How does one go about adopting in Singapore? What's the process, fees etc?

You can refer to this article for a comprehensive summary of the process and steps involved: http://sg.theasianparent.com/want-to-adopt-a-child/ Basically, here are some requirements one needs to fulfill: 1. You need to be above the age of 25 2. You need to be at least 21 years older than the child you adopt (An exception may be granted if the adopter is related to the child by blood.) 3. They should also not be older than the child by more than 50 years. 4. If married, you need to have the approval of your spouse 5. You need to be of sound mental health 6. The child must be under 21 years old and a Singapore resident. A foreign-born child may be adopted, but will need to get a Dependant’s Pass from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sport (MCYS). 7. Both married couples and singles can adopt a child. However, a single male is not allowed to adopt a girl unless special circumstances exist. 8. They must be Singaporean citizens or permanent residents, or hold passes which the Family Justice Courts deem fit to qualify them as residents in Singapore. *These rules may be waived if special circumstances justify the adoption (if the prospective parent and the adopted child are blood relatives, for instance). The process would likely take five to seven months after an application is submitted. Part of the procedure would include a home study report (conducted by accredited agencies), which involves interviews with a social worker who probes the couple’s state of marriage, finances, childhood and attitudes to parenting. A list of key adoption contacts and accredited agencies are provided on page 2 and 3 of the article, respectively.

According to the article below, it can cost about $28 000 to adopt a child via adoption agencies in Singapore. Out of the said amount, about $10 000 - $16 000 will go to "red packets" for the baby's mother (who usually hail from poor backgrounds), about $1000 for the mother's pre/post-natal expenses etc and a substantial amount goes to administrative matters like checks on the documents needed for adoption e.g child's identification papers, notarised consent from the birth parents giving the child up for adoption, and a declaration by prospective adopters that the child is not obtained through illegal means. http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/adoption-singapore-it-may-cost-28000-baby/page/0/0

I found this flowchart from the MSF website that is useful in understanding the adoption processes in Singapore. Also, on top of what has been said in the flowchart, I understand alot of potential adoptive parents hire adoption lawyers to help them through the myriad of paperwork and regulations. http://app.msf.gov.sg/Adoption/How-to-adopt-a-citizen-or-PR