Rule 5.491 Adoption of a child resident in the United States by a resident of a foreign country not party to the Hague Adoption Convention

If someone living in a foreign country wants to adopt a child who lives in California, they have to follow California's adoption laws. It does not matter that their home country has not signed the Hague Adoption Convention, which is an international agreement about adoption rules.

California's adoption laws apply fully to this type of case, just as they would for any other adoption in the state. The foreign country's rules do not replace or override what California requires.