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INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION

COLOMBIA

 

 

 

COLOMBIAN ADOPTION ATTORNEYS: Please contact ICBF and licensed adoption agencies for their list of recommended attorneys who work with intercountry adoptions.

 

Prospective adoptive parents are advised to fully research any adoption agency or facilitator they plan to use for adoption services and ensure that it is an agency accredited by Bienestar Familiar (ICBF).  For U.S.-based agencies, please see Important Notice Regarding Adoption Agents and Facilitators at our Web site travel.state.gov.  

 

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 office of the appropriate state government agency in the U.S. state where the agency is located or licensed. 

 

ADOPTION FEES IN COLOMBIA: It is difficult to predict how much the entire adoption process will cost as each case has unique circumstances.  Parents receiving visas for their adopted children have reported spending between $12,000 and $20,000 from start to finish. 

 

ADOPTION PROCEDURES:

1. Once an adoptive couple has decided that Colombia is the country from which they wish to adopt, they must first contact the ICBF or an accredited adoption agency in Colombia (listed above) in order to obtain a list of adoption agencies in the United States, nearest to the couple’s place of residence, that are accredited by the Colombian Government.  One of these adoption agencies in the United States will perform the home study and will assist prospective parents in preparing the Form I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition), if not completed previously, and its supporting documents for approval by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) division.  Please note that many of the documents required for the I-600A are the same that are required for ICBF, so it is wise to review both lists to avoid duplicating efforts.

 

2. Once the I-600A has been approved by DHS, parents must compile the list of documents, below, for submission to the ICBF.  Once the ICBF approves the package of documents, it will be in a position to inform prospective adoptive parents (through their agencies) about the availability of children in need of a family placement and the amount of time it is likely to take to complete the adoption.  This timeline will depend on several factors, including the parent’s age, the desired sex of the child, age of the desired child, and how many children are available at the time.  ICBF will inform the parents (again, through the agencies) once a child has officially been assigned to them.  Medical, social, psychological, and nutritional assessments are provided to the parents, as well as photographs of the child.  Prospective parents are then given two months to make a decision as to whether to adopt that particular child.

 

3. After the parents are informed that they have been assigned a child, they then travel to Colombia to begin the legal process with Colombian authorities.  The ICBF or the Colombian adoption agency will assist the family with obtaining the documents needed to complete the Colombian legal procedures, including (but not limited to) the adoption decree, a new Colombian birth certificate, and a new Colombian passport.  The passport fee is 67,000 pesos (approx. US $30).  All other fees vary.

 

4. Once all the Colombian legal proceedings are complete, the family is ready to visit the U.S. Embassy to apply for the immigrant visa used to travel to the United States.  Please refer to the list below of specific documents required on the day of the immigrant visa interview.  The Embassy handles visas for adopted children Monday through Thursday, except Colombian or U.S. holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

 

LETTER REQUIRED BY COLOMBIAN JUDGES:  In order for the U.S. Embassy to issue the letter required by the Colombian family judges that commits the U.S. Embassy to issuing an immigrant visa under the condition that all adoption and U.S. immigration requirements are met, the Embassy needs to have received an Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (Form I-600A) approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).  The adopting parents file this petition in the United States at the USCIS service center responsible for the district in which they reside.  (Information on USCIS office locations can be found at: http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/index.htm).  Please note that if the adoptive parents reside in Colombia, they should contact the Embassy in Bogotá for instructions.  Anyone with questions may contact the Embassy any working day from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and ask for the person responsible for processing visas for adopted children.  Tel.  (57)(1) 383-2795.

 

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY ICBF FOR ADOPTION IN COLOMBIA:  The following is a list of documents that U.S. prospective adoptive parents are required to submit to the ICBF while the parents are still in the U.S. (see step 2 of procedures above), and before they travel to Colombia to adopt a child:

1. Application Form for adoption can be provided by the ICBF or found on the ICBF Website: www.icbf.gov.co;
2. Birth certificates of adoptive parents;
3. Marriage certificate or proof of common law relationship of adoptive parents;
4. Medical examinations by Board-certified physicians clearly stating that prospective adoptive parents are mentally and physically capable of caring for a child (or children).
5. National law enforcement clearance issued by a competent police authority.  For U.S. citizens, this consists of a set of fingerprints, and their results, issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  These cards may be requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  When completed, the cards for the U.S. records check as well as the US $85.00 fee and a letter of intent (for adoption purposes) should be sent to the address below.  The FBI may take as long as two to three months to return the completed results.  (Please note:  The set of fingerprints submitted previously with the I-600A application cannot be submitted to the ICBF). 

