I've heard many false statements in regards to where the money goes when adopting. Most people think the agency takes a massive amount for very little work, but that's not true. The expenses go all over the place as a service is performed. So here's what we're looking at:
Expected Expenses: $25,000
Reece's Rainbow Grant: ($5,200)
On-line Auction Fundraiser: (1,000)
Sevenly Donation: ($700)
Our Savings Account: ($10,000)
Left to Fundraise: $8,100
Breakout of Expected Expenses:
Application Fee - $300 (Paid 5/2/13) Adoption agency conducts an assessment to make sure you'll pass their inspection. Many countries have particular requirements, China specifically, so they need to make sure you are suitable before plunging head first into finding you a child.
Inter-Agency Fee - $800 (Paid 5/6/13) Since our home study agency is different from our adoption agency, the adoption agency charges a fee to coordinate all the information and make sure the home study is written in accordance to their standards. They keep in contact with the home study agency and review the report before it's finalized.
Authentications - $115 (so far) All our docs had to be notarized (prove you actually signed the forms) and then authenticated by our Secretary of State (proving the notary was licensed). Kind of dumb, but whatever.
Home Study Fee - $1506.45 (Paid 6/30/13) Fee to have an agency come in and make sure our house and family are suitable to adopt. This is a lengthy process and it includes background checks, medical exams, letters of reference, etc. This fee is actually high because of the travel involved in Montana. About $600 of this was travel expenses alone.... Normally a home study is about $3000 but since we already had an active one for Russia, the cost was much less.
USCIS Application - $890 (Paid 7/31/13) Once the home study agency approves you and you have a finalized report, the US Department of Homeland Security has to approve you. The home study, along with birth certificates and marriage license is sent to them. They make you go and get fancy electronic fingerprints (biometrics) and then wait several weeks (up to 6 weeks). Once you have pre-approval from them, you can send in your dossier to China.
Agency Fee - $5,500 (Paid $4000 on 9/10/13, Paid $1500 on 2/25/14) For coordinating the adoption process, helping us prepare our dossier, finding a matching child for the family. For some families, this is a long process for the family and agency. In our case, we were matched with Josie within a day. I had already seen her many times on Reece's Rainbow and she was my favorite little pumpkin from China. We hadn't committed to her though because we decided to just work with the agency we wanted and start from scratch. See where God led us. Crazy enough, Josie was in the first group of files our agency sent us. We decided immediately that she was ours.
China Program Fees - $4,200 (Paid 2/25/14) For the representative that works with the foreign authorities to assure the program success. They establish the travel itinerary and secure all the travel documents for the child. This is a big undertaking (as we saw in our Russian adoption) and is worth every penny.
CCCWA Application and Translation - $1,150 (Paid 9/10/13) This is the big government agency in China. All adoptions are ran through them. In order to adopt, you have to provide an application to the program and have it translated.
Dossier Expenses - $987.20 (Paid 10/1/13) Agency fee for processing the dossier through the Chinese Consulate. We could do this ourselves if we want to try to figure it out, but quite frankly, I don't want to try to figure it out. Let them do it.
Post Adoption Fee - $860 (Paid 2/25/14) I need to look at this closer.....
Hague Processing Fee - $500 (Paid 2/25/14) This is because I'm lazy and am sick of paperwork. I'm paying my agency to do all I800 and other stuff because, quite frankly, I don't have a clue and I'm tired.
Donation to Orphanage - $5,600 (Paid in China)
Postage and miscellaneous - $92.36 (so far)
Driver, Guide, Translator, etc while in China - $1712 (Paid 5/9/14)
Visa and Courier Fees - $490 (Paid 4/15/14) Cost of 2 visa's to China, 2 Power of Attorneys since Adam is staying home, and the courier services to deliver these items to the Consulate. Also includes the fedex charge to and from.
Hotel for 13 nights - $1945 (Paid 5/1/14)
Airfare - $4159 (Paid 5/1/14) My daughter and I round trip, plus a one way ticket for my Ava girl.
Meals and Miscellaneous.....
Geesh....I think I'm done. Praise God for Reece's Rainbow and their grants!
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