Traveling with a Guardian

At this time, very few countries permit escort. I am unaware of any Hague countries that permit it. South Korea, which is non-Hague, allows escort. India, which used to allow escort, no longer does. A couple of African countries may allow it, but all are non-Hague. Remember that the Hague rules apply, IN ADDITION TO, and not as an exception to, the rules of the U.S. and the foreign country. If the foreign country of which the child is a citizen, such as China, does not allow escort, then the Hague rules wouldn't either. In general, the Hague rules are designed to make sure that families are well-prepared to adopt and comfortable with the child placed with them. If you have never seen the child before a final decree of adoption is issued, you would really be violating the spirit of the legislation. Even with a country like China, where you often adopt the day you meet your child, you do have a short time to decide whether or not you can parent him/her. Sharon

Thanks. That was very helpful.

Bulgaria currently does allow escort, but most agencies don't recommend it. I have heard agencies and other families talk about the importance of bonding with your child those first days. It is also a great opportunity to have memories in their birth country and take pictures for child to have one day.

I would agree with socialkat. If you can possibly travel, do so. It is a wonderful opportunity to develop perceptions of your child's birth country that you can share with him/her, as he/she grows. Your perceptions can help him/her learn to respect and appreciate his/her birth culture, and to develop a positive self-image. Many married couples find that the adoption travel is also a marriage-enriching experience. I am a single Mom, but I watched the married couples in our group enjoying a "second honeymoon" in Hong Kong before we all went in to meet our kids, and then sharing the process of bonding with their new children, and it was truly beautiful. I know that it is difficult for people to travel, especially to countries requiring long stays or multiple trips. But I really do think that if you can possibly manage it, you won't regret it. Sharon

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Just to clarify, there's no doubt about the importance of bonding and how travel can be a huge asset in that bonding. However, the information being requested is specifically about the Hague and what its rules are on the matter. Thanks for any links or info you might have.

Bulgaria is a Hague convention country. I would think it would depend on the country that you would adopt from and the laws that country has.

Very few countries, whether or not Hague-compliant, allow escort. They want to observe the prospective parents for themselves and ensure that the judge or other authority that finalizes the adoption has a chance to do a "due diligence" of sorts by asking questions. They also want to ensure that the prospective parents spend enough time with the child they plan to adopt, that there are no surprises once the adoption is finalized, as there have been too many cases where families bring a child home and then dissolve the adoption because they cannot meet the child's needs. And they want the prospective parents to have some exposure to their child's birth culture, so that they can teach him/her to be proud of his heritage and honor his/her birth country. The Hague Convention is not the issue. Most of the countries that ratified the Hague already did not allow escort or decided to require travel as part of a review of their overall adoption process. And remember that each country needs to implement the Hague in a way that is consistent with its own adoption system. Overall, the Hague expects countries to ensure that prospective parents are well informed about a child's physical/mental/emotional health before finalizing, and well prepared to meet his/her needs. As a result, a country that requires a bonding trip AND a pickup trip might be willing to allow escort for the pickup trip, if the parents made a previous trip to meet and bond with the child prior to finalization. Sharon