It usually takes 18 months or less to adopt an infant from another country. As a result, many people over 40 are taking the international route. The number of international adoptions has doubled in the last decade, says the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. In 1989, there were 8,102 international adoptions. Almost half of the children came from South Korea, followed by Colombia and India.
Every country has different age requirements.
Some countries such as Russia, Vietnam and Ukraine allow people 52 and younger to adopt infants. In some countries, an appropriate age depends on the adopter s sex. It s much easier for older men with younger wives to adopt than vice versa. In Colombia, women who want to adopt infants can t be over 38, but fathers can. And single women can only adopt children over 6 or those with special needs.