First and foremost, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for adopting a child to love and care for. You've probably heard the term "apostille" if you're working on an international adoption for a Hague Convention country. An apostille is a kind of authentication affixed to papers for use outside of the country by the competent authority in the state where they were issued, generally your Secretary of State's office. It is necessary for nations that are members of the 1961

Update, October 2026: China joined the Hague Apostille Convention on November 7, 2023, so US documents for use in China now take an apostille rather than embassy legalization. Separately, in September 2024 China ended intercountry adoptions by foreign nationals, with limited exceptions for relatives and stepchildren. The adoption process described below reflects the earlier system. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for devoting your time and money to raising