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