Revision as of 21:31, 14 February 2014

Hague Convention Information

Bhutan is not party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore, when the Hague Adoption Convention entered into force for the United States on April 1, 2008, intercountry adoption processing for Bhutan did not change.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Government of Bhutan temporarily suspended all intercountry adoptions pending approval of the Child Protection Act of 2012. The Child Protection Act will clarify adoption procedures and help ensure the best interests of the child. No timeline has been provided as to when the adoption bill will be passed. Please monitor the Adoption.state.gov for additional developments.

Who Can Adopt

To bring an adopted child to United States from Bhutan, you must 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, Bhutan also has the following requirements for prospective adoptive parents:

Residency

There is no specific residency requirement but the prospective adoptive parents should meet the child before adoption. The prospective adoptive parents have to be physically present at the time of the completion of the adoption.

Age of Adopting Parents

The age difference between the child and the prospective adoptive parents must be 25 years or more.

Marriage

Married couple with a stable relationship, age, financial and health status with reasonable income to support the child should be evident in the Home Study Report. Single persons (including widowed and divorced persons) may not adopt.

Income

None.

Other

Bhutan does not permit same-sex couples to adopt.

A second adoption from Bhutan will be considered only when the legal adoption of the first child is completed.

Who Can Be Adopted

Bhutan has specific requirements that a child must meet in order to be eligible for adoption. You cannot adopt a child in Bhutan unless he or she meets the requirements outlined below.

In addition to these requirements, a child must meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. law for you to bring him or her back to the United States. Learn more about these U.S. requirements.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Relinquishment Requirements: A document with a legal stamp is required from the biological parents indicating that they have willingly relinquished their child for adoption. Photo identification of the biological parents is also required.

Abandonment Requirements: When the biological parents decide to relinquish their child up for adoption, they must first contact National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC). If the child is not yet born or is newly born, the hospital will forward the information to NCWC. In both cases the biological parents' identification will be available with NCWC for adoption purposes. As mentioned above the parents must provide a document with a legal stamp indicating that biological parents have willingly relinquishing the child for adoption. To date NCWC has not received a single case where the child has been abandon by the biological parents.

Age Requirements: According to the present established convention, a child must be below five years of age. However, the draft Children Adoption bill, expected to be passed into law shortly, will alter the age range when a child may be adopted. Under the new law, children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years may be adopted. Children under the age of 6 months may not be adopted (Note: In order for a child to emigrate to the U.S. on an orphan immigrant visa, the prospective adoptive parents must file an I-600 application before a child reaches age 16. The only exception is when a child over the age of sixteen and under the age of 18 is being adopted together with a sibling or siblings under the age of 16.)

Sibling Requirements: No requirements.

Requirements for Special Needs or Medical Conditions: Per NCWC if the child available for adoption is of special needs or has medical conditions, the NCWC and the court will verify if the prospective adoptive parents agree to the match and have arrangements in place to handle the special/medical needs of the child.

Waiting Period: Per information given by National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC), there is no specific waiting period for adoption. If the contracting parties (Biological parents and adoptive parent) agree and have met the requirements set forth by the law then the adoption will proceed to the court for an adoption order.

How to Adopt

Adoption Authority

The Process

Traveling Abroad

After Adoption

SOURCE

Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information