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INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION


ARMENIA

May 2006

DISCLAIMER: The following is intended as a very general guide to assist U.S. citizens who plan to adopt a child from a foreign country and apply for an immigrant visa for the child to come to the United States. Two sets of laws are particularly relevant: 1) the laws of the child’s country of birth govern all activity in that country including the adoptability of individual children as well as the adoption of children in country in general; and 2) U.S. Federal immigration law governs the immigration of the child to the United States.

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, U.S. immigration law, including regulations and interpretation, changes from time to time. This flyer reflects our current understanding of the law as of this date and is not legally authoritative. Questions involving foreign and U.S. immigration laws and legal interpretation should be addressed respectively to qualified foreign or U.S. legal counsel.

PATTERNS OF IMMIGRATION OF ADOPTED ORPHANS TO THE U.S.: Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to Armenian orphans:

Fiscal Year Number of Immigrant Visas Issued
FY 2005 21
FY 2004 30
FY 2003 43
FY 2002 43
FY 2001 27

ADOPTION AUTHORITY IN ARMENIA :

Prime Minister's Office
Social Security Ministry, Tel. (374 10) 56-53-83, or 52-68-31
Government Building #1
Republic Square
Yerevan

The Adoption Commission, which reviews adoption requests, is a commission made up of representatives from various ministries that operates out of the prime minister's office.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS: Married couples and single women are eligible to apply to adopt Armenian children.  Single men may not. 

Although legally required, the Armenian government is more likely to approve prospective adoptive parents who are ethnically Armenian and/or have strong ties to Armenia.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS:  Prospective adoptive parents do not have to fulfill any residency requirements to adopt in Armenia.

TIME FRAME: The most time-consuming part of adopting an Armenian child is gathering the appropriate documents and getting approval from a variety of Armenian authorities. The procedure can take four to eight weeks, and possibly longer if the parents are operating without a translator or facilitator.  

ADOPTION AGENCIES AND ATTORNEYS: There are no licensed adoption agencies in Armenia.  There is also no formal registration or licensing of facilitators; many people with connections to Armenia just use friends as their facilitators.

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.  Please see Important Notice Regarding Adoption Agents and Facilitators at the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs web site travel.state.gov.

ADOPTION FEES IN ARMENIA: Prospective adoptive parents can expect to pay approximately $45.00 in fees for document issuance in Armenia. Attorneys assisting families to adopt may charge additional fees for services rendered.

ADOPTION PROCEDURES IN ARMENIA:  The first list of documents below must be submitted to the Armenian government, either through the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or Consulate General in Beverly Hills, or directly to the Adoption Commission of the government of Armenia, located in Government Building #1 in Republic Square in Yerevan. An authorized representative of the adoptive parents can do this provided that the representative has a notarized power of attorney from the prospective adoptive parents authorizing him/her to arrange the adoption.

Once government permission to adopt is obtained, the adoptive parents must submit the second list of documents below to the municipality in which the child resides and attend court proceedings. 

Prospective adoptive parents can expect to travel to Armenia to sign adoption papers, attend a court proceeding, and have an I-604 orphan investigation interview and a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan (see below).

Upon obtaining a favorable court decision, the adoptive parents must wait 15 days for the Armenian government to produce the official decision.  The court decision must then be registered with the regional Office of Civil Registration (ZAGS).  With the adoption decree, the parents can apply for birth and adoption certificates, and a new Armenian passport for the child.

Before the adoptive parents depart for the United States with their new son or daughter, they must go to the Notarial Office of the Ministry of Justice to get the new documents certified with an apostille (an Armenian prerequisite for adopted children to leave the country). 

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ADOPTION IN ARMENIA:

List 1:
Government Approval
The application for adoption can be filed either in the United States or Armenia. To start an application in the United States the following documents should be presented to the Armenian Consulates in Washington, D.C., or Beverly Hills, Ca., by registered mail at the addresses listed in the “Embassy and Consulates in the United States” section, below:

The same documents should be presented to the Adoption Commission if prospective adoptive parents decide file the application directly in Armenia.

  • Copy of the adoptive parents' birth certificates;
  • Copy of the adoptive parents' U.S. passports;
  • Copy of the adoptive parents' marriage certificate, where applicable. If either applicant is divorced or widowed, a copy of the divorce decree or spouse's death certificate is also required;
  • Family photos of the prospective adoptive family;
  • Full medical evaluation report for prospective adoptive parents from a U.S. doctor;
  • Police report for adoptive parents (separate from FBI clearance needed for the I-600A approval);
  • USCIS approval: Form I-171H;
  • Employment letter for adoptive parents;
  • Tax returns for the last three years;
  • Home Study; report conducted by licensed agent in U.S.;
  • Copy of home study agency or social worker's license;
  • Letters of reference from three individuals in the U.S. who know the adoptive parents;
  • Reference letter from pastor or community leader;
  • Letter to the Prime Minister of Republic of Armenia stating adoptive parents' intention to adopt a child from Armenia. The Armenian government wants to see that the prospective adoptive parents have some connection to Armenian culture. This can include an extended stay in the country or Armenian heritage on at least one side of the family.

