Who Can Adopt from Belize

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Source: Wikipedia.org.

Adoption between the United States and Belize is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from Belize, 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). Read more on Who Can Adopt.

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

Residency

Belizean law prohibits the issuance of a final adoption order unless the non-Belizean prospective adoptive parent resides in Belize with the Belizean child for 12 months. A social worker will visit periodically to assess the parent-child relationship.

Age of Adopting Parents

At least one of the prospective adoptive parents must be a minimum of 25 years old and no fewer than 12 years older than the child.

Marriage

Both married and single individuals can adopt in Belize. Single men cannot adopt female children. These restrictions can be waived if the court finds that special circumstances warrant it.

Income

While there are no specific income requirements, prospective adoptive parents’ financial status will be included as part of the home study.

Other

A person who is not a citizen of Belize may adopt a Belizean child if he or she does not have a criminal record. He or she must also have a current recommendation concerning his suitability to adopt a child from his country’s probation and welfare office or other competent authority. A social services practitioner must verify this recommendation in writing as well as submit a report of the findings of the inquiry to the court. (Please note that U.S. immigration law requires that in Hague Convention countries like Belize the determination of suitability (home study) must be completed, supervised, or approved by a U.S. based Hague accredited or approved adoption service provider.)

In addition, the court may request a report/recommendation from an additional person or authority that has satisfied the court that his country of origin will respect and recognize the adoption order.

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