 

National Visa Center
Fingerprint Unit
32 Rochester Avenue
Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

6. Birth certificates of any children previously adopted by adoptive parents;
7. Certificate of financial ability; employment letters explaining time of service and monthly salary received in US dollars;
8. If self-employed, a certified document regarding the parent’s financial resources or last income tax return with supporting documents is required;
9. Social and psychological study of the adopting family that establishes physical, mental, moral and social capacity.  The homestudy required by USCIS can fulfill both the U.S. and the Colombian requirements.
10. If there were previous marriages or partners of adopting parents, proof of divorce and reasons for such dissolutions should be presented; and
11. Notarized statement clarifying any changes in name or indicating, “also known as.” Generally, Colombian women do not change their names to that of their husbands.  As a result, Colombian courts are accustomed to birth certificates, marriage certificates, and passports with no variation in name.  If you have documents in both maiden and marriage names, you must submit a notarized statement indicating the reasons for the discrepancies in your documents.

 

AUTHENTICATING U.S. DOCUMENTS TO BE USED ABROAD:  The language describing the process of authenticating U.S. documents to be used abroad is currently under review.  Please click on the following link for more information until the new language is finalized: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth.

 

COLOMBIAN EMBASSY AND CONSULATES IN THE UNITED STATES:

 

Colombian Embassy
2118 Leroy Place NW
Washington, DC  20008
Telephone: (202) 387-5858, (202) 332-7476

 

Consulate in Atlanta 5901 - C Peachtree Dunwoody Road Suite 375 Atlanta, GA  30328 Phone: 770-668-0451/0512/0552 EXT: 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 Fax: 770-668-0763	Consulate in Boston 535 Boylston Street 11th Floor Boston, MA  02116 Phone: 617-536-6222 Fax: 617-536-9372
Consulate in Chicago 500 North Michigan Avenue  Suite 2040 Chicago, IL  60611 Phone: 312-923-1196 or 312-923-9034/5 Fax: 312-923-1197	Consulate in Houston 5851 San Felipe, Suite 300  Houston, TX  77057 Phone: 713-527-8919 or 713-527-9093 Fax: 713-529-3395
Consulate in Los Angeles 8383 Wilshire Blvd.  Suite 420 Beverly Hills, CA  90211 Phone: 323-653-9863 or 323-653-4299 Fax: 323-653-2964	Consulate in Miami 280 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, FL  33134 Phone: 305-448-5558; 305-441-1235; or 305-448-4179 Fax: 305-441-9537
Consulate in New York 10 East 46th Street New York City, NY  10017 Phone: 212-949-9898 or 212-370-0004 Fax: 212-972-1725	Consulate in San Francisco 595 Market Street Suite 2130 San Francisco, CA  94105 Phone: 415-495-7195/96 Fax: 415-777-3731
Consulate in San Juan Edificio Mercantil  Pl 814 Avenida Ponce de Leon Hato Rey, PR  00918 Phone: 787-754-6899 or 787-754-6885 Fax: 787-754-1675	Consulate in Washington DC 1101 17th Street NW Suite 1007 Washington, DC  20036 Phone: 202-332-7476 Fax: 202-332-7180

U.S. IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS

Prospective adopting parents are strongly encouraged to consult USCIS publication M-249, The Immigration of Adopted and Prospective Adopting Children, as well as the Department of State publication, International Adoptions. The USCIS publication is available at the USCIS Web site. The Department of State publication International Adoption can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site, travel.state.gov, under “International Adoption.”

 

Before completing an adoption abroad, prospective adoptive parents are strongly encouraged to read the requirements for filing Form I-600 Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.  Please see our flyer “How Can Adopted Children Come to the United States” at our Web site travel.state.gov.

 

If the prospective parents are currently living in Colombia, they may find the home study approval process more difficult than if they were residing in the United States.  Therefore, prospective parents residing in Colombia should contact the Immigrant Visa Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá at 383-2795 for further information.

