I've just read word on the net from some agencies that if you're adopting from Guangdong Province, as of August 1, you'll have to spend an extra four or five days in the province because of some new processing thing with the child's passport. Thus far, it's only that one province. Instead of spending two weeks in Guangzhou, you'll have to spend three.

I'll try to find some details.

Rumor Queen has a little here and more here-- it's sort of larded between speculations about the implications of the CCAA moving its offices. But that's basically the same information I've read from more official sources. Can't find anything linkable-to yet, but anyway.

This could mean other provinces will start doing this. Personally, I think it sounds like a major pain but, you know, more time in China is something I kind of wish I was compelled to do. On the other hand, another week in the White Swan would definitely break my bank and I'm sure if I was looking forward to it rather than looking backward at it, I wouldn't be nearly so sanguine.

In a more general sense, I think it further demonstrates that China is willing to make the process a little more discouraging for international adopters. I don't know if that represents a kind of testing the waters/see how far we can go/how full the hotels will get, or if it represents a weaning off from international adoption in favor of domestic adoption, or if it really just represents a bureaucrat who plumb don't care and made up a rule for the heck of it. (That last being what my first guess would be were Guangdong province the great state of Florida, which it isn't, but... oh, I need to stop.) Draw what conclusions you may. Just -- if you've got a Guangdong referral, you should probably pack a couple extra pairs of underwear.