In 2002, over 20,000 children were adopted nationwide from countries all over the world to become a part of a new family – yet their journey is no ordinary one. It is one of great lengths, involving thousands of dollars and mountains of paperwork.

International adoptions have strict guidelines regarding the selection of potential parents and the laws controlling them.

“International adoption laws are very complicated,” said Katherine Federle, a professor of law and director of the Justice for Children program at the Moritz College of Law.

All of the requirements for travel, processing of paperwork, hiring of social workers and adoption fees add up to big money. The typical international adoption costs between $22,000 and $35,000 per child.

Managing to pay for such expenses is often a difficult task, but the U.S. government and many employers, including Ohio State, allow tax breaks for adoptive parents in order to help alleviate some of the costs.

In January 2002, the federal government provided a tax credit of up to $10,000 per child to pay for qualified adoption expenses.

Ohio State offers $4,000 per child to all of its employees who are enrolled in one of their five medical benefit plans.

“Our program is in its fourth year, and at the time of implementation OSU was the only Big Ten school to offer this,” said Julie Hovance, coordinator of benefits at OSU Human Resources.

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees are entitled up to 12 weeks leave of absence, she said.

Thus far, 54 OSU employees have taken advantage of this benefit.

“By offering this program we just wanted to say we are behind having children and adopting,” Hovance said.

An international adoption is a private legal matter between a couple or individual and the foreign court of the child’s country, reports the U.S. State Department.

Parents must go through the law not only in the country in which they are adopting, but also the U.S. Immigration laws and the state laws, Federle said. This is where attorneys are typically hired in order to help the prospective parents handle foreign and domestic negotiation.

The children adopted internationally come from across the globe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 90 percent of all children adopted come from Central and South America, eastern Europe and Asian countries.

Because these children come from faraway nations, the CDC requires all children have a medical examination performed by a U.S. Embassy approved physician prior to their arrival in the United States. This exam is designed to detect any serious contagious diseases.

Aside from having to deal with the complex adoption laws and medical examinations, the paperwork and waiting period that come with international adoptions can be exasperating.

All God’s Children International, a licensed, non-profit Christian international adoption agency based in Oregon, spells out the typical complex process for adopting a child from Guatemala.

Before the approximate 12-month process of an international adoption can begin, prospective parents must fill out a dossier, or collective application with requirements set forth by each individual country.

This dossier typically consists of criminal checks, doctor’s letters, home study of the parents, passport copies, powers of attorney and an affidavit of intent.

After this dossier is complete a copy is sent to both the Guatemalan Embassy and the U.S. State Department to be reviewed by the respective staffs.

Soon after the parents select a child, the process moves on to the Guatemalan family court. This court must determine that the child to be adopted is a DNA-match to the mother whom is giving the child up for adoption.

When a positive decree comes back from the court, a child’s new birth certificate and passport can be requested. At this time parents may make travel arrangements to pick up their new child.

Kim Williams, an adoption coordinator at All God’s Children International, explained that all adoption lengths vary depending on country. All God’s Children International helps parents adopt from Guatemala, Bulgaria, Romania, China, and Russia.

Most adoptions average a year from start to finish, except in Guatemala where parents can expect to wait two years for a girl. In Russia, adoptions can go as quickly as five to nine months.

“There are five basic things parents look at when deciding where to adopt from,” Williams said.

Parents must assess how much required travel must be done and the cost of an adoption, as countries like Russia are far more expensive than China.

Additionally, parents must consider the length of time the country requires parents stay in the country, as well as if they are willing to raise a biracial child.

Typically, Williams said parents are called to adopt from a specific country.

Williams said the agency also does its best to keep siblings together.

“We encourage families to adopt a child not like them and teach their child about being adopted, but teach them they were your’s, meant to raise.” she said.

Even after the child is living with his or her adoptive parents, the adoption process is far from over.

For one to three years after the child comes to his or her new home, a post-placement social worker comes to observe how the family is doing.