The above documents must be submitted together as one package and legalized with an apostille.

All documents must be translated into Eastern Armenian.  If the package is submitted to the Embassy or Consulate General of Armenia in the United States, the receiving office will do the translation.  If the package is submitted directly to the Adoption Commission in Armenia, the prospective adoptive parents should first have the package translated and notarized in Armenia. 

List 2:

Municipal Approval
The following documents should be submitted to the regional court presiding over the child’s district. This application should include:

  • The full name of the adoptive parents and child;
  • Whether or not the parents want to change the child’s name, his date of birth, place of birth, or to put themselves as parents on his documents;
  • Adoptive parents’ passports or other identification;
  • Adoptive parents’ marriage license;
  • Spousal consent, if only one spouse is legally adopting the child;
  • Child’s consent if the child is over age 10;
  • Child’s birth certificate and medical records;
  • Statement of child’s centralized registration from the Ministry of Social Security;
  • Written consent of adoptive parents, birth parents and the orphanage. (Also, if applicable, death certificates of birth parents and consent of biological grandparents, if the biological parents are not adults), if applicable;
  • Government approval of adoption.

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/.

ARMENIAN EMBASSY AND CONSULATE IN THE UNITED STATES:

Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 319-1976
Fax: (202) 319-2982
E-mail: armconsul@speakeasy.net
http://www.armeniaemb.org

Armenian Consulate General
50 North La Cienega Boulevard, Suite 210
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tel : (310) 657-7320
E-mail: armconla@aol.com

U.S. IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS

Prospective adoptive 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 the flyer “How Can Adopted Children Come to the United States” at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs web site travel.state.gov.

U.S. EMBASSY IN ARMENIA:

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:

Embassy of the United States of America
1 American Avenue
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: (+374 10) 464-700, 494-686
Fax:(+374 10) 464-742, 46-47-37
E-mail: consular@usa.am

APPLYING FOR A VISA AT THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ARMENIA: 

After the adoption is final, adoptive parents still must schedule an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan to file the I-600, have an orphan investigation interview, and apply for an immigrant visa. Parents should not make final, non-refundable travel plans for return to the United States until they have their child's immigrant visa in hand.

Adoptive parents should come to the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan with all the necessary paperwork between 2 and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule the orphan investigation interview and visa interview. The Embassy tries to accommodate all parents as quickly as possible, but please note that the orphan investigation may take several days. Please contact the Consular Section upon arrival in country at the contact information below with any questions or concerns.

Embassy of the United States of America
1 American Avenue
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: (+374 10) 464-700, 494-686
Fax:(+374 10) 464-742, 46-47-37
E-mail: consular@usa.am

A consular officer is required to review each adoption case carefully and make an independent determination of the child's eligibility for a visa. In the unlikely event a child will be receiving an Immediate Relative-4 visa (issued in cases where the adoptive parents have not seen the child prior to the adoption), the financial information provided with the I-864 Affidavit of Support. In all cases, the child must be present at the Embassy for the immigrant visa interview.

In addition to the complete adoption file presented for the I-600, you will also need the following:

  • A medical exam completed by a designated panel physician*;
  • The child's Armenian passport;
  • Two identical full face photographs measuring 2"X2";
  • $380 for visa application and issuance fees (payable in cash U.S. dollars only).

*The Panel Physician's examination is designed to comply with specific visa regulations, and is not intended to be a fully inclusive physical examination. If adoptive parents wish to consult a pediatrician for a more complete physical exam, or for any health problems, the Embassy can provide a current list of doctors and sources for medicine.

Note: Visa issuance after the final interview now generally takes 24 hours and it will not normally be possible to provide the visa to adoptive parents on the day of the interview.

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 Armenia may be addressed to the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. General questions regarding intercountry adoption may be addressed to the Office of Children’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, CA/OCS/CI, SA-29, 4th 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 intercountry adoption 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.
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - recorded information for requesting immigrant visa application forms, 1-800-870-FORM (3676).

Internet :

  • Adoption Information Flyers: The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at: http://travel.state.gov/ contains intercountry 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 flyer. 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 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/.