Mongolia and the Hague Convention

A ger in front of the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

WARNING:Mongolia is party to the Hague Adoption Convention. Do not adopt or obtain legal custody of a child in Mongolia before a U.S. consular officer issues an "Article 5 Letter." See the "How to Adopt" section for more information.

Mongolia is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore all intercountry adoptions between Mongolia and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Act of 2000 (IAA); and the IAA implementing regulations. Currently, the Government of Mongolia is allowing American citizens who meet required eligibility requirements to also adopt locally. Please note that any child adopted locally (i.e. outside the Hague Adoption Convention process) is not immediately eligible for an immigrant visa and must qualify for an immigrant visa as the child of the American Citizen (IR-2). Additional information is available from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additionally, the specific regulations regarding local adoptions by foreigners are unclear and the Government of Mongolia is currently working to clarify and revise these regulations as well as their adoption procedures generally. To adopt through the Hague Convention Process Do Not adopt or obtain legal custody of a child in Mongolia before a U.S. consular officer issues an "Article 5 Letter."

The Mongolian and U.S. authorities involved in the adoption and immigration process review each case individually to ensure that the child and the prospective adoptive family have met both countries' legal requirements.

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

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