Adoption by
Country
Algeri * Angola *
Benin * Botswana * Burkina Faso *
Burundi * Cameroon * Cape Verde *
Central African Republic * Chad *
Comoros * Congo * Congo (Brazzaville) *
Congo
(DRC, Zaire) * Cote d’Ivoire * Djibouti
* Egypt * Equatorial
Guinea * Eritrea * Ethiopia *
Gabon * Gambia * Guinea
* Guinea - Bissau * Ivory Coast *
Kenya * Lesotho * Liberia *
Libya *
Madagascar * Malawi * Mauritius
* Morocco * Mozambique
* Namibia * Niger * Nigeria *
Reunion * Rwanda * Sao Tome & Principe
* Senegal * Seychelles *
Sierra Leone * Somalia *
South Africa * Sudan
* Swaziland * Tanzania *
Togo * Tunisia * Uganda *
Western Sahara * Yemen *
Zambia * Zimbabwe
Algeria
No information on US State Dept. Site
Angola
No information on US State Dept. Site
Benin
No information on US State Dept. Site
Botswana
No information on US State Dept. Site
Burkina Faso
No information on US State Dept. Site
Burundi
Only one child was adopted from Burundi into the
US from 1996 – 2000.
Adoptive families must be from a Hague Country, be at least 30 years
old and married for 5 years. There are no adoption agencies in
Burundi. The Ministry of Social Action handles adoption requests and
some non-governmental organizations can recommend cases to the
Central Authority.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_360.html
Cameroon
No information on US State Dept. Site
Cape Verde
No information on US State Dept. Site
Central African Republic
No information on US State Dept. Site
Chad
No information on US State Dept. Site
Comoros
No information on US State Dept. Site
Congo
No information on US State Dept. Site
Congo (Brazzaville)
No information on US State Dept. Site
Congo (DRC, Zaire)
No information on US State Dept. Site
Cote d’Ivoire
Fifteen children were adopted from Cote
d’Ivoire into the US from 1997- 2001. Adoptive Parents must live
with the child they are seeking to adopt for 6 months in-country
before completing an adoption. Adoptive parents must be at least 30
years old, 15 years older then the adoptive child and married for at
least 5 years ( if married). The Ministry of Social Welfare and the
Ministry of Justice are the government offices in Cote d'Ivoire
responsible for adoption. Individuals interested in adopting must
locate a child available for adoption. This can be done with the
assistance of the Ivoirian Department of Social Welfare or by
contacting orphanages directly. http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_368.html
Djibouti
No information on US State Dept. Site
Egypt
Adoption from Egypt is essentially illegal. It
may be possible when one parent is from Egypt.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_377.html
Equatorial
Guinea
No information on US State Dept. Site
Eritrea
No information on US State Dept. Site.
Ethiopia
782 orphans were adopted from Ethiopia into the US from 2000- 2004.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_380.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
there has been
The State Dept site lists only 6 US agencies that are approved to do
adoptions from Ethiopia. There are other individuals and agencies
stating they can assist in adoptions from Ethiopia but they are not
licensed to do adoptions from Ethiopia. US adoptive families can
proceed with independent adoptions only with the approval of the
Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA).
Adoptions Advocates
International
401 East Front Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone: 360-452-4777
Email: merrily@adoptionadvocates.org
http://www.adoptionadvocates.org
Americans for African
Adoptions, Inc.
8910 Timberwood Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46234-1952
Phone: 317-271-4567
Fax: 317-271-8739
Email: amfaa@aol.com
http://www.africanadoptions.org
Children's Home Society &
Family Services
1605 Eustis Street
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 651-646-6393
Fax: 651-646-0436
Email: info@chsm.com
http://www.chsm.com
Christian World Adoption
111 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843-722-6343
Fax: 843-722-1616
Email:
hardingt@cwa.org
http://www.cwa.org
Dove Adoptions
International, Inc.
180 North Main Street, Suite A
Banks, Oregon 97106
Phone: 503-324-9010
Fax: 503-324-9080
http://www.adoptions.net
Wide Horizons for
Children, Inc.
38 Edge Hill Road
Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: 781-894-5330
Fax: 781-899-2769
Email: info@whfc.org
http://www.whfc.org
Gabon
No information on US State Dept. Site
Gambia
No information on US State Dept. Site
Guinea
Only 1 child was adopted from Guinea by a US family in the past 4
years. There are two types of adoptions from Guinea, simple and
complete. A simple adoption is revocable and the child maintains
contact with biological family, whereas a complete adoption is
irrevocable. State Dept. website with more information
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_390.html
Guinea
- Bissau
No information on US State Dept. Site
Ivory Coast
No Information on US State Dept. Site. However,
other sources state International Adoptions are not allowed.
Kenya
31 Orphans adopted into the US from 1998-2000. Kenyan law states
adoptive parents must live in Kenya for 3 months with the child they
wish to adopt. For more information check out our page on Kenya
Adoptions.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_409.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Lesotho
No information on US State Dept. Site
Liberia
81 Orphans adopted into the US from 1996-2000. In 2004
approximately 86 children were adopted by US families. Prospective
Adoptive families should be aware that there is a travel warning in
effect for Liberia. Also as of October 15, 2004 the Liberian
Ministry of Health informed the US Embassy in Monrovia that adoptive
families must obtain a letter from the Ministry of Health approving
the adoption of a specific child. This is in addition to the
Relinquishment that must be obtained from the Ministry of Health and
the Adoption decree from the Liberian Court.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_413.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country. There
are three
US Agencies with Programs in Liberia:
Americans
for African Adoptions
http://www.africanadoptions.org/
Angels Haven
http://www.angels-haven.com
Plan Loving Adoptions Now
http://www.planlovingadoptions.org/
Libya
No
information on US State Dept. Site.
