Guatemala Adoption
AAI is currently not accepting applications for the Guatemala Adoption program.
This program is on hold / closed while we wait for program reform through the Hague Convention and Guatemalan government.
Guatemala is called “the land of eternal spring” and is the home of the Mayan people. The Guatemalan adoption program is attractive because children become available for adoption at very young ages and infants available for adoption are cared for by loving foster families. In 2006, U.S. citizens adopted approximately 4,135 children from Guatemala.
Why Choose Guatemala?
- Children are usually eight to sixteen months old at placement
- Older and special needs children are also available
- The children live in private foster homes or small, private group homes
- You can visit your child during the adoption process
- Your stay in Guatemala is only three to four days, unless you choose to stay longer
- The Guatemalan government is very flexible on eligibility for adopting families
- There is an extensive support system in Michigan and the Midwest area for families adopting Guatemalan children
- Adoption Associates has been working with Guatemala since 1994
Location
- The children come from Guatemala City and villages throughout Guatemala
Reasons for Availability
- The parents voluntarily relinquish their rights due to severe poverty
- The children are in a state of legal abandonment
- The parents are deceased
Children’s Situation
- The children live in private foster homes or small, private group homes during the adoption legal process
Eligibility for Families
- Only heterosexual applicants are eligible
- Married couples or single female applicants are accepted
- The minimum age for single applicants is twenty-five years old for infants
- A previous divorce is acceptable
Average Process Time
- The time from submitting your dossier to bringing your child home is an average of seven to fourteen months
Procedure
You will first submit a preliminary application to AAI, meet with a consultant for an International Adoption Awareness meeting, and then complete your formal application. You will then complete your home study, your USCIS paperwork, and prepare your dossier. Upon completion of your dossier, you may choose a Guatemalan contact(s), and will receive a referral as soon as the child is available through the chosen contact. Your documents are then sent to Guatemala, and you will complete a U.S. Embassy required DNA process which can be completed simultaneously with the court process. When the DNA results are available, you may travel to visit your child.
The U.S. Embassy is now requiring a second DNA test, on the child only, to confirm that the child is the same child originally DNA tested. This second test takes place at the end of the legal process before the Visa interview appointment is set. When both the Guatemalan court process and the U.S. Embassy DNA process are complete and their reports available, the case will be reviewed by the PGN (Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office). When they have approved the case and the final documents are complete, you or an AAI escort may then bring your child home.
Travel
- Prospective adoptive parents are strongly encouraged to visit their child at least once prior to completing the adoption. Normally, you will visit Guatemala either once or twice with each trip lasting three to four days. Both parents should travel on the first trip in order to meet USCIS requirements, but one or both parents may travel on the second trip. An escort service is available for Guatemalan adoption, however, at an additional cost and highly discouraged. AAI feels it is important that the parents be there for their child during this period of transition, and that they also experience their child’s culture.
Due to the nature of international adoption, the information on this page is subject to change without notice.
