ADOPTION IN
Idaho
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through adoption agencies and attorneys. They can help prospective adoptive parents adopt domestically. You can contact an adoption professional here.
International Adoptions must be completed through adoption agencies and attorneys. They can help prospective adoptive parents adopt internationally. Click here to find more information on international adoption.
Foster Care Adoptions in Idaho can be completed through the Department of Health and Welfare (208-334-0641).
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted.
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The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed and qualified professional. While the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.
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Can I Adopt in Idaho?
Applicants can be single, married, or divorced. Parents must be 25 years of age or at least 15 years older than the adopted child. Those wishing to foster a child must complete Idaho PRIDE classes in order to gain the experience necessary. Parents must complete a criminal background check as well as pass a physical exam. Applicants can own or rent a home, as long as the home has enough space for the child. A completed home study is also required in order to adopt. While you do not need to be rich in order to adopt, parents should have a stable income in order to provide for the family.
Photolisting See All
Waiting children, foster, US & International.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Idaho?
Advertising: Only licensed adoption agencies and attorneys can advertise that a child is available for adoption in Idaho. § 18-1512A
Relinquishment: No time period is given in Idaho statutes for when consent can be given. If birth parents wish to revoke consent, they must reimburse adoptive parents of any expenses paid. § 16-1515
Birth parent expenses: Any person or agency may provide money to the birth parents for legal and medical costs, maternity expenses, and living expenses during pregnancy but not to exceed 6 weeks postpartum. Any amount above $500 will need to be cleared by the courts. The total amount of expenses covered shall not exceed $2,000 unless cleared by the courts. § 18-1511
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements in Idaho are not legally enforceable.
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings and claim paternity may file their information with the vital statistics unit of the Department of Health and Welfare. Notice may be filed prior to the child’s birth, but must be filed before the child is placed for adoption. Unmarried fathers who fail to file notice before the child’s placement, or the court hearing to terminate the birth mother’s parental rights (whichever occurs first), waive and surrender all parental rights in connection with the child and are barred from taking part in any future attempt to establish paternity.
Finalization: Children must live with hopeful adoptive parents for at least 6 months before adoption finalization.
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Idaho?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Idaho have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Idaho, monthly payments range from $329-487, depending upon the age of your child. For more information about adoption assistance in Idaho, please visit NACAC.org.
Can I adopt a Child from another country?
It is always possible to adopt a child from another country, even if you live in the United States. Children under 18 adopted from a Hague Convention country entering the U.S. with an IH-3 visa may automatically receive U.S. citizenship.
Children adopted from a non convention country must qualify as orphans before receiving U.S. citizenship. When U.S. citizens finalize an adoption abroad, they must apply to the USCIS for an IR-3 visa for the child. An IR-3 visa classifies the child as an immigrant and provides the child with citizenship upon arrival in the States.
The immigration process varies for intercountry adoptions that are finalized after the child arrives in the States. Idaho gives full effect and recognition to foreign adoptions as long as hopeful adoptive parents file the foreign adoption decree with an Idaho court.
Parents may choose to readopt a child after submitting the final foreign adoption decree with the court in the Idaho county they currently reside in. § 16-1514(4)
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=state&range=15
State subsidy contact person:
Stephanie Miller
Idaho Department of Health & Welfare
450 West State St, 5th floor
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 208-334-5697
Fax: 208-332-7330
Email: MillerS2@dhw.idaho.gov
Summary
Adoptions in Idaho can be completed through the Department of Health and Welfare.
Applicants can be single, married, or divorced. Parents must be 25 years old or at least 15 years older than the adoptee. Foster parents must complete Idaho PRIDE classes. All applicants must complete a home study.
Only licensed adoption agencies and attorneys can advertise that a child is available for adoption. Unmarried fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings may file their information with the vital statistics unit of the Department of Health and Welfare.
No time period is given for adoption consent. Consenting parties can revoke if they reimburse adoptive parents of any expenses paid. The following expenses are permitted: medical, maternity, and living expenses during pregnancy, but not to exceed 6 weeks postpartum.
Contact agreements are not legally enforceable. Children must live with hopeful adoptive parents for at least 6 months before finalization.
