Adoption Home Studies

SACAC conducts home studies for individuals and couples seeking to adopt in the international community, as well as postplacement reports to comply with specific country requirements after the adoption is finalized. Adoption Home Studies can be conducted for a variety of countries. SACAC is a non-profit organization accredited by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth, and Sports (MCYS). SACAC prepares home studies in accordance with international standards and requirements.

The Home Study is required before one can proceed with the adoption process and includes an initial office interview with prospective parents, the gathering of important documents and data, and a home visit, before the final report can be written. The Home Study is an evaluation of the suitability of the individuals or couples as prospective parent(s). For more information, please go to FAQ on Adoption Home Studies and adoption process or download a completeAdoption Homestudy Pack .

Documentation Requirements for SACAC Home Study are:

An autobiography written by each prospective parent.

Personal family background (relationships with parents, siblings, and extended family). Please provide Full Names, Age, Occupation of all persons mentioned.
Education and employment history (include any achievement, award, scholarship or prize received). Please attach copy of CV.
Marital history (previous marriages if any and reasons for divorce, when and how of meeting current partner, year of marriage, reason for choosing partner) or significant relationships history for single.
Reasons for pursuing adoption (addressing infertility issues if appropriate)
Religious beliefs
Beliefs regarding parenting and discipline of children. If there are already children in the home, discuss present family life and values.

Submission of at least two (2) Character Reference Letters for each prospective parent. Character reference must be from persons not related to you, and have known you for more than one year, preferably longer. For couples, it is good to have at least one reference that has known you as a married couple and this can be considered as one (1) reference for each person. Have references include addresses phone numbers, and email in their letters, as well as some statements of their assessment of the prospective parent's suitability to parent.
Employment verification which includes salary, benefits (state if benefits are available to the dependent) and length of employment. The statement needs to be on letterhead from the employer.
A current financial statement See Sample Adoption Document Templates and supporting documents including income, savings, assets, debts, an estimation/budget of household monthly expenditure, and the last 2 years' tax statements. For U.S. citizens who work for a U.S. company, the last 2 years W2 statements are required.
Medical report of each prospective parent (less than 3 months old, Memo by Doctor commenting on physical and mental health, include a statement supporting the capability of adopting). For applicants with major illnesses, a detailed medical report is required stating prognosis of illness, medication, effects of the medication and impact of illness on applicant(s) as an adoptive parent.
Medical reports for ALL other person residing in the same household, including children and Domestic Helper (less than 3 months old, Memo by Doctor commenting on physical health and any existence of communicable disease).
A current criminal background check through the central Singapore police station. You will need to provide passport size photos and a copy of your passport. You can obtain a Criminal Check Letter here or by calling the SACAC office.
A criminal background check from your home county unless you have been granted Singapore Permanent Residency for more than 5 years.
A criminal background check from your most recent country if you have been in Singapore for less than 2 years.
Copies of passports, birth certificates, marriage license and divorce decree if previously married.
A Guardian Nomination Statement, dated and signed, providing the reasons for appointment and following information about nominated guardian: names, ages, occupation, annual income, health status, details of children (name, age & gender) if any, address.
An agreement letter, dated and signed, from the nominated guardians agreeing to the nomination, including statements about parenting experiences, values, and, philosophies, as well as description of home and community environment.
A signed declaration statement by all prospective parents that there is no foreign child currently under your care for the purpose of adoption (exception: the child is related to you by blood or marriage). Download statement here.
A "Guarantee of Citizenship" letter from your embassy.

Please note that U.S. citizens should also consult the U.S. Embassy website link at US Embassy http://www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=4a7b5efa3ac64c3b352bd97b8937ce80need to have fingerprinting completed through the U.S. Embassy for an F.B.I. background check in the U.S. as part of the adoption (not home study) process. It is recommended to complete this first to give time for the clearance. All adults living in the home require this, including Domestic Helpers. Citizens from other countries will need to check with their own embassies or commissions to determine if other requirements need to be met for citizenship for the adopted child.

