Adopting from Lesotho

The official flag of Lesotho.
Source: cia.gov.

Map of Lesotho.
Source: cia.gov.

Basotho women in Lesotho.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Uniformed children in class in Ha Nqabeni primary school, Lesotho.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Lesotho Adoption Alert

Adoptions from Lesotho to Begin Under the Hague Adoption Convention (March 1, 2013)

The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Lesotho on December 1, 2012. At that time, Lesotho did not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place and elected to suspend intercountry adoptions. The Government of Lesotho notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will cease on February 28, 2013. The United States determined that it will be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions initiated from Lesotho on or after March 1, 2013. However, please note that minor delays may be encountered while the Ministry of Social Development finalizes its structure for in-country fees, which the Ministry expects to publish in April 2013.

The Government of Lesotho also notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that accredited adoption service provider Small World, Inc. is now authorized to provide services in Convention adoptions from Lesotho. This is the only U.S. adoption service provider currently authorized to operate in Lesotho. Adoption service providers interested in seeking authorization should contact Lesotho’s Ministry of Social Development.

The Department of State cautions U.S. prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers that the Ministry of Social Development does not expect to publish a fee structure for in-country fees until approximately April 1, 2013. The Department of State reminds adoption service providers that, in accordance with the accreditation and approval standards, prospective adoptive parents must receive a detailed fee schedule for the entire process, including foreign country program expenses, when deciding whether to contract with a specific adoption service provider.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

Notice: Lesotho Deposits Its Instruments of Accession to the Hague Adoption Convention (October 31, 2012)

On June 18, 2012, the Kingdom of Lesotho deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption Convention (Hague Adoption Convention) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On August 24, the Kingdom of Lesotho designated the Ministry of Social Development as the Central Authority (the Ministry) for the Convention. The Hague Adoption Convention will enter into force for Lesotho on December 1, 2012.

Adoption Cases in Progress

The Ministry has advised the U.S. Central Authority that existing laws, rules and procedures will apply to any adoption where a Mosotho child was officially matched with prospective adoptive parents prior to the entry into force of the Convention on December 1, 2012. The Ministry defines an official match as any child who matched with prospective adoptive parents during a matching meeting chaired by a Ministry official and involving representatives of Lesotho childcare facilities and adoption service providers.

The Ministry will process cases initiated on or after December 1, 2012, and those that do not meet the criteria outlined above as Convention cases.

Questions regarding whether an adoption may proceed under the old laws and regulations may be addressed directly to:

Limakatso Chisepo Principal Secretary Ministry of Social Development Parliament Road Maseru 100, Lesotho Telephone: 226 5803 8783 Email: chisepol@health.gov.ls

Hague Convention Information

Lesotho is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption(Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Hague countries is done in accordance with the requirements of the Convention; the U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA); and the IAA’s implementing regulations, as well as the implementing legislation and regulations of Lesotho.

The Convention entered into force for Lesotho on December 1, 2012. Lesotho has not yet implemented procedures for the processing of Convention adoptions. For this reason, the Government of Lesotho announced in November 2012 that it is temporarily suspending all new intercountry adoptions while it focuses on implementing the Convention.

Transition cases may be completed under the previous “orphan” process. Transition cases are defined as those in which: Prior to December 1, 2012, a prospective adoptive parent filed a Form I-600A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifying Lesotho as the country of origin, filed a Form I-600, or completed the adoption; and The child was “officially matched” with prospective adoptive parents prior to December 1, 2012. The Ministry of Social Development defines an official match as one in which the match was made during a matching meeting chaired by a Ministry official, and involving representatives of Lesotho childcare facilities and adoption service providers.

The Government of Lesotho expects that implementation of the Convention will take several months. We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that intercountry adoptions between the United States and Lesotho will not resume until it is determined that intercountry adoptions from Lesotho comply with the Convention. Adoption service providers should not advertise adoption programs in Lesotho until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of Lesotho has lifted its temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions and that Lesotho’s procedures meet the requirements of the Convention.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. Please visit the Department’s Country Specific Information for more information on travelling to Lesotho and the U.S. Embassy in Maseru’s website for information on consular services.

Who Can Adopt

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Residency

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Age of Adopting Parents

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Marriage

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After Adoption

SOURCE

Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information