Who Can Be Adopted from Haiti

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Source: flickr.com.

Haiti has specific requirements that a child must meet in order to be eligible for adoption. You cannot adopt a child in Haiti unless he or she meets the requirements outlined below.

In addition to these requirements, a child must meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law for you to bring him or her back to the United States. Learn more about U.S. requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

Relinquishment Requirements: Prospective adoptive parent(s) must obtain consent from the child's surviving parent(s) or legal guardian. Known as the " Extrait des Minutes du Greffe du Tribunal de Paix", this document describes the proceeding during which prospective adoptive parents and the child's biological parents or legal guardians agree to the adoption. Such proceeding takes place at the office of the Justice of the Peace with jurisdiction over the residence of the child. In some jurisdictions, such as Port au Prince, prospective adoptive parents are required to appear personally before the Justice of the Peace to effect consent before the adoption is finalized. In the Port-au-Prince jurisdiction, parents are also asked to appear before the Dean of the Civil Courts after appearing before the Justice of the Peace. It is feasible to accomplish both meetings in one trip. While it is our understanding that this should only take one trip to Haiti to complete the process, the number of trips will depend heavily on the local agents in scheduling and planning on behalf of their clients, the availability of the consenting parties, and of course on the availability of the magistrates.

Abandonment Requirements: If the biological parents of the child are deceased, their Extrait de l'Acte de Decès (extract of the death certificate) must be obtained from the Haitian National Archives.

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