Who Can Be Adopted from Togo

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Source: Wikipedia.org.

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

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

In order to be eligible for adoption under Togolese law, a child must have been pronounced abandoned or relinquished by the Togolese Lower Court.

Relinquishment Requirements: Both parents have decided to release the child because they are unable to care for him/her or the child's parents rights have been terminated due to neglect; or both parents are deceased and the family consents to release the child to a third party. This would be considered an adoption by consent. In the case of relinquishment of a child, the Lower Court must make a legal ruling.

Abandonment Requirements: In order to be considered legally abandoned, the legal parents must have willfully forsaken all parental rights, obligations and claims to the child; and/or the legal parents have not transferred parental rights to anyone and the child is not in their care. After a field investigation, a judge or the president of the Togolese Lower Court will decree the child abandoned by a court decree.

AGE REQUIREMENTS: Under local law, the adoptee must be unmarried and under 18. Because U.S. law limits the adoptions of children above 16, American citizens considering adopting an older child in Togo should contact the Embassy prior to initiating the process.

Requirements for Children with Special Needs or Medical Conditions: Special needs or children with medical conditions can be adopted. Adoptive parents are given the opportunity to request specific criteria for the child they want to adopt when submitting their adoption application. Adoptive parents are informed of the child's condition in a detailed report when they are matched with the child. Once matched with a child, the PAP will have the opportunity to accept or reject the prospective child.

WAITING PERIOD: There is no designated waiting period in an adoption case but prospective parents should be aware that it will likely take several years to finalize an adoption in Togo as the adoption process is new and details are still being worked out. Files are treated on a first come, first served basis and as the process is relatively new, many of the details

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