Update August 30, 2023:

Please note that the organization does not take registrations for the PHILIPPINES, so we cannot give you additonal information at this time.

IMPORTANT NOTE

We remind you that adding your names to this list of interested candidates does not mean that you are officially registered with ou organization.

 We will communicate with you by email according to the rank assigned to you, when it is possible for us to accept new registrations (contract signatures).  When you are called upon to register, you MUST meet the eligibility criteria of Burundi and Quebec.  There are many, be sure to read them in the section below: Eligibility criteria.

We have been licensed for the Philippines since 1994. Between then and August 14th, 2017, more than 281 Filipino children have found a family in Quebec.

Admissibility criteria

  • Couples must be married for at least one year (maximum of two divorce histories will be accepted). Please note that the Philippines grant much importance to the stability of the marital relationship. Thus, at least three years of life as a couple are recommended. Couples living in common law are not accepted. The Philippines accept single applicants only for the adoption of children over the age of 9 years with minor correctible medical conditions or negative backgrounds. In addition, all applicants must be assessed and approved for the adoption of a child aged between 0 and 6 years old for either gender
  • Both spouses must be more than 27, and no more than 49 years old.
  • The maximum age difference allowed between the child and the primary caregiver (usually the mother) is 45 years AT THE TIME OF THE PROPOSAL. Parents must also be at least 18 years older than the child to be adopted.
  • The Philippines require a two year integration period between the arrival of each child into the family. Therefore, should you already have children, the last one must be in the family at least one year at the time of your registration.
  • Applicants should have at least a High School diploma.
  • Applicants should have a minimum annual income of $40,000 US.
  • Both applicants must have a BMI less than 35 ( click here to calculate your BMI ) and be in good physical and mental health. Certain medical conditions are not accepted by the Filipino central authority. If you suffer, or have suffered, from a specific medical condition, please communicate with us to verify your admissibility.
  • Even though obesity is one of the criteria used to refuse the application of prospective adoptive parents (BMI 35 or more), past experience persuade us to add the following warning: adoptive applicants having a BMI of 30 to 34 could be asked to undertake various specific programmes under professional supervision to improve their life habits. In the latter cases, the approval of their application could be delayed.
  • The adoption authorities of the Philippines require that a letter of reference from the priest of your parish, the pastor of your religious community, etc. They also grant much importance to the regular practise of their faith by prospective adoptive parents.

Both spouses must be in good physical and mental health. The following conditions are not accepted by the National Authority for Child Care of the Philippines (NACC):

  • Complicated Diabetes and/or Metabolic Syndrome;
  • Obesity (BMI over 35);
  • Cancer (even in more than 5 years remission);
  • Kidney transplant and any major organ transplant (heart, lung, liver);
  • Pacemaker / stroke / myocardial infarction;
  • Multiple Sclerosis and other degenerative muscular disorders;
  • Autoimmune disorders;
  • Risk factors that will impede the care for the child (blind, deaf, wheelchair bound);
  • Hepatitis C;
  • Psychiatric disorders;
  • Mood disorders / major depressive disorders;
  • Anxiety disorders;
  • Substance use disorders;
  • Sexual disorders.

The fact that parents correspond to the above criteria does not guarantee the approval of their adoption application by NACC.

Other criteria are applicable to residents of Quebec. We invite you to visit the Secrétariat aux services internationaux à l’enfant (SASIE) website for more information.

Children generally proposed

  • Mostly children under 5 years old (or older should applicants be approved to adopt older children). It is impossible to request or choose the gender of the child to be adopted. Applicants must be approved to adopt a child of either gender.
  • The majority of children are of known origin (biological parents are known). However, there is no contact between the biological and adoptive parents during the adoption procedures.
  • Children are usually quite healthy*.

*There exists a specific programme for the adoption of children with special needs (called « Special Home Finding »). These children have special medical needs or older children (over 6 years) and large sibling groups. Please contact us should you require more information on this specific programme.

The proposal consists of several documents, such as the official Placement Proposal from the Central Authority, a photo, the child’s personal history (“Child Study Report”) and medical examination record (often included is the child’s medical history since his/her admission into the orphanage).

The adoptive parents may request blood tests to be done as the same time as the medical examination for Canadian immigration.

During the adoption procedures, the adoptive parents also receive the child’s Birth Certificate and biological parents’ consent (or declaration of abandonment in the case the parents are unknown).

Other useful information

Approximate cost (couple) : Including evaluation costs, administrative costs of NACC, travel and lodging costs in the Philippines
$22,500

Delay between application approval and proposal :
Unknown

Delay between proposal and travel :
Generally, between 5 to 9 months

Type of decision :
Administrative placement (adoption decree is rendered by the Quebec Court)

Type of orphanage :
State run (public) and NGOs (non-governmental organisations – private)

Duration of stay :
minimum one week

Obligation to travel to the country :
Yes, preferably both spouses

Processing of the applications by the Central Authority – NACC

The adoption application dossiers received from foreign countries are approved by the central authority (National Authority for Child Care, or NACC) and are recorded in a waiting list for eventual matching (roster). NACC does not match children to waiting families exclusively on the criteria of the earliest date of approval, but ICAB ensures that the older applications are granted special attention. When an orphan or an abandoned child needs a permanent family and that this need could not be answered by a family in the Philippines, then a family from a foreign country is selected among all the applicants from foreign countries. 

The national authority for child care of the Philippines (NACC) matches children to waiting families granting the utmost importance to the selection of the ideal family for every specific child. The dossier of the prospective adoptive parents is chosen for a specific child taking into consideration many criteria. Hereafter are some of them:

  • The physical characteristics and the life history of the child: according to the information on the characteristics of the child and the information contained in the child dossier, the professional from the orphanage where the child is cared and NACC select a family who has accepted specific conditions on the form “Type of Child” (completed by the prospective adoptive parents when they prepare their dossier).
  • The recommendation of the professional of the child from the orphanage pertaining to the needs of the child: For example, recommending the matching of a child to a family having no children so that the child will receive all the parental attention, or, recommending the matching of a child to a family who has already young children in order to answer the needs of socialisation of the child.
  • The profile of the prospective adoptive parents, be it psychological physical/health: These factors can influence the professional in recommending one family rather than another one.
  • The date of the submission of the file: This criteria is certainly important, however, the matching is made in the best interest of the child and not only based on the age of the application (longest waiting time

Partners and links

The adoption central authority in the Philippines is called National Authority for Child Care (NACC).