Countries that accept adoption applicants who are single

Until recently, the popular places for Choice Mom adoption were China (almost guaranteed daughter), Russia (reduced transracial adoption issues), and Guatemala (relatively quick process).

But now that China has become more restrictive about who can adopt its children, and virtually closed the door to single parents, and now that Guatemala has joined Vietnam as a country that is restructuring its adoption laws because of abuses in the system, the options for single women might seem reduced. But that's not the case. There are simply more places for Choice Mom-in-the-making to consider.

Single women and lesbians are not allowed to adopt in most international countries - and even the foster care system has pockets that prefer a stay-at-home parent - but there continue to be many children waiting for permanent families, with programs that work with single applicants (and lesbians who do not disclose).

Here's a sampler, which can serve as a guideline. As always, adoption tends to go more quickly if you are open to either gender, and are willing to consider sibling groups or special needs, which we'll describe in more detail later in this article. Any agency you work with will have more up-to-date information. Especially in regards to who has been approved to work with in accordance with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The U.S. State Department is another good source, at travel.state.gov/family/adoption.

Countries that generally accept single applicants (as of June 2008), as well as their requirements and other things to keep in mind about adopting from that country, are detailed in the Choice Mom Guide to Adoption. Here's a basic list.

Green light
1. Ethiopia
2. Haiti
3. India
4. Kahzakstan
5. Liberia
6. Mexico
7. Poland
8. Russia

There are two American agencies that likely will be approved to adopt out of Kenya. Said one Choice Mom who does work in the area, "I've met dozen of single moms who have adopted kids here. Which is pretty great in a country where there are 1.7 million kids looking for parents." ChoiceMoms.org will also be reporting developments for single women who want to adopt from Panama.

Yellow light
9. Guatemala
10. Vietnam