42 U.S.C. § 14921 — Accreditation or approval required in order to provide adoption services in cases subject to the Convention

(a) In general
Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, a person may not offer or provide adoption services connected with a Convention adoption^* in the United States unless the person is accredited or approved under this subchapter, or provides the services through or under the supervision and responsibility of an accredited agency^* or approved person^*.

(b) Exceptions
This rule does not apply to: (1) a social-work professional or organization performing a child background study, prospective-parent home study, or report on one, if that person provides no other adoption service^* in the case and an accredited agency^* approves the study; (2) a person providing child-welfare services who provides no other adoption service in the case; (3) a person providing legal services who provides no adoption service in the case; or (4) a prospective adoptive parent acting for himself or herself, to the extent the law of the State^* where that parent lives does not prohibit the conduct.