A home visit will be conducted after the initial office interview (in which all prospective parents need to be present) and the submission of all required documents. The home visit includes interviews with all other persons residing in the same household, including children already living in the home, domestic helper and any other tenants/housemates, etc. There is also a physical tour of the home environment. Following the home visit, allow 3-4 weeks for the written Adoption Study report to be completed.

Effective May 14, 2001 the fee for the Adoption Study is S$1,000, payment schedule is as follows:

At first office interview ..................................................$500
At home visit ..............................................................$500

Post Placement Home Study Report fees are as follows:

First Post-Placement Report ......................................... $300

Update/Amendment without Home Visit ........................ $300

Update/Amendment with Home Visit ............................. $500

Prospective parents can make an appointment with a SACAC's home study assessor for a Pre-Home Study counseling session if they have any questions or need clarification for the adoption/home study process. The counseling session is chargeable at SACAC's regular counseling rate of $155 for SACAC members or $180 for non-SACAC member. To set up an appointment for the Home Study or Pre-Home Study counseling, please contact SACAC at (65)6733-9249

Frequently Asked Questions about Adoption Home Study

1. I’m interested in adopting, what do I do?

Here’s a brief overview of the various steps in the adoption process. For those who are interested in going through the Singapore court process, here’s the procedure.

2. I meet eligibility requirements for Singapore/home country/adopting country but not Singapore/home country/adopting country, can I adopt?

For an international adoption, you need to meet all adoption requirements of the country you are adopting from as well as the country you are finalizing/legalizing the adoption. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements for all countries. For Singapore’s requirement, please consult MCYS. Please consult the respective embassy or commission for home country and adopting country’s requirements.

3. Is there any country that I can/cannot adopt from?

Cambodia is currently closed to US citizens. Some countries, e.g., Malaysia and Indonesia, have residency requirements. Prospective adoptive parents should consult their respective embassy or commission for an updated list of countries open for adoption. US citizens can visit the US Department of State webpage here.
Due to the bilateral agreement between Singapore and China which stipulates that only Singaporean citizens can adopt from China via the Singapore local court, expatriates who wish to adopt from China will need to work with an overseas agency and finalize the entire adoption process in their home country. SACAC will be able to assist with the preparation of the home study report.

4. Is there any restriction on the gender of the child I can adopt?

There is no restriction on the gender of the child for couples. Based on Singapore’s Adoption of Children Act, single male applicants are not able to adopt a female child in Singapore. SACAC, being an accredited agency in Singapore, will not be able to approve a Home Study application for a single male to adopt a female child in Singapore.

5. Is SACAC/my caseworker licensed in the US to conduct home study/post placement supervision?

In addition to the individual professional license/registration that your caseworker has in the area of their training (e.g., Psychology, Counseling, Social Work), both SACAC (as an agency) and your caseworker (as an individual) is accredited by Singapore’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth, and Sports (MCYS), the governing body for adoption in Singapore, to conduct home study assessment and post placement supervision. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (www.uscis.gov) which stipulates that the following for Home Study Preparer:

TITLE 8 OF CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (8 CFR)/8 CFR PART 204 -- IMMIGRANT PETITIONS/Sec. 204.3 Orphans. Revised 8/1/94; 59 FR 38876 - 38889) (b) Definitions.
Home study preparer means any party licensed or otherwise authorized under the law of the State of the orphan's proposed residence to conduct the research and preparation for a home study, including the required personal interview(s). This term includes a public agency with authority under that State's law in adoption matters, public or private adoption agencies licensed or otherwise authorized by the laws of that State to place children for adoption, and organizations or individuals licensed or otherwise authorized to conduct the research and preparation for a home study, including the required personal interview(s), under the laws of the State of the orphan's proposed residence. In the case of an orphan whose adoption has been finalized abroad and whose adoptive parents reside abroad, the home study preparer includes any party licensed or otherwise authorized to conduct home studies under the law of any State of the United States, or any party licensed or otherwise authorized by the foreign country's adoption authorities to conduct home studies under the laws of the foreign country.

