How to Adopt from Dominican Republic
This page is for steps 1-3 of How to Adopt from Dominican Republic.
Adoption Authority
Dominican Republic Adoption Central Authority
Consejo Nacional para la Niñez y la Adolescencia CONANI
The Process
Because the Dominican Republic is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, adopting from the Dominican Republic must follow a specific process designed to meet the Convention's requirements. A brief summary of the Hague Adoption Convention process is given below. The PAP (s) must complete these steps in the following order so that the adoption meets all necessary legal requirements.
NOTE: If a full and final adoption was completed in the Dominican Republic or filed an I-600a with USCIS before April 1, 2008, the Hague Adoption Convention may not apply. The adoption could continue to be processed in accordance with the immigration regulations for non-Convention adoptions. Learn more.
- Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider
- Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt
- Be Matched with a Child
- Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Immigration to the United States
- Adopt the Child in the Dominican Republic
- Bringing the Child Home
1. Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider:
The first step in adopting a child from the Dominican Republic is to select an adoption service provider (ASP) in the United States that is accredited. Only these agencies and attorneys can provide adoption services between the United States and the Dominican Republic. Note that an ASP will be obligatory for certain parts of the adoption process. Learn more.
2.Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt:
After choosing an accredited adoption service provider, PAPs apply to be found eligible to adopt (Form I-800A) by the U.S. Government, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) National Benefits Center. Learn how. Once the U.S. government determines that the PAPs are "eligible" and "suitable" to adopt, the representative ASP will forward this information to CONANI. CONANI will review the application to determine whether the PAPs are also eligible to adopt under Dominican Republic's law.
3.Be Matched with a Child:
If both the United States and the Dominican Republic determine that the PAPs are eligible to adopt, and a child is available for intercountry adoption, CONANI may provide the PAP with a referral for a child. Each family must decide for itself whether or not it will be able to meet the needs of the particular child and provide a permanent family placement for the referred child.
If CONANI is satisfied with the documentation submitted by the PAPs, the PAPs are then placed on a waiting list for assignment of a child. If PAPs are applying for the adoption of a child known to them and prior coexistence can be demonstrated both apparent and uninterrupted, then the case continues through the rest of the process without joining the waiting list.
DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS: Prospective adoptive parents must meet the documentary requirements of Dominican law (see below). Once all the required documents are complete, the PAP(s) must submit the original along with two set of copies to the Department of Adoptions of CONANI.
- 1. Adoption application letter signed by the PAPs.
- 2. Special Power of Representation of the lawyer for the PAPs, if applicable.
- 3. Photograph of the future adoptive family.
- 4. Photocopies of the passports of the PAPs.
- 5. Psychological evaluation report made to the PAPs.
- 6. Social assessment report made to the PAPs.
- 7. Birth certificates of the PAPs.
- 8. Marriage certificate of the PAPs.
- 9. Certificates of no criminal record of the PAPs.
- 10. Medical certificates of the PAPs.
- 11. Proof of economic solvency of each of the PAPs.
- 12. Certification from an entity of a civic, community, or religious group on the social and moral suitability of the PAPs.
- 13. Certificate of no objection from the PAPs children over 12 years of age (if applicable).
- 14. Certification of suitability of the PAPs, issued by the USCIS (Approval of I-800A).
- 15. Certification issued by the officially authorized agency (Adoption Service Provider) or authority of commitment for post-adoption monitoring.
After the match is suggested, the family will need to file an I-800 petition for the child with the National Benefits Center (NBC) of the USCIS. CONANI will then need confirmation that the NBC provisionally approved the I-800 petition for the matching process to be complete
THE WAITING LIST:
- 1. After confirming that the documentation is complete, the file will be given a number and placed on the waiting list to be assigned as the prospective adoptive parents of a child.
- 2. When the PAPs turn comes, the Appropriations Committee makes the allocation of future adoptive family to the child.
- 3. CONANI presents the medical and psychological records of the child to the PAPs for evaluation and then sends a copy of the file to the U.S. accredited agency for scrutiny and approval. This approval must be sent in writing to CONANI before starting the stage of socialization. (This is the process in which the PAPs spend time with the child).
- 4. The PAPs must answer in writing to CONANI's Adoption Department Management either accepting or rejecting the child placement.
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