If you’d like to visit our center and try to know the inter-country adoption status in Taiwan, you could click Contact Us and give us an e-mail, we will reply you as soon as possible and will discuss the details with you through the e-mail.

Our center’s main task is providing the reunion service and adoption counseling services; we don’t deal with the adoption services directly, so we are afraid that we couldn’t have cooperation in inter-country adoption field. But we will provide the list of legal inter-country adoption agency for foreign agencies.

The Government appoints non-government organization or company to operate The Child and Juvenile Adoption Information Center. In many developed countries, the concept of open adoption is widely embraced by the public. The adoption information is well preserved and managed based on legal acts and regulations. The Center provides reunion service to adoptee, adoptee’s biological parents or legal guardians.

It is stated in Section 17 of the Children and Youth Welfare Law (2003) that “The central government authority shall establish or empower the children and youth welfare institutions to establish a center of adoption databank by keeping the files on the identities and health of adopting parties, adopters, and children and youth to be adopted.”

• A number of unofficial statistics show that many adoptees will actively start reunion. They are curious about many questions, such as why were they adopted, how are their biological families, what is his or her life like before adoption, etc. Some adoptees will even take a step further, meeting with their biological family. Often times the less they know about their adoption, the more they long to “search for root.”
  There are adoptees that prefer remaining nonchalant attitude and don’t want to know anything about their adoption, yet some will start searching. They do it not because of hardship of current life or desire of returning to biological family. Sometimes these adoptees just want to know the truth. They long to see whose faces theirs resemble. They yearn to know what kind of family they were from. In essence, it is a search of self identification.

• Some adoptees search to satisfy their curiosity and to consolidate their identity, while others do it out of medical reasons. They want to learn their childhood care records, to complete family medical history, to donate their organs while knowing more about their medical condition, etc.

• Reasons above motivate most adoptees to reunite, but few adoptees will consider leaving their adoptive family. Some adoptees hesitate to reunite despite the yearning because they don’t want to hurt adoptive parents. Actually many adoptees will find, after reunion, that their true parents have always been there for them: It is their adoptive parents.

All citizens of Republic of China (Taiwan) can inquire about personal information at household registration office. For adoptees that are unaware of their own adoption, the feeling of anxiety, confusion and helplessness can be overwhelming when they learn the truth. That is why the professional social workers in The Center provide adoption records inquiry and reunion services. It is our aim to assist adoptees in uncovering the missing page of their life. People over 18 years old can make inquiry about personal adoption data legally. Clients who seek reunion may experience sadness, sense of loss or unwillingness to forgive during the process. Our professional staff will assist them in dealing with all these emotions and arranging meetings with biological family.

In Taiwan, the inter-country adoption is usually dealing through agencies, and the legal agencies now only work with several countries. If you like to adopt a child from Taiwan through agency, you could try to contact the inter-country adoption agencies and see if have worked with your country.

• We understand that you must look forward to searching greatly yet afraid of possible results. We also know that you may feel guilty to your adoptive parents. These feelings are shared by almost all adoptees who want to activate reunion. Our suggestion is that you could talk to adoptive parents about your feelings and thoughts. Let them accompany you in reunion, because it is an important mutual life event to all of you.

• All individuals are unique; thus, the timing varies. The reunion takes a long time and the adoptee needs to be fully-prepared for it. The adoptee needs to reflect frequently on his or her motivation and modify expectation practically. You can take a look at the 10 questions below and ask yourself whether you are certain of what you want or whether you are prepared. If you need assistance, Please Contact Us. We will be happy to provide assistance.

• Pre-searching self-analysis chart
  (Reference: Hollee McGinnis / Adopting? How to adopt or foster a child, baby or orphan)
  1. What do you want to find?
  2. Why do you want to search?
  3. What are your expectations?
  4. Are you prepared to face the fact of being adopted?
  5. Are you prepared for unexpected outcomes or uncontrollable situations?
  6. Are you prepared to meet with strangers?
  7. Are you prepared to meet all the biological family members and see them as your family?
  8. Will you be able to accept biological parents and their cultural background?
  9. Have you envisage what life will be like after reunion?
  10. Is it your own decision?

•  Since 1993, all interviews of adoption cases have been conducted by Department of Social Welfare or Social Welfare Organizations. These data are preserved at The Center since the establishment in September, 2005. Therefore, you can apply for access to records and adoption data to The Center. Please note that if you are under legal age, you will need approval from adoptive parents to file application.
•  If you are prepared to go a step further to activate reunion and meet with biological family, you can also apply for reunion service at The Center.

Reunion and Information Application [ODT]

Reunion and Information Application [PDF]