NRIC
Lawyer’s letter explaining why extension is needed
Child’s passport
Child’s Dependent’s Pass
Recent passport-sized photograph of child

It is valid for a maximum of 6 months, and fee is $150.

Adoption Order

Once your child gets the DP, your lawyer will arrange for the first court hearing. This is usually within one month upon receiving the DP.

After that, MSF will contact you to arrange a home visit. During this home visit, the MSF officer is looking to see if the child is well cared for, has a bond with adoptive parent/s, and overall safety of the home. You will also need to show the original receipts for the services of the adoption agency if you went through one.

After the visit, the MSF officer will write the report and send it over to your lawyer. This depends on the speed of the officer assigned to your case. It should normally take a month or 2 at most.

After receiving the report, your lawyer will set the date for the final court hearing. Once the Adoption Order is granted, your lawyer will send the Adoption Order over to Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for issuance of the Singapore Birth Certificate (BC). This should take around a month.

Birth Certificate and Citizenship

You (or your lawyer) will then receive the letter from ICA for collection of your child’s Singapore Birth Certificate. You need to bring your child along, as well as the following documents:

NRIC
Adoption Order
Child’s passport
$18 for issuance of the BC

Once you have the BC, you can proceed to apply for Citizenship online on ICA’s website.

This is a very thorough process. You will need to provide all personal and financial details, family particulars, attach relevant documents like employment letter, payslips etc. When you access the portal, it will provide you the exact list of documents required for your case. You can save the online form temporarily until everything is submitted and all fields filled.

There is a fee of $100 for each application.

ICA states that the citizenship approval can take up to 6-12 months. But in the case of adoption, because it is a foreign child adopted by a Singaporean, the process is around 2 months.

You will then receive an email from ICA informing you if the application is successful, and the appointment date for collection of the Citizenship Certificate. The documents required are:

NRIC
ICA’s notification letter
Recent passport-sized photograph of child
Dependent’s Pass

When the day arrives, be on time for the appointment. Scan the letter for a queue number, and wait your turn.

The 3 waits include:

Showing the appointment letter, NRIC, and submitting the passport photo
Payment for issuance of the Citizenship Certificate: $70
Collecting the certificate, which can be a long wait

If you child is above 15 years of age, there is an additional cost of $10 for issuance of the NRIC. Do check the ICA website for more details.

I hope the above information has been helpful for you in your journey to adopt. All that I’ve shared is based on my personal experience, and I only hope that it helps other prospective adoptive parents.

I encourage you to visit the websites I’ve mentioned for more information, as well as get the most recent fee structures and requirements. What I’ve shared was accurate at the point of my child’s adoption process.