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EmailINTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION
ETHIOPIA
April 2008
Disclaimer: The following is intended as a general guide to assist
The adoption of children from countries that are party to the Hague Convention must follow the procedures outlined by the
Convention, and its U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA). More information on the IAA
and the Convention can be found at www.travel.state.gov on the Children and Family pages on intercounry adoption.
The information in this flyer relating to the legal requirements of specific foreign countries is based on public sources
and our current understanding. It does not necessarily reflect the actual state of the laws of a child’s country of birth
and is provided for general information only. Moreover,
THE HAGUE
PLEASE NOTE: There are several U.S.-based adoption agencies authorized by the Government of
PATTERNS OF IMMIGRATION OF ADOPTED ORPHANS TO THE
|
Fiscal Year |
Number of Immigrant Visas Issued |
|
FY 2007 |
1,255 |
|
FY 2006 |
731 |
|
FY 2005 |
440 |
|
FY 2004 |
289 |
|
FY 2003 |
135 |
ADOPTION AUTHORITY IN
ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT: The Ethiopian government prefers to place children with married couples who have been married for at least five years.
In general, single persons under age 25 may not adopt, nor may openly gay or lesbian individuals or couples. However, the
Ethiopian government has occasionally approved cases involving persons in all of these categories.
There is no statutory maximum age limit on the adoptive parent. However, Ethiopian practice is to limit the age of the parent to no more than 40 years greater than that of the adopted child.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: There are no residency requirements for prospective adoptive parents.
TIME FRAME: Adoption agencies will advise adoptive parents approximately how long an adoption can take. Recent adoptions have taken
between 6 and 24 months.
Once the Ethiopian adoption process has been completed, it normally takes about an hour to apply for an immigrant visa for an adopted child for families working through approved adoption agencies. Approved visas are typically picked up by the agencies the following morning. It may take months for private adopters, depending on the completeness of the application and the need for follow-up investigations.
ADOPTION AGENCIES AND ATTORNEYS: The U.S. Embassy in
MOWA has a list of adoption agencies authorized to provide adoption services.
Prospective adoptive parents are advised to fully research any adoption agency or facilitator they plan to use for adoption
services. For U.S.-based agencies, it is suggested that prospective adoptive parents contact the Better Business Bureau and/or
the licensing authority in the
Adoptive Parents Residing in
There is a sole social worker who is authorized to conduct a home study for the purposes of satisfying the requirements of
USCIS’ I-600A application and I-600 petition processes. To request a home study, prospective adoptive parents resident in
Ethiopia may contact social worker Malahat BAIG-AMIN at 251 11 371 3307/3334 or cell phone number 251 91 131 5299. Prospective
adoptive parents may also contact an accredited American agency to see if/when the agency may be sending a social worker to
I-600A applications are sent to the Officer-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
Private Adoptions: Private adoptions are permitted in
The procedures for an intercountry adoption are different from those for a local adoption. International adoption rules in
ADOPTION FEES IN
MOWA and the police charge no fees for services creating dossiers on the parents and the child, investigating whether the child is a bona fide orphan, meeting in committee to review the case, and making their recommendations to the court.
Courts charge no fees for services in accepting adoption petitions, making judgments, and issuing decrees.
MOWA often asks for a letter from the U.S. Embassy supporting the parents' desire to adopt. If the Embassy has received the petition approval from USCIS, a letter can be issued supporting the adoption. This service is free.
If additional documents are required by MOWA, the agency/parents can submit certified copies. Cost for certification by the U.S. Embassy is $30 per grommeted package, or single document.
After the adoption: The services of MOWA in issuing a letter to the U.S. Embassy attesting to the orphan status of the child, and issuing requests so that the child's new birth certificate and passport can be issued, are free.
The issuance of a local birth certificate costs about $2; for expeditious or same day service, add about $5.
To have a birth certificate or other document authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs it costs about $16 for Ethiopian parents, about $35 for foreign parents.
Ethiopian Passport issuance is about $35.
Orphanages run by religious organizations, and the large government run orphanages, charge nothing for their services to prepare and sign adoption contracts.
The Department does not know what the licensed adoption agencies charge to process an Ethiopian adoption. Local unscrupulous
adoption facilitators have been known to charge adoptive parents additional costs beyond what prospective adoptive parents
believed they would be charged, often after they have arrived in
ADOPTION PROCEDURES: MOWA identifies orphans in need of a permanent family placement through international adoption. In general, Ethiopian
orphans identified for intercountry adoption have been abandoned by their parents or have lost their parents to disease or
other misfortune. MOWA places abandoned or orphaned children in orphanages or foster homes, pending adoption. When a child
is abandoned, by law it comes into the custody of the government. When a child is found to have two HIV/AIDS-infected parents,
or one living HIV/AIDS-infected parent, the government routinely declares that the child is an orphan and assumes legal guardianship
of the child. Many AIDS-orphaned children adopted by Americans come from the HIV/AIDS hospice run by the Missionaries of
Charity in
Please be aware that it is common practice for the Government of Ethiopia to require that a child be resident in an orphanage for three months before they can be adopted.
