The incredible geography of .
Source: Wikipedia.org.

View of Shahr-i-Zohok (the "Red City") in Bamyan Province.
Source: cia.gov.

Who Can Be Adopted

In addition to U.S. immigration requirements, Afghanistan has specific requirements that a child must meet in order to be eligible for adoption:

Relinquishment Requirement:The child’s biological father, if living, may relinquish the child, or the Afghan Family Court can designate a legal guardian to do so.

Abandonment Requirement: As determined by the Afghan Family Court.

Age of Adoptive Child Requirement: Guardianship terminates when the child reaches the age of 18.

Sibling Adoption Requirement: N/A

Special Needs or Medical Condition Requirement: N/A

Waiting Period or Foster Care Requirement: N/A

Caution: Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that not all children in orphanages or children’s homes are adoptable. In many countries, birth parents place their child(ren) temporarily in an orphanage or children’s home due to financial or other hardship, intending that the child return home when this becomes possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have rarely relinquished their parental rights or consented to their child(ren)’s adoption.

In order to adopt a child from Afghanistan, a child must meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. law for you to bring him or her back to the United States. Find out more about Who Can Be Adopted and these U.S. requirements.

Prospective adoptive parents may petition the Afghan family court for guardianship of a specific child. However, obtaining legal guardianship under Afghan law does not automatically signify that a child is an orphan under U.S. law.