How much does it cost?

A LOT! 

Everyone is always curious about how much international adoption costs. The majority is adoption agency fees, but a lot also goes for compiling the dossier. Besides just obtaining certified copies of documents, every thing has to be notarized, then sent to the Secretary of State to be certified and then sent to a courier to deliver to a China Consulate to be authenticated. Each step has various costs, usually a per document fee. 

I tend to be over transparent, so I'm going to let you all know exactly what we've paid so far:

-->

CCAI Application fee	$256.25
Background check	$28
MN Child abuse check	$20
CA Child Abuse check	$15
Fingerprints - KLM	23
1st CCAI fee	4400
Fingerprints - BGM	7
CBI & FBI clearance	79
Birth certificate - BGM	62
Birth certificate - KLM	45
Marriage certificate	2.5
klm BC certification	5
bgm BC certification	20
klm passport	110
CO authentication (7 docs)	35
CO authentication - CBI forms	10
Chicago embassy authentication & courier	425
postage	30
Lutheran Family Services (homestudy)	170
US Dept of Homeland Security (I-800A)	945
SF China Consulate Authentication	31.2
postage	20.03
passport photos x 6 sets	91.07
CCCWA waiting child translation fee	80
2nd CCAI fee	3000
postage	30.9
Chicago embassy authentication & courier	85
CO authentication	10
Kids passports processing & photos	69.58
Kids passports US dept	160
CCCWA fee	1480
TBRI class at The Adoption Exchange	20
The Children's Hospital pre-adoption review	500
3rd CCAI fee	3100
post adoption deposit	450
BLAS translation fee	360
CO court deposit	200
shipping	6.65
Visa pictures	15
Visa and courier fees	700
postage	30.15
DS-260	325
Fedex to China	35
total	$17,487.33

Next we'll have our travel costs (~$12,000 for all 4 of us) and an orphanage fee of ~$6,000 and a few other misc fees while in China for the adoption registration, notarization, passport, physical, etc. 

That's it...phew!