Adopting from Dominican Republic

Hague Convention Information

The Dominican Republic is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore all adoptions between the Dominican Republic and the United States must meet the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Dominican adoption law is governed by the Dominican Code of Fundamental Protection and Rights for Children and Adolescents, Law 136-03, Articles 82-169. The adoption process is comprised of an administrative and judicial phase. The Dominican authorities will not allow a child to exit the country until the adoption is complete under Dominican law. The Dominican Central Authority (CONANI) is responsible for the administrative phase of an international adoption. The Dominican judiciary in the Court of Children and Adolescents, responsible for the child's physical locality, completes the judicial phase.

NOTE: Special transition provisions apply to adoptions initiated before April 1, 2008. Learn more.

Who Can Adopt

Adoption between the United States and the Dominican Republic is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from the Dominican Republic, the adopting family must first 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). Learn more.

In addition to these U.S. requirements, the Dominican Republic also has the following requirements:

Residency

Both prospective adoptive parents must comply simultaneously with the period of cohabitation required by Law. If adopting a child under 12 years old, cohabitation shall be for at least 60 days. If adopting a child over 12 years of age, cohabitation shall be for at least 30 days.

Age of Adopting Parents

The prospective adoptive parents must be between 30 and 60 years of age and at least 15 years older than the child they wish to adopt.

Marriage

Only heterosexual couples who have been married for five years or more are allowed to adopt from the Dominican Republic. Single individuals and unmarried couples are not permitted to adopt.

Income

N/A

Other

N/A

Who Can Be Adopted

Because the Dominican Republic is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, children from the Dominican Republic must meet the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention in order to be eligible for adoption. For example, the Hague Adoption Convention requires that the Dominican Republic attempt to place a child with a family in-country before determining that a child is eligible for intercountry adoption. In addition to the Dominican Republic's requirements, a child must meet the definition of a Convention adoptee for the adopting family to bring him or her back to the United States.

Learn more about the Convention's requirements for adoptable children.

After Adoption

SOURCE

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