International Adoption: Ethiopia

Ethiopia, formally known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is located in Eastern Africa and is the second most populous nation in Africa with a population of over 82 million.  The Ethiopian government has authorized very few adoption agencies to operate within that country (only seven are qualified); ensure that your adoption agency is qualified to perform this international adoption. 

Below are some of the general rules and conditions to keep in mind when considering adoption from Ethiopia: 

• The Ethiopian government prefers to place children with married couples who have been married for at least five years. 
• In general, single persons under the age of 25 may not adopt, nor may openly gay or lesbian individuals or couples (Do not be discouraged, however, if you fall into one of these categories- the Ethiopian government has occasionally approved cases involving persons in all of these categories).
•  Preference is given to adoptive parents who are no more than 40 years older than the adopted child. 
• In most cases, there are no residency or travel requirements for adoptive parents.
•  Ethiopian adoptions typically take between 6 and 24 months.

It should also be noted that as of March 2011, the Ethiopian government has been working to limit the number of international adoptions that take place with the hopes that more children will be adopted domestically.  Contact your adoption agency for more current details on this.  Good luck!