Legal Definitions - intercountry adoption

Intercountry adoption, also known as international adoption, is the process of adopting a child from another country. It involves creating a parent-child relationship between two parties who are usually unrelated. This relationship is established through a judicial order after determining that the child is an orphan, has been abandoned, or that the parents' parental rights have been terminated by court order.

Adoption confers all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that attach to a parent-child relationship, although there may be agreed exceptions. It is different from legitimation, which refers to an act between persons related by blood, and fostering, which is a temporary arrangement.

For example, a couple from the United States may adopt a child from China. The couple will go through a legal process to establish a parent-child relationship with the child, and the child will become a legal member of their family with all the rights and responsibilities that come with it.

Another example is a single parent from Canada adopting a child from Ethiopia. The parent will have to meet the legal requirements of both countries and go through a rigorous screening process to ensure that they are suitable to adopt a child.