Who Can Adopt from Nigeria

A group of children.
Source: flickr.com.

In addition to U.S. immigration requirements, you must also meet the following requirements in order to adopt a child from Nigeria:

Residency

Nigerian law requires that a parent-child relationship be established before the court decision can be considered final. Each state determines the length of time it takes to establish the parent-child relationship, which can range from a few months to two years.

Age of Adopting Parents

Age of Adopting Parents: In Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers, prospective adoptive parents must be at least 25 years of age and 21 years older than the child. For married couples, at least one parent must meet the age requirements.

Marriage

Both single individuals and married couples may adopt. Note that a single person will not be allowed to adopt a child of the opposite sex except in extraordinary circumstances. In most states, married couples must adopt jointly. If married, both members of the couple must be Nigerian citizens. In the case of single-parent adoption, only the adopter’s name should be listed on the Nigerian birth certificate and the other parent’s name should be left blank. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals or married same-sex couples in the United States who are known by the Nigerian court to be LGBT may not be able to adopt children from Nigeria. It is unclear whether the Government of Nigeria and Nigerian law permit such adoptions at present; if it passes, a proposed bill will explicitly prohibit adoptions by LGBT parents in Nigeria.

Income

Nigeria does not have any income requirements for intercountry adoptions.

Other

Nigerian law states that non-Nigerians may not adopt in Nigeria. While the law is sometimes inconsistently applied, the U.S. Consulate strongly advises that non-Nigerian citizens are not eligible to adopt children from Nigeria. U.S. citizens who adopt in Nigeria without having Nigerian citizenship risk having their I-600 petitions returned to USCIS for revocation.

Back to Adopting from Nigeria