Revision as of 00:11, 27 March 2014

The official flag of Lebanon.
Source: cia.gov.

Map of Lebanon.
Source: cia.gov.

Map of Lebanon.
Source: cia.gov.

Collage of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Church of Saint George Maronite and Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque coexist side by side in Downtown Beirut.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Mount Lebanon, Bsharri district.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

The temple of Jupiter in Baalbek temple complex, in Lebanon.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Pigeon Rock, Lebanon.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Cafe in downtown Beirut.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Hague Convention Information

Lebanon is not party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore, when the Hague Adoption Convention entered into force for the United States on April 1, 2008, intercountry adoption processing for Lebanon did not change.

There is no civil procedure for adoption. The Government of Lebanon recognizes 19 religious confessions, each with its own court structure and laws. Because adoption is a religious procedure in Lebanon, it is supervised by authorized religious authorities and must be approved by the relevant religious court.

Islamic Shari'a law does not allow for full adoptions as generally understood in the United States. However, immigrant visas can be issued in cases where the Islamic court that grants the guardianship of an orphan and where that court understands that the parents intend to obtain a full and final adoption of the child once that child is in the United States and expressly signals that agreement. For more information on this issue please refer to the Department of State's FAQ on "Adoption of Children from Countries in which Islamic Shari'a law is observed."

In Lebanon, only Christian institutions recognize adoptions as a legal convention and define the conditions, rights, and duties thereof. For the Catholic religious community, the relevant authorities are those of the rite of the minor child; while for the Orthodox religious communities, the forum is the court of the church of the prospective adoptive parent(s). If a child is a foundling, the child assumes the religious affiliation of the orphanage that takes accepts him/her.

Christian orphanages in Lebanon may have children available for adoption.

NOTE: The Lebanese Sûreté Général requires that both U.S. adoptive parents travel to Lebanon to complete the adoption procedures and accompany the child out of Lebanon. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut will be unable to obtain exceptions to this legal requirement. Parents adopting a child from Lebanon must apply for the child's U.S. immigrant visa from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

Who Can Adopt

To bring an adopted child to United States from Lebanon, you must be found eligible to adopt by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government agency responsible for making this determination is the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Read more on Who can Adopt.

In addition to these U.S. requirements for prospective adoptive parents, Lebanon also has the following requirements for prospective adoptive parents:

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: AGE REQUIREMENTS:MARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS: INCOME REQUIREMENTS: OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Residency

There are no residency requirements for prospective adoptive parents in Lebanon.

Age of Adopting Parents

Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 40 years of age. In addition, the age difference between the prospective adoptive parents and the child must be at least 18 years. In Armenian Orthodox adoptions, the minimum age difference is 15 years.

Marriage

Both married and single individuals may adopt from Lebanon. If married, the consent of both prospective adoptive parents is needed.

Income

While there are no specific income requirements, prospective adoptive parents must provide their financial status as part of the home study.

Other

Other requirements for adoption include: In the case of a Catholic child, at least one of the prospective adoptive parents must be Catholic. The adoptive parent(s) must not have any legal child and could not hope to have children of their own based on medical reports issued by specialists. The adoptive parents and the child must belong to the same religious community, but not necessarily the same rite for the Catholic Church in general. Prospective adoptive parents must have a clean criminal record and general good behavior.

Who Can Be Adopted

How to Adopt

Adoption Authority

The Process

Traveling Abroad

After Adoption

SOURCE

Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information