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How to Adopt from Grenada
Source: Wikipedia.org.
Adoption Authority
Grenada Adoption Board, Ministry of Social Services
The Process
The process for adopting a child from Grenada generally includes the following steps:
- Choose an Adoption Service Provider
- Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt
- Be Matched with a Child
- Adopt the Child in Grenada
- Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Adoption
- Bring Your Child Home
1. Choose an Adoption Service Provider
The first step in adopting a child through intercountry adoption is usually to select a licensed agency in the United States that can help with your adoption. Adoption service providers must be licensed by the U.S. state in which they operate. Learn more about choosing the right adoption service provider.
2. Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt
To bring an adopted child from Grenada to the United States, you must apply to be found eligible to adopt (Form I-600A) by the U.S. Government, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Learn how. An initial adoption request is done through a local attorney in Grenada. Subject to the provisions of the Grenada Adoption Act, the court may make an order authorizing the applicant to adopt a child upon an application made in the prescribed manner.
In addition to meeting the U.S. requirements for adoptive parents, prospective adoptive parents need to meet the requirements of Grenada as described in the Who Can Adopt section.
3. Be Matched with a Child
If you are eligible to adopt, and a child is available for intercountry adoption, the central adoption authority in Grenada will provide you with a referral to a child. Each family must decide for itself whether or not it will be able to meet the needs of a particular child and provide a permanent family placement for the referred child.
The child must be eligible to be adopted according to Grenada's requirements, as described in the Who Can be Adopted section. The child must also meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. law. Learn more.
4. Adopt the Child (or Gain Legal Custody) in-country
The process for finalizing the adoption (or gaining legal custody) in Grenada generally includes the following:
- Role of the Adoption Authority: The government office responsible for adoptions in Grenada is the Grenada Adoption Board:
Ministry of Social Services
Tanteen, St. George's
Grenada
Tel: (473) 440-6575, (473) 440-8717
Fax: (473) 440-4780
Secretary of the Adoption Board is Ms. Jeanine Sylvester. A free information booklet is supplied upon request.
- Role of The Court: An initial adoption request is done through a local attorney in Grenada. Subject to the provisions of the Grenada Adoption Act, the court may make an order authorizing the applicant to adopt a child upon an application made in the prescribed manner by a person domiciled in Grenada if the applicant:
- 1. Has attained the age of twenty five and is at least twenty one years older than the infant;
- 2. Has attained the age of twenty one and is a relative of the infant; or
- 3. Is the biological mother or biological father of the infant.
- Time Frame: Adoptions in Grenada can vary greatly in timeframe, depending on the number of cases before the courts. Adoptions can take from three months to a year.
- Adoption Fees: The cost for adoptions in Grenada is approximately $2,000.00 USD, though this can vary depending on the fees charged by the local attorney.
- Documents Required: The prospective parents are required to have:
- 1. Valid passports;
- 2. Naturalization certificate;
- 3. Marriage certificate;
- 4. Divorce certificate;
- 5. Birth certificate;
- 6. Bank statements; and
- 7. Medical history
The child will need a:
- 1. Valid passport;
- 2. Original birth certificate; and
- 3. Naturalization certificate
Grenada is not a party of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, so the Legalization Convention "apostille" certificate should not be used for documents to be presented in Grenada. Instead, the "chain authentication method" will be used to authenticate documents for Grenada. This process involves seeking the proper authorities to attest to the validity of a succession of seals or signatures beginning with the seal on your document, proceeding to the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office, and ending with the seal of the Grenada Embassy or Consulate in the United States. Documents for authentication include civil records and notarized documents, state court records, federal documents, and U.S. Department of State/Passport records.NOTE: Additional documents may be requested. If you are asked to provide proof that a document from the United States is authentic, we can help. Learn how.
5. Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Adoption
After you finalize the adoption (or gain legal custody) in Grenada, the U.S Government, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) MUST determine whether the child is eligible under U.S. law to be adopted (Form I-600). Learn how.
6. Bring Your Child Home
Now that your adoption is complete (or you have obtained legal custody of the child), there are a few more steps to take before you can head home. Specifically, you need to apply for several documents for your child before he or she can travel to the United States:
- 1. Birth Certificate
You will first need to apply for a new birth certificate for your child, so that you can later apply for a passport. Your name will be added to the new birth certificate.
- 2. Grenada Passport
Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or Passport from Grenada. [How to obtain a Passport for the child in Grenada.]
- 3. U.S. Immigrant Visa
After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child, you also need to apply for an U.S. visa from the United States Embassy for your child. After the adoption (or custody for purpose of adoption) is granted, visit the U.S. Embassy for final review and approval of the child's I-600 petition and to obtain a visa for the child. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you. As part of this process, the Consular Officer must be provided the "Panel Physician's" medical report on the child if it was not provided during the provisional approval stage. Learn more.
The U.S. Embassy in Grenada does not issue visas. All visas for Grenadians are reviewed and issued in the American Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados. All questions concerning adoption and visas should be addressed to the Consular Section in Bridgetown, Barbados. Their e-mail address: ConsularBridge2@state.gov
NOTE: Visa issuance after the final interview now generally takes 24 hours and it will not normally be possible to provide the visa to adoptive parents on the day of the interview.
To learn more about the Child Citizenship Act please read The Child Citizenship Act of 2000
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