Adopting from Cyprus

Hague Convention Information

Cyprus 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 Cyprus and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Cyprus is not considered a country of origin in intercountry adoption. There are virtually no children available for adoption in Cyprus. Cypriot couples who wish to adopt usually look to other countries for adoption possibilities. No Cypriot orphans have received U.S. immigrant visas in the past five years. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in rare adoption cases from Cyprus, including adoptions of Cypriot children by relatives in the United States, as well as adoptions from third countries by Americans living in Cyprus.

Who Can Adopt

Adoption between the United States and Cyprus is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from Cyprus, you 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 for prospective adoptive parents, Cyprus also has the following requirements for prospective adoptive parents:

Residency

Prospective adoptive parents must be permanent residents of Cyprus or have resided in Cyprus for at least two years prior to the submission of the application.

Age of Adopting Parents

At least one parent must be 25 years old. If the adopting parents are relatives of the child, one of them must be at least 21 years old.

Marriage

Married couples must adopt jointly unless one spouse is incapable of giving consent or cannot be located. Unmarried couples may not adopt jointly. The court may approve adoptions by single adoptive parents if that person has applied alone and if the court determines that special reasons exist. "Special reasons" are not listed or defined in the Cypriot adoption code, but the prevailing view in Cyprus is that a family with two parents is in children's best interests.

Income

N/A

Other

N/A

Who Can Be Adopted

Because Cyprus is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, children from Cyprus must meet the requirements of the Convention in order to be eligible for adoption. For example, the Convention requires that Cyprus attempt to place a child with a family in-country before determining that a child is eligible for intercountry adoption. In addition to Cyprus's requirements, a child must meet the definition of a Convention adoptee for you 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