Basic Hague Adoption Process

International Adoptions: International adoptions often involved complex immigration matters. Below pleased find some basic information related to the steps that need to be followed in adoptions from countries who are members of the Hague Convention. Note that a list of those countries is also herein provided. If the country that you wish to adopt from is not a Hague country then please contact us for additional information on the process:

1. Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider - We can assist in getting you in touch with such agencies and explain to you the need for such an accredited provider. There are numerous providers that can be used, however please note that they must be Hague accredited if you are interested in adopting a child from a Hague country. The agencies are mostly charged with helping collect the dossier of documents, help with placement of children, and communicate directly with the central authorities in the respective foreign country to clear the adoption.

2. Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt - A "home study" needs to be conducted as part of the process which includes home visits and interviews with the prospective adoptive parents to ensure that the home is suitable to raise a child. Again we can assist in getting you in touch with an accredited agency to handle the home study and we can take care of the immigration filings necessary for parents to be found eligible to adopt a child as well as satisfying the immigration related requirements and petition once the child is matched to parents.

3. Be Matched with a Child - The accredited agency, through communication with the foreign countries central authorities will assist in providing matches for the adoptive parents to review. Note that if you already know which child you wish to adopt then there are several issues that we would need to address as the Hague is very strict on matters to ensure there are no human trafficking or criminal related matters involved in the adoption. Contact us for more information.

4. Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Adoption - We can assist with the entire I-800A and I-800 process as well as I-600 process if a non-Hague adoption matter.

5. Adopt the Child in the Foreign Country

6. Bring your Child Home - Once all immigration matters have successfully been taken care of you will be able to enter with your child through the consular office abroad.

If you have any questions for the Law Offices of Vaughan de Kirbyor if you would like to set up a consultation to discuss your specific case please feel free to contact us today!