Madagascar
No information on US State Dept. Site.
Malawi
Only 3 Orphans have been adopted by US families
since 1998. Non-residents of Malawi
are not allowed to adopt Malawi orphans. In practice non-Malawi
families must foster the child they are looking to adopt in Malawi
for at least 18 months before adoption proceedings can occur.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_417.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this
country.
Mauritius
Only one Mauritian orphan has been adopted into the US in the past
5 years. The National Adoption Council (NAC) is the adoption
authority in Mauritius. However, they do not match prospective
adoptive families with orphans in need of homes. Prospective
adoptive families must locate qualifying orphans through personal
contacts.
National Adoption Council (NAC)
3rd Floor Govt Centre
Port Louis
Telephone: (230) 201-3549
Fax: (230) 210-8151
Contact: Mrs. Baccha or Mrs. Clementine
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_352.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this
country.
Morocco
To adopt from Morocco adoptive parents must become officially
Moslem and be resident in Morocco. There is no set time frame that an
adoptive family must be resident in Morocco, it is up to the
discretion of the courts.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_423.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Mozambique
No
information on US State Dept. Site.
Namibia
No information on US State Dept. Site
Niger
There have been no orphans from Niger adopted into the US in the
past 5 years.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_428.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Nigeria
129 Nigeria children were adopted from 1999-2003
into the US.
Adoption rules vary depending on what part of Nigeria orphan in from.
In some areas at least one adoptive parent must be from Nigeria. There
is also a residency requirement which varies from 3 months to 1 year
during which time the adoptive parents would need to obtain
temporary guardianship of the child they are looking to adopt (i.e.
foster care).
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_429.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Reunion
No information on US State Dept. Site
Rwanda
Only 2 children were adopted from Rwanda in the past 5 years.
Adoptive Parents must be under the age of 50 (this can be waived by
a judge). There are no US agencies at this time with Adoption
Programs in Rwanda. US Visas would be processed in Kenya.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_442.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
The following website has additional information on adoption from
Rwanda.
www.myadoptionlinks.com/Rwanda.html
Sao Tome & Principe
No information on US State Dept. Site
Senegal
No information on US State Dept. Site
Seychelles
No information on US State Dept. Site
Sierra Leone
186 Sierra Leone orphans were adopted by US families between
1999-2004. Families should be careful due to extreme
corruption in adoptions from this country. Adoptive parents must
travel to Sierra Leone for the adoption court hearing.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_1475.html
US State Sept. Site with information on adoption from this country.
The US State Dept. also has a site dedicated specifically to
questions about adopting from Sierra Leone:
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_2770.html
US and Canadian
Organizations with programs in Sierra Leone:
All-As-One
http://www.allasone.org
Adoption Advocates
International
http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/asierraleone.htm
CAFAC Adoption (Canadian, Manitoba) http://www.cafac.ca
Choices Adoption (Canada)
http://www.choicesadoption.ca/ic_africa_sierraleone.asp
Hopes Promise
http://
www.hopespromise.com
MAPS
http://www.mapsadopt.org
Plan Loving Adoptions
http://www.planlovingadoptions.org
The Family Network
http://www.adopt-familynetwork.com
Somalia
No information on US State Dept. Site
South Africa
23 South African orphans were adopted by US
families from 1997-2001. For more information check out our page on
South African Adoptions.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_443.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Sudan
Only 2 children have been adopted from 1996-2000.
Adoption is not allowed for Moslem children but may be for non-Moslem.
If a child's religion is not known they are considered to be Moslem.
It is possible for Moslem and non-Moslem orphans to have a
"Caretaker" appointed by the courts, which is similar to a
guardianship here in the US. The "Caretaker" must be of the same
religion as the child. Once custody is granted to a caretaker there
is a probationary period of one year wherein the Social Services
Supervisor makers regular homevisits. After the probationary period
the Caretaker can petition the court for permanent custody of the
child until the child reaches adulthood.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_329.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this
country.
Swaziland
No information on US State Dept. Site
Tanzania
No information on US State Dept. Site.
Current law in Tanzania states that only residents of Tanzania are
allowed to adopt. This means that prospective adoptive parents must
either be Tanzanian citizens who live in Tanzania or non-Tanzanians
who hold a residence permit and live in Tanzania. The following site
has additional information about adoption from Tanzania
www.myadoptionlinks.com/Tanzania.html
Togo
No information on US State Dept. Site.
Tunisia
There is no listing of children having been
adopted by US families. The State Department site states that although
Law No. 58-27, Articles 8-16 which covers Tunisian adoptions
contains no nationality or religious requirements the Tunisan judges
have maintained that prospective adoptive parents must be Muslim.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_339.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this country.
Uganda
No information on US State Dept. Site. Other
sources showed International adoptions allowed, but adoptive family
must live with child they wish to adopt for 3 years in Uganda. The
following website has additional information on adoption from Uganda
www.myadoptionlinks.com/Uganda.html
Western Sahara
No information on US State Dept. Site
Yemen
No information on US State Dept. Site
Zambia
No information on US State Dept. Site
Zimbabwe
Only one child has been adopted by a US family in
the past eight years. Adoptive families must establish residence and
live in Zimbabwe during the adoption, which can take up to a year.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_351.html
State Dept site that has information on adoption from this
country.
* US
State Department Website on International Adoption:
http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_369.html
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