MOWA has responsibility for all activities regarding children in the country, including welfare, foster care, domestic and intercountry adoption, and investigation of neglect and abuse. When an orphaned or abandoned child comes into the custody of the government, the police and MOWA create the child's dossier.
Note - An adoption agency’s
Step One - Prospective adoptive parents must take or send all of the required documents (see document list below), already certified
and authenticated, to the Ethiopian Embassy in
Ministry Of Women’s Affairs (MOWA)
Children and Youth Affairs Office, Adoption Team (CYAO)
P.O. Box 1293
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
MOWA reviews the documents for completeness and creates a dossier on the adoptive parent(s).
Note on private adoptions: Parents who have received MOWA permission to adopt privately must come to
Note on relative adoptions: Ethiopian-Americans who are adopting orphaned relatives do not have to come to
Step Two - The parents’ dossier is taken to the Claims and Authentication Section of the Protocol Office at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in
Step Three - The parents’ dossier is returned to CYAO. CYAO will then affix a summary sheet, on which will be noted items such as court decisions, background data on the adopted child or children, and the names of Adoption Committee members who will complete the form at a later date (see below). At this point, for private adoptions only, MOWA usually asks the U.S. Embassy to provide a letter of support for the adoptive parents. These letters are provided, free of charge, only after the U.S. Embassy has received directly from USCIS a notice of I-600A or I-600 petition approval for the adoptive parent(s).
Step Four - CYAO submits the parents’ dossier to the Adoption Committee for review and approval to adopt. The Adoption Committee meets periodically, sometimes as often as every week, to review cases. The Committee either approves or rejects the prospective adoptive parent(s), based on Ethiopian guidelines for international adoptions. Given the volume of work before the Committee, it can take weeks before the Committee reviews a dossier. Further investigation into the parents' qualifications is done if deemed necessary, and a recommendation is made. Only if all the members of the committee agree, and sign the recommendation, is the request approved.
Step Five - Once the Committee has approved the parents’ dossier, a child is selected and referred to the prospective parents to adopt, according to the parents’ preferences for age and sex. The child selected must have its own dossier at MOWA. That dossier describes the child, the child's history, how the child came to be an orphan, and who has legal guardianship of the child. Once a referral is made, the prospective adoptive parent may accept or refuse the referral.
Step Six - Upon acceptance of the referral, a Contract of Adoption is signed between the child's legal guardian and the adoptive parent(s), or the agency representative. If the legal guardian is also the agency that is processing the adoption, another licensed orphanage can sign on behalf of the child. This contract is the basis for the issuance of the adoption decree, which shows that the guardian or the orphanage has relinquished their parental or guardian right in regard to the adopted child. The contract must be taken to the Inland Revenue Administration office to be stamped. There is a nominal fee.
Step Seven - CYAO opens a file at the Federal First Instance Court to apply for an appointment date for the adoption hearing. The court date could be one to two months from the date of filing. The Court generally is closed between three and twelve weeks between July and October. The dates change every year.
Step Eight - A notice seeking any other claimants to the child is published in the local press stating the child's name and the name of the adopting parents. Anyone opposed to the adoption is requested to appear at MOWA by a certain date and time.
Step Nine - When the appointed court date arrives, the prospective parents or their agency's local representative will be asked to appear in court. Final decisions can be handed down quickly, but delays of weeks are not uncommon. Adoptive parents must obtain at least two originals of the court decree. One will be retained by MOWA and one must be submitted to the U.S. Embassy for the visa application. The original submitted to the Embassy will be returned to the parents.
- Note – Adoptions are final. All Ethiopian adoptions are full and final and irrevocable under Ethiopian law.
- Note – Legal guardianship versus adoption. Ethiopian-American orphan adopters should note that the court decrees one receives for adoption are very similar to those granting legal guardianship. In order to receive an orphan visa, adoptive parents must ensure that the decree is one of adoption and not simply the granting of legal guardianship.
- Note – Effective date of the adoption. Usually, the adoption decree confirms the adoption contract; thus, under Ethiopian law, the effective date of adoption is
usually the date the adoption contract was signed. However, under
Step Ten - After the adoption is complete, MOWA prepares a request to the city of
Step Eleven - The court decree must be translated into English. The original and the translation are submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for authentication. The authentication stamp, seals and signature are placed on the back of the translation. If the adoption contract was made in Amharic, it too must be translated into English and the original translation authenticated by MOFA.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ADOPTION IN
- A written statement from the adoptive parents explaining why an Ethiopian child is preferred, with an original translation into Amharic.
- Original birth certificate(s) of the prospective adoptive parent (s), each with an original translation into Amharic.
