To the competent state offices and adoption agencies:

Some adoption agencies raised questions one after another recently about the payment of adoption service fee. In order to offer good services for the foreign adoption agencies and adopters when they give the payments and to ensure that the adoption processing in China goes well, the China Center of Adoption Affairs would like to clarify the following attention-requiring points about the payment that the foreign adopters should make when doing adoptions in China:

Ⅰ. The best channels for service fee paying

For the sake of a secure and convenient payment of the service fee, the following two channels will be suggested:

i. Telegraphic transfers. After an adoption agency completes the formality for the service of telegraphic transfer in a local bank, it should fax the telegraphic money order to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (herein referred to as the CCAA), or send its copy to the CCAA together with the adoption files.

ii. Cheques. The adoption agencies can send the cheques together with the adoption files to the CCAA.

The CCAA will accept the foreign adopters' adoption applications in accordance with its rules and register the adoption application documents after it receives the telegraphic money orders (fax or copy) or cheques.

Ⅱ. Issues for attention when paying service fee

i. If the telegraphic transfer is adopted, the transferring date, the name of the agency or the person that makes the transfer should be clearly written down in the telegraphic money order, and a statement should be made as the sender would pay the entire bank handling charge. If the way of transferring money that the sender chooses often brings about costs, the way of using cheques will be suggested.

ii. If the cheques are adopted, the filled Arabic numerals of the sum and the written words should be identical, and it should be ensured that the cheques are still in their six-month term of validity. The name of the beneficial person should be written accurately in the cheque who will be the China Center of Adoption Affairs with its abbreviation as the CCAA or the ccaa.

iii. The adoption service fee should normally be paid by the foreign administrations or the foreign adoption agencies when the adoption files are submitted. In case that many files are submitted together at the same time, the usage of one single cheque will be suggested. In order to avoid any unnecessary confusion, the payments for the files of different batches should be delivered individually.

iv. The service fee that the CCAA refunds the adoption applicants who cancel their adoption application could not be used for the other adopters.

v. Since it takes 2 months for the money paid through cheques reach the bank, the usage of telegraphic transfers will be encouraged for the expedited cases that require a shorter processing time.

vi. The CCAA will promptly notify the competent governmental departments or the adoption agencies the situation of returned money order, debt, insufficient payment, charge of bank, and etc. that arise after the payment is made. The relevant office should, with the notification from the CCAA, make a timely supplementary payment for the sake of a normal processing of the adoption files.

vii. The CCAA does not accept cash.

The bank where the CCAA opened its account is the Dongdan Branch of the China Communications Bank (Beijing). The bank account number is 060194145300010181. The SWIFT code is COMMCNSHBJG. The address of the bank is No. 8, Da Ya Bao Bystreet, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100005.

Ⅲ. Some more points

i. The work is carried out in the CCAA through certain procedure. Only when every step of the procedure goes smoothly can a good performance be ensured. If certain problem arises, the procedure must be restarted with the problem resolved.

ii. The problems that arise when making payment will work on the normal processing of the adoption files. Your understanding of this situation and your efforts on avoiding it will be appreciated.

iii. If the above points are not clear enough or problems are met with when paying the service fee, please consult the Financial Department of the CCAA, whose telephone number is 63575780, and fax 63575780.