 

U.S. EMBASSY IN COLOMBIA: Americans living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within the country of travel. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. The Consular Section is located at:

 

The United States Embassy is located at:
Calle 22 D Bis # 47-51
Bogotá, Colombia

 

Telephone calls from 2:00 to 3:30 P.M. (East Coast time) at the following number: 011-571-383-2795.

 

DOCUMENTS TO BRING TO THE U.S. EMBASSY: Once you have all the required documents, below, one of the adoptive parents must come to the U.S. Embassy with the child between 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday.  Please note there is a fee of US $380or the equivalent in Colombian pesos for the visa application.

The following is a list of the documents required by the U.S. Embassy in order to process immigrant visas for Colombian children who have been adopted by U.S. citizens:

1. Form I-600:  "Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative."  This form has to be filled out completely, signed by both adoptive parents and filed with the U.S. Embassy before the child reaches his/her sixteenth (16) birthday.
2. Form DS-230:  "Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration", Parts I and II.  These forms should be filled out by one of the adoptive parents in the child's name before coming for the formal visa interview.  Every item should be answered.  If information is not applicable, please write N/A in the block.
3. Child's Passport.
4. 2 Photographs:  2 COLOR photographs with WHITE background on GLOSSY paper; frontal portrait, 5 cm X 5 cm total frame, head size 3 cm.
5. Child's Birth Certificates (originals or authenticated copies):  Both birth certificates, the one before the adoption and the other after the adoption.
6. Abandonment Decree or Custodial Parent’sRelease (original or authenticated copy):  This document should have the Colombian Family Welfare Institute's (ICBF) approval.
7. Final Adoption Decree (original or authenticated copy)
8. Fee:  The fee for an immigrant visa processed by the Embassy is US $380. 
9. Medical Exam:  Before an immigrant visa can be issued, all adopted children must have a medical examination performed by the Embassy's approved panel physician, named below.  The cost of this medical examination is approximately US $50 and must be paid by the parents directly to the physician, not to the Embassy.  The child’s Colombian passport will be required for the medical appointment.
   
   Dr. Juan Ignacio Fajardo
   Carrera 16 # 82-74 Apt. 318
   Tel. (57)(1) 691 9272/73.

 

ACQUIRING U.S. CITIZENSHIP: The language describing the acquisition of U.S. citizenship for adopted children is currently under review. Until the new language is finalized, please click on the following link for further information. ../info/info_457.html.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Specific questions about adoption in Colombia may be addressed to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. General questions regarding international adoption may be addressed to the Office of Children’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, CA/OCS/CI, SA-29, 4^th Floor, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C.  20520-4818, toll-free Tel: 1-888-407-4747.

Useful information is also available from several other sources:

 

Telephone:

• Toll Free - For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, call Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747.  This number is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).  Callers who are unable to use toll-free numbers, such as those calling from overseas, may obtain information and assistance during these hours by calling 1-202-501-4444.
• U.S. Department of State Visa Office - recorded information concerning immigrant visas for adopting children, (202) 663-1225.
• DHS Citizenship and Immigration Services - recorded information for requesting immigrant visa application forms, 1-800-870-FORM (3676).

 

Internet:

• Adoption Information Flyers: the Consular Affairs web site, at: http://travel.state.gov/ contains international country adoption information flyers like this one and the International Adoptions brochure.
• Consular Information Sheets: The State Department has general information about hiring a foreign attorney and authenticating documents that may supplement the country-specific information provided in this flier. In addition, the State Department publishes Consular Information Sheets (CISes) 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 CIS for that country, the State Department may issue a Public Announcement alerting U.S. citizens to local security situations. If conditions in a country are sufficiently serious, the State Department may issue a Travel Warning recommending that U.S. citizens avoid traveling to that country.  These documents are available on the Internet at: http://travel.state.gov/ or by calling the State Department's Office of Overseas Citizen Services Toll Free Hotline at 1-888-407-4747.  This number is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).  Callers who are unable to use toll-free numbers, such as those calling from overseas, may obtain information and assistance during these hours by calling 1-202-501-4444.
• USCIS web site - http://uscis.gov