Do I have to adopt a child within my own state?

Do I have to adopt a child within my own state?

Jennifer Perry (Executive Director, Children's Action Network) gives expert video advice on: Who can adopt a child?; What would make me ineligible to adopt a child?; Which is adopted more - boys or girls? and more...

You do not have to adopt a child from your own state. You can adopt a child from anywhere in the United States. In fact, there are websites that you can go to and see children up for adoption from every state. You do, however, if you adopt from another state, have to abide by the terms of something known as the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children. The Interstate Compact of the Placement of Children is a set of agreements between states to make sure that an adopting parent in one state meets the right criteria for adoption in another state, and in essence becomes an agreement between the two to move that child from one state to another for the purposes of adoption.