Can You Choose an Adoptive Family From a Different State?

When you choose adoption for your baby, you are doing so out of the love and care you have for your child. You want what is best for them, so your ultimate goal is to find an adoptive family that you know will provide them with a lifetime of love and support. But what if the adoptive families you best match with are not local?

You may find yourself wondering:

• Can people from a different state adopt my baby?
• How does out-of-state adoption work?
• What if I want to give my child up for adoption someplace out of state?

Don’t worry. With American Adoptions, you can choose the perfect adoptive family no matter where they live — whether that’s right here in Arizona or all the way across the country.

American Adoptions is one of the nation’s largest domestic infant adoption agencies, so we handle these questions often. As a prospective birth mother, you are in complete control of your adoption plan, including who you choose to place your child with — no matter where they live. People from all across the U.S. have the opportunity to match with you, and if you choose to place your child with them, adopt your baby. 

This guide explains how out-of-state adoptions works and walks you through the process of choosing a family from a different state to adopt your baby. If you have any questions about out-of-state adoptions or any other pregnancy or adoption-related questions, you can always call 1-800-ADOPTION or fill out this online form to get the answers you need. 

In the meantime, continue reading to learn more about out-of-state adoption in Arizona.

How Out-of-State Adoption Works

If you are like most prospective birth mothers American Adoptions works with, odds are, your biggest concern is finding the best adoptive family for your child. No matter if you find a family in Arizona, or find a family in Florida, the process is nearly identical when it comes to researching and selecting the perfect adoptive family. It can be broken down into five steps.

Step 1: Determine the type of family you hope to find

Once you have decided adoption is the best option for your baby, you will begin working with your American Adoptions specialist to create an adoption plan. During this planning process, you will discuss the details of your adoption, which will include the preferences you have for the adoptive family you hope to find. Although you can specify if you would like to only find families that are local to you, or out of state, you do not have to. 

Adoptive families from all over the United States will be more than willing to travel and meet you and discuss their intentions for an interstate adoption. Determining where you would prefer the adoptive family to live is just one of the many different specifications you can choose. 

When you think of the perfect adoptive family, who do you envision raising your baby? Given the significance of this decision, it may seem like a difficult question, but take the time to ask yourself what characteristics you hope to find. Some situations you may want for your child include:

• Wanting your baby to grow up in a home with other siblings 
• Growing up in a religious home
• Having same-sex parents 
• Wanting their parents to have higher education 
• To be raised by a single parent 
• A family that supports an open adoption
• And more

There are no right or wrong characteristics to look for in the type of family you hope to find. Pinpointing the different ethnic, relationship, religious, and other types of backgrounds you are looking for increases your chances of finding the right family for your baby. 

Your specialist will help you narrow down your preferences and guide you towards other things to look for that you may not have thought of. Once you have determined your ideal family, whether in-state or for an out-of-state adoption, the exciting part begins. 

Step 2: Reviewing adoptive family profiles

Once you have narrowed down your preferences for an adoptive family, it is time to begin looking for potential matches.

Due to our size and national scope, American Adoptions works with more adoptive families, on average, than other agencies throughout the country or in Arizona. When you choose us as your adoption professional, you are given the most adoptive family opportunities — which means you have the best chance of finding the family that is as close to what you are looking for as possible. You can review these opportunities through adoptive family profiles.

Hopeful adoptive families working with our agency create written and video profiles. These profiles give prospective birth mothers like you, a glimpse into their lives and home. Through interviews, stories, and more, you can get a feel for their personality, their backgrounds, and most importantly, their desire to adopt and provide a child with a lifetime of love and opportunity. 

Your adoption specialist will filter the profiles that best match your preferences, so you can begin reviewing potential matches. When you feel a personal connection, or see a family that stands out to you, your specialist will begin facilitating communication between the two of you.

Even if you connect with a family that is across the country pursuing an interstate adoption, you can still communicate through email, phone calls, texts, video chat, and more — and your adoption specialist will help you do so. In some cases, adoptive families can even travel to you, so you can meet in person and truly get a feel for their personalities and adoption goals. 

Remember, you are in complete control of the family you choose to adopt your baby. Hand selecting the family through adoptive profiles and pre-adoption communication has helped previous birth mothers feel more comfortable in their decision.

“Being able to get to know the family before he was born was just a really beautiful thing,” said Sara, a birth mother who placed her child for adoption with our agency. You can read more about her experience and how helpful it was to build a relationship with the adoptive family before placement by clicking here.

Reviewing adoptive parent profiles and communicating with potential families will take time, but it is well worth it in the long run. Building a relationship helps you get to know them better and build trust in their goals for an interstate adoption. Your adoption specialist will be by your side the entire time, should you have any questions or concerns.

Step 3: Choosing an adoptive family

Once you have narrowed down your options of potential adoptive families, it is time to decide who you want to place your baby with. This is one of the most important and exciting decisions you will make during your adoption process. 

Take your time, weigh your options, and follow your heart.

Whether you are choosing an out-of-state adoption, or the family is local in Arizona, your adoption specialist will inform them of your decision. Planning for placement will begin shortly after your decision, no matter how far along you are in your pregnancy. Just like the adoption plan you originally put in place, you are in complete control of the hospital and placement plan. 

From the hospital you will deliver your baby at, to how much alone time you would like with your baby, to who you want in the room during delivery, to your preferences for interaction with the adoptive family at the hospital — you are in control of nearly every detail of your hospital plan and placement.

Step 4: Placement of your baby

Like every other step in the adoption process, you determine how you want the placement to occur. You choose if you want to spend time with the adoptive family, if you want alone time with your baby, or how you would prefer to handle placement. The hospital staff and adoptive family will respect your wishes and see to it that your preferences are met. 

Although this is generally considered one of the most emotional and difficult moments of adoption, many birth mothers also refer to it as the moment they were certain they made the right decision. 

“It wasn't until I saw the three of them together that next morning that I realized all their dreams had come true, and it was thanks to me and my sacrifice for them,” said Lona, a birth mother who placed her baby for adoption with American Adoptions. 

Although adoption is exciting and life-changing, it can sometimes be difficult to handle. To ensure birth mothers working with our agency are receiving the necessary care and support, you will have access to post-placement counseling and support groups for as long as you may need. 

Step 5: Building your post-placement relationship with your child and the adoptive family 

The best way to remain updated and involved in your child’s life is through open adoption. No matter if the adoptive family is in Arizona or completed an out-of-state adoption, open adoption and a continued relationship after placement is a great opportunity for everyone involved. 

Through phone calls, letters, emails, text, video chats, and in-person visits, you can continue to get to know the family, and one day, explain your adoption decision to your son or daughter. Your adoption specialist will help facilitate communication throughout your interstate adoption and post-placement.

Your Next Steps

Now that you know an out-of-state adoption is possible, and the steps involved, you may be wondering what to do next. 

The first thing you need to do is call 1-800-ADOPTION or fill out our online form. By doing so, you will get in touch with an adoption specialist who can help answer any other questions you may have, or get you started on your search for the best adoptive family for your baby — no matter where they may live!

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