Therefore, the Home Study/Post Placement reports by SACAC’s caseworkers are all valid.

6. Do I have to become a Singapore Permanent Resident in order to adopt?

No, you can adopt if you are a resident in Singapore, i.e., Singapore Citizen, Singapore Permanent Resident, Employment Pass holder, or Dependant Pass holder. However, if you are on a Social Visit Pass or Student Pass you will not be able to adopt.

7. Do I need to do a criminal background check?

Unless you have been a Singapore Permanent Residence (PR) for 5 years or more, you are required to do a home country criminal background check as well as a Singapore criminal background check. Also, if you have been in Singapore for less than 2 years, you will need a criminal background check from the most recent country of residence. In situations where your home/adopting country’s adoption requirement differs from this, the more stringent requirement will apply.

8. Do I do a state-level or national-level criminal background check?

Please consult your adoption agency for specific requirement. For SACAC’s home study assessment purpose, either will do.

9. If I am adopting my step-child, does my spouse (who is the biological parent) need to be involved in the adoption process?

We would need to interview your spouse at the office visit and the child(ren) and domestic helper at the home visit. This is to allow us to assess the marital and parenting relationships. Additionally, your spouse, child, domestic helper, and any other members in the household will all need to have a memo from the doctor addressing their health. This is to allow us to have an understanding of the health status of the household.

10. I have just been offered a child by an agent in Singapore, shall I take the child?

If you intend to go through the Singapore adoption process, please ensure that you follow the correct procedure for adoption. Here is the flow chart again. In accordance with the procedures for adoption, applicants are not supposed to bring in foreign babies for adoption before the completion of the Home Study report. SACAC will not be able to start your home study adoption if you have the proposed adopted child under your care. Please return the child before starting your home study. The only exception is if the child is related to you by blood or marriage.

11. My adoption agency has different document requirements from SACAC, what do I do?

While SACAC’s document requirements for Home Study report will generally be similar to that of the home/adopting country, different countries/states have different requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that all document requirements for the various agencies are met. Please inform your home study assessor about the difference, they will need to be incorporated these into your home study report. The rule of thumb: the more stringent requirements will apply.

12. Can SACAC help me with finding a child/notarization/immigration matter/legalization matter?

While your home study assessors will try their best in providing information and referral, SACAC will only be able to do Home Study and Post-placement assessments and reports. We regret that we unable to help with matters beyond our scope of service.

13. I feel/think that I should not need to do…./provide… because… Can I be exempted?

All the various requirements from the different agencies, including SACAC, are to fulfill the agencies’ and Singapore’s/home country’s/adopting country’s policies. To speed up your adoption process, please cooperate in doing/providing what is required. Refusal to cooperate will only delay your adoption process.

14. I’ve contacted MCYS and they informed me that I don’t have to…

Some of the additional requirements are based on SACAC’s internal organizational policies for home study assessment. Also, unless you are pursuing adoption through the Singapore court process, there will be further requirements for an International adoption that are different from MCYS’.

15. What is the validity period of the Home Study Report? When can I just do an update?

Your Home Study report is valid for a year from the date of the report. If your home study report has expired, you will need to do a new one.
An update is done within the validity period of the original home study report. Its purpose is to reflect major change in the family during this period. You will need to do an update if there is a change in job, moving home/countries, change in family composition (death, marriage, divorce/separation, pregnancy, etc.), etc. When in doubt, please consult your adoption agency or SACAC.

16. How can I apply for a dependent pass for my adopted child?

For those who wish to legalize the adoption of a foreign child in Singapore, they are required to obtain a written confirmation from their respective embassy or relevant government authority to indicate that the adopted child will be granted residence or citizenship in that home country. Please approach MCYS to apply for dependent pass in this situation.
If completion of the adoption formalities are performed in the child’s country of origin/home country and the adoptive parents do not wish to legalize the adoption in Singapore, a dependent pass may be applied for under the sponsorship of the adoptive parents Employment Pass from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for the adopted child to remain in Singapore while citizenship is applied for on behalf of the child in the parents’ home country.