South Korea

Adopting a child from the Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Who can adopt?

Who can adopt? Who can’t adopt?
Married couples Same sex couples
Single family (in exceptional circumstances) De facto couples
Single people

Please note: Applications to adopt are currently not being sent to South Korea.

Children you can adopt from South Korea

The majority of children in need of intercountry adoption from South Korea:

  • have special needs, ranging from minor to complex and in some cases multiple needs

Prospective adoptive parents wishing to adopt from South Korea should be open, able and willing to adopt a child with special needs.

Specific eligibility criteria to adopt from South Korea

If you’re interested in adopting a child from South Korea, you need to meet the eligibility criteria of your state or territory central authority. You will also need to meet the following criteria:

Marriage

  • you must have been married for 3 years
  • you can’t be single
  • you can’t be a same sex
  • you can’t be a de facto couple
  • you can’t have more than five children, including the child/ren to be adopted

Age

Both you and your partner need to be:

  • 25 years of age or older and not older than 45 years of age
  • exceptions are granted by the Minister of Health and Welfare if the Minister determines that the circumstances of parents are adequate to rear an adoptive child in a sound manner (e.g., when the parents are both Korean nationals or willing to adopt a disabled child with special measures to protect him / her.)
  • granted special permission if you’re aged between 45 and 50 at the time your home study is completed and are:
    • of Korean descent (either you or your partner)
    • an adoptee (either you or your partner)
    • an adoptive parent of a Korean child

Finance

  • You and your partner must have sufficient wealth

Safety

  • You and your partner must not have a record of any crime, such as child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault or drug use or a history of alcohol and substance dependence

Health

Psychological testing

  • you and your partner will need to undergo an objective assessment and projective assessment from a psychologist

Diabetes

  • you need to have control of your condition and provide your latest HbA1c test and information about obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia

Epilepsy

  • you can’t have had a seizure in the last 5 years

Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)

  • your condition must be stable and you can’t have been admitted to hospital for the condition

Arthritis or chronic back, neck, muscular or joint pain

  • you shouldn’t need analgesics regularly nor have a physical disability. You can’t have been hospitalised for the condition in the past 5 years

Cancer

  • you must have finished cancer treatment over 5 years ago, without relapse, and shouldn’t have a physical disability

Hearing or vision impairment

  • you should be able to go about your daily routine with or without hearing aids or glasses
  • you cannot apply if you have a severe hearing impairment, social blindness or are unable to drive due to vision impairment

Mental health

  • if you suffer any mental illness, you must have held the same job for at least 2 years and never attempted suicide. You will require a letter from your GP and may need further psychological testing
  • you can’t apply if you have schizophrenia
  • if you have severe depression you can only apply if it hasn’t resulted in hospitalisation and has been under control for at least 5 years
  • if you have bipolar you will only be considered if your condition is mild and well controlled with or without medication, and you follow your GP’s advice

Lupus

  • you should only have a mild form with no vital organ involvement. You may need to provide a letter from your GP

Coronary artery disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia

  • your condition must be under control and you must follow a sensible diet and exercise program
  • you can’t smoke and you must follow your GP’s advice

Hepatitis B and C

  • you must have a normal liver function test

Obesity

  • you must have a BMI of less than 30

Other conditions

  • you can’t apply if you:
    • are HIV+
    • have had an organ transplant
    • have myasthenia gravis
    • have chronic liver disease
    • have neurofibromatosis or multiple sclerosis
    • have 2 or more mild to moderate medical conditions
  • other medical conditions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis

Your citizenship

  • at least one of you must be an Australian citizen

Religion

  • you can’t apply if you practice a religion that doesn’t allow blood transfusions, unless you’re prepared to sign a statement consenting to blood transfusions

Number of children in your family

  • you can’t have more than 5 dependent children (including your adopted child)

Criminal record

  • you need to supply your criminal record check

Character references

  • you need to provide 3 written references from neighbours, co-workers or friends, which need to include:
    • name, date and signature of the referee
    • stamp and signature from your state and territory central authority

Waiting times

For prospective adoptive parents whose application has been accepted by the South Korean adoption authority, the waiting time is between 12 and 24 months from date of acceptance. For new applications, the wait time is likely to exceed 3 years.

Cost of adopting a child from South Korea

The estimated fee is US$19,500.

Other fees

On top of state and territory central authority fees, there are other expenses such as:

  • translation fees
  • travel and accommodation costs
  • incidentals

Travel to South Korea

You will need to travel twice to complete the adoption:

  1. First trip to South Korea
    a. prospective adoptive parents/family have two meetings with matched child
    b. initial court hearing
  2. Second trip to South Korea
    a. final court hearing
    b. completion of visa process and family travel back to Australia with adopted child

The time between the hearings can be between four and seven weeks. If you have children, they are encouraged to travel with you.

Following the final court hearing, the adopted child can travel with their adoptive family to Australia.

After the adoption

All adoptions completed in South Korea are recognised when coming back to Australia.

Under South Korea’s Special Adoption Act, your state or territory central authority will complete post-adoption supervision for a year.

You may also need to complete post-placement reports for your state or territory central authority.

South Korea facilitates ongoing (non-identifying) exchanges between adoptees and their birth families. South Korea will keep information about your adopted child to be passed on to birth families if they request the information.

Immigration and citizenship for your child

Once you have the adoption certificate, your child is eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. The application usually takes 10 days to process. You can then apply for an Australian passport so they can travel back to Australia with you.

Your child could also travel back to Australia with you on an adoption visa (subclass 102). When you enter Australia, you will then need to apply for ‘citizenship by conferral’, as soon as possible.

Hague Convention information

South Korea will attempt to place a child within a family in South Korea before deciding if a child can be placed for intercountry adoption. As South Korea has not ratified the Hague Adoption Convention, Australia adopts from South Korea via the Family Law (Bilateral Arrangements—Intercountry Adoption) Regulations 2023.

The current South Korean adoption agency responsible for facilitating intercountry adoption to Australia is the Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS). South Korea is currently undergoing a reform to adoption laws, policies and processes. As a result of these reforms, ESWS is expected to cease responsibility for intercountry adoption from July 2025.

More information