- Original marriage license/certificate, if applicable, with an original translation into Amharic. Note - If originals are not available, certified copies must be authenticated by the Department of State. That authentication must be accompanied by an original translation into Amharic.
- An original Ethiopian police clearance for each of the adoptive parents (including those residing in
- A medical certificate/clearance for each of the adoptive parents, with an original translation into Amharic.
- The original home study prepared by a qualified social worker, which specifies the following: personal and family status; character and personal qualities; educational background; duration and stability of marriage; financial and medical situations; present address and U.S. address; condition of home in country of residence; address and names of family of origin (i.e., parents; and the agency's recommendation regarding your suitability as an adoptive parent with an original translation into Amharic.) Note - The agency that conducts the home study and issues the recommendation must have approval in the parents’ state of residence to do so.
- Evidence of economic status, which must include a letter from employer showing salary, date of employment, position in the organization and a bank statement. Proof of life and health insurance, other proof of income or assets may also be submitted. Each document must be accompanied by an original translation into Amharic.
- Three letters of reference from friends, relatives, church or other sources qualified to assess your character, the stability of your marriage, and your ability to parent, with original translations into Amharic.
- Two passport-size photographs of the prospective adoptive parent(s).
- If the adoptive parents do not come to
- "Obligation of Adoption or Social Welfare Agency" signed by the adoption agency handling the adoption, or for private adopters, from the organization that provided the home study, or by the parents’ employer, in which the parents agree to allow follow-up visits by a social worker, and to submit a regular progress report to CYAO on the child's (or children's) adjustment to/development in the adoptive home. These visits should be scheduled at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the adoption and annually thereafter until the child reaches the age of 18. This form must be forwarded together with the psychosocial study/home study and with an original translation into Amharic, by either the parents or the adoption agency.
- Verification by the adoption agency or home study organization on the child's qualification for naturalization under the parents' state laws, with an original translation into Amharic.
AUTHENTICATING
ETHIOPIANEMBASSY IN THE UNITED STATES:
Phone: 202-364-1200
Fax: 202-587-0195
http://www.ethiopianembassy.org/contact.shtml
Parents who do not have an approved I-600A must file their Form I-600 (Petition t Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative)
with the USCIS office having jurisdiction over their place of residence in the
APPLYING FOR A VISA AT THE
In addition to the documents and procedures outlined in How Can Adopted Children Come to the United States, the following procedures must be followed at the U.S. Embassy in
After the I-600 petition is approved by USCIS, adoptive parents may contact the Consular Section at (011-251-11) 124-24-24
Monday to Thursday afternoon to schedule an interview (please be aware that the Embassy has designated interview dates for
agencies; please consult with your agency for more information). Parents should not make final, non-refundable travel plans
to depart
Immigrant visa applications are adjudicated based upon and approved I-600. If the I-600 is to be presented at the Embassy by one or both adoptive parents, the I-600 adjudication, the I-604 investigation and the immigrant visa application adjudication are done at the same time.
The child must be present at the Embassy for the immigrant visa interview.
Note - The U.S. Embassy in
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- For information on current immigrant visa petition fees, the visa application and processing fee, and security surcharge, please see our Fees for Visa Services Website.
- Photos for the visa application cost about $2-3;
- The medical exam for the visa application is about $35. If the child is 16 or older, a police certificate is required. This will cost about $1.50.
- If DNA testing is suggested to support any other relationship claim, that cost is determined by the lab in the
- If the parent is using one of the approved adoption agencies, please ask the DHS/USCIS office to include the name of the agency in the notification. Upon receipt of such notification, the U.S. Embassy will contact the adoption agency and advise that the approval has been received.
- If the U.S. Embassy receives notification of an approved I-600A that does not list an adoption agency, the Embassy waits for the adoption agency to contact the Embassy. Once the adoptive parents are ready to start the immigrant visa application process, they or their agency should pick up the necessary forms from the Embassy.
- All non-English documents submitted to the Embassy must be accompanied by a translation into English. We understand translation
services in
- Photocopies of all original documents, including the biographic pages of the passport, must be submitted to the Embassy. Cost runs about two to five cents per page.
- For parents who will file the I-600 with DHS in the
NOTE: Visas can generally be collected the morning following the day of interview.
After The Visa Is Issued
For the child to exit
If the child will transit
If the child will transit the
Taxicabs charge foreigners about $4 to come up the hill to the U.S. Embassy from downtown or one of the major hotels.
American Embassy
ACQUIRING
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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- Country Specific Information - The State Department has general information about hiring a foreign attorney and authenticating documents that may supplement
the country-specific information provided in this flyer. In addition, the State Department publishes Country Specific Information
for every country in the world, providing information such as location of the U.S. Embassy, health conditions, political situations,
and crime reports. If the situation in a country poses a specific threat to the safety and security of American citizens that
is not addressed in the CSI for that country, the State Department may issue a Travel Alert alerting
- USCIS web site
