Wednesday, June 30, 2010

FAQ: What happens when we go to China?

When we arrive in China we will probably be given a day or 2 to adjust before receiving Caitlin. Usually you fly to Beijing and spend some time sightseeing (Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, etc.) before heading to your child's province. Once we get Caitlin, we will spend about 24 hours with her to "bond" (called the "Harmony Period") before completing the adoption. Then we will have to wait a few more days for Caitlin's Chinese passport before leaving the province.

Once we get Caitlin's passport, we will fly to Guangzhou. All American families who are adopting from China have to go through Guangzhou because that is where the American Consulate is located. We will have to take Caitlin to be examined by an American-approved physician, complete more paperwork, etc., before our big appointment with the Consulate where Caitlin will be sworn in as an American citizen. Once that has taken place, and we have Caitlin's U.S. Visa, we are free to go! Caitlin will officially become a US citizen as soon as her feet touch US soil and her passport is stamped. So by the time we land in the US, Caitlin will officially be both our daughter and an American citizen!

1 comments:

ASH said...

Okay - how strange that you would post this when you did. Michael and I were just talking about this last night!!!!! He asked when will she become a citizen? I looked all the way through the blog cause I thought I had read it before. But I guess we talked about it over the phone cause I couldn't find it anywhere. I told him when her feet hit the ground. That was all I could remember. So, thanks for posting this info. But it is very strange that you posted it just as we were talking about it!! :)