Advertisements
Adopting from Swaziland
Source: cia.gov.
Source: cia.gov.
Source: Wikipedia.org.
Notice: As of July 14, 2014, all individuals and agencies facilitating international adoptions must be in compliance with the Intercountry Universal Accreditation Act.
The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed and qualified professional. While the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.
About Swaziland
Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Swaziland Adoption Alert
There have been adoption alerts for Swaziland over the years. To learn more about these please read the Swaziland Adoption Alert page.
Hague Convention Information
The Kingdom of Swaziland is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Convention 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 the Kingdom of Swaziland.
The Convention entered into force for the Kingdom of Swaziland on July 1, 2013. The Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland announced in June 2013 that it plans to continue the existing suspension on all new intercountry adoptions while it focuses on taking the steps necessary to fully implement the Convention. The Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland has not informed the U.S. Embassy in Mbabane of an expected end date to the suspension.
Transition cases may be completed under the previous “orphan” process. Transition cases are defined as those in which a prospective adoptive parent filed a Form I-600A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifying the Kingdom of Swaziland as the country of origin, filed a Form I-600, or completed the adoption in the Kingdom of Swaziland prior to July 1, 2013.
We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that intercountry adoptions between the United States and the Kingdom of Swaziland will not resume until Swaziland lifts its suspension and the Department of State determines that intercountry adoptions from the Kingdom of Swaziland comply with the ConventionAdoption service providers should not advertise adoption programs in the Kingdom of Swaziland until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland has lifted its temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions and that its 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 the Kingdom of Swaziland and the U.S. Embassy in Mbabane’s website for information on consular services.
SOURCE
Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_info.php?country-select=swaziland