Refferal and Travel time lines from our agency, CCAI

TRAVEL TO CHINA

Travel to China usually occurs 5-8 weeks after you receive your child match. But what goes on during the weeks that pass between receiving your child referral and leaving for China? Plenty! Travel to China has five phases. It is only when the first four phases are complete that CCAI is able to present you with the plans of your trip to China.

Phase One

Phase one is returning your acceptance to CCAI after you receive your child referral. You will receive Travel Packet II within 7-10 days after receiving your child referral. * This packet contains visa applications and the necessary travel paperwork for both parents and travel companions.

Phase Two

Phase two is the CCAA issuance of your Travel Notice. The CCAA, not CCAI, controls this part of the process. Until your Travel Notice arrives at CCAI and we have a confirmed Consulate appointment, the Travel Department is unable to make any plans or speculations about your travel dates. This phase can be anywhere from 2-5 weeks. The CCAA does not inform CCAI when they intend to mail your Travel Notice. The U.S. Consulate will not make an appointment for you until they see a copy of your Travel Notice.

Phase Three

Phase three of travel begins the day we receive your Travel Notice. We copy your notice and confirm the spelling of your name on the Notice. Then we fax a copy of your Travel Notice to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou and make a request for the first available appointment date. The Consulate can take up to 6 business days to reply.

Phase Four

Phase four begins after we receive confirmation of your appointment from the Consulate. We send the groups’ travel plan to our Beijing office, local representatives and the Guangzhou office so that all of the appointments and reservations can be made for your group. This includes: coordinating with the orphanage principals for the delivery of your child, adoption appointments for registration, notarization and passport, air and ground transportation and hotel bookings.

When all of the China appointments and reservations have been confirmed, your international itinerary will be arranged with the assistance of our networking travel agency, a travel agency of your choice, or on your own. CCAI will email you regarding the group’s scheduled arrival and departure dates. Per your request, our networking travel agency will make a reservation for your family based on the scheduled arrival and departure dates and send it to you via email. Then, CCAI will call you and your travel group with basic information about the trip.

Most groups are notified 7-14 days prior to departure. Individual itineraries are confirmed during this time. This process of confirming domestic and international flights, booking local government appointments, hotels, and ground transportation will take us about 3-5 business days.

If you are planning to use Frequent Flier mileage for your international travel, you will need to take your "best guess" about departure and return dates and plan on making the necessary date adjustments after we e-mail you and your entire travel group with finalized travel dates.

Phase Five

The final phase of travel, phase five, is the CCAI Final Travel Packet and the group’s travel conference call. The packet and conference call usually take place 7-10 days prior to departure. Families travel to a port city of China (usually Hong Kong) and spend 1-3 nights. Then, your group flies to the capital city of the province where your orphanage is located. The adoption of your child is finalized there. When complete, your group flies to Guangzhou where each family applies for a visa for their adopted child to enter the United States. Finally, it’s time to come home!