While adoption is legally possible, children from Chad are not generally placed for intercountry adoption. Only one child from Chad has received a U.S. immigrant visa relating to an intercountry adoption since 2014. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in extremely rare adoption cases from Chad, including adoptions of Chadian children by relatives in the United States and adoptions from third countries by U.S. citizens living in Chad.

Chad is not a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention or Convention). However, under the Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (UAA), which became effective on July 14, 2014, the requirement that adoption service providers be accredited or approved, and therefore meet the accreditation standards, which previously only applied in Convention cases, now also applies in non-Convention (“orphan”) cases under section 101(b)(1)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The UAA requires that an accredited or approved adoption service provider act as the primary provider in every Convention or non-Convention intercountry adoption case, and that adoption service providers providing any adoption services, as defined at 22 CFR Part 96.2, on behalf of prospective adoptive parents be accredited or approved, or be a supervised or exempted provider. See additional guidance for limited situations when a primary provider may not be required. Intercountry adoptions of children from non-Convention countries continue to be processed under the Orphan Process with the filing of the Forms I-600A and I 600. However, adoption service providers should be aware of the information on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website on the impact of the UAA on Form I-600A and Form I-600 adjudications, including the requirement that all home studies, including home study updates and amendments, comply with the home study requirements listed at 8 CFR 204.311, which differ from the orphan home study requirements that were in effect before July 14, 2014.

U.S. citizens interested in adopting children from Chad should contact the adoption authority of Chad to inquire about applicable laws and procedures. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents living in Chad who would like to adopt a child from the United States or from a third country should also contact Chad’s adoption authority. See contact information below.

Caution: Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that not all children in orphanages or children’s homes are eligible for adoption. In many countries, birth parents place their child(ren) temporarily in an orphanage or children’s home due to financial or other hardships, intending that the child return home when possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have rarely relinquished their parental rights or consented to the adoption of their child(ren).

The Government of Chad does allow intercountry adoptions; however, prospective adoptive parents should be aware that the lack of clear legal procedures for adopting in Chad can, and often does, result in protracted, difficult, and expensive adoption proceedings.

Two types of adoptions are available in Chad - simple adoption and plenary adoption. However, in general, a plenary adoption is the only adoption that is valid for U.S. immigration purposes. A plenary adoption represents a final adoption in Chad. Prospective adoptive parents should not consider a simple adoption as final or irrevocable for custody and immigration purposes unless it terminates the legal parent-child relationship between the child and any prior legal parent(s) and also creates a permanent legal parent-child relationship between the child and the adoptive parent(s).

Chad’s Tribunal de la Première Instance has final jurisdiction when determining adoption cases for immigration and custody purposes.

All questions concerning intercountry adoption in Chad should be directed to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice.

Adoptive parents are permitted to change their adoptive child’s legal name.

Please visit the Department of State’s country page for more information on travelling to Chad and the U.S. Embassy N’Djamena’s website for information on consular services.

CHAD’S ADOPTION AUTHORITY:
Ministry of Justice
Email: contacts@minjustice.net or secretariat@minjgs.gouv.td
Tel: +235.22.52.36.67

Embassy of Chad
2401 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 652-1312
Email: info@chadembassy.us
Internet: td.usembassy.gov

U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena, Chad
Rond Point Chagoua
BP: 413
N'Djamena, Chad
Tel: +(235) 2251-50-17
Fax: +(235) 2253-9102
Email: Ndjamena-consular@state.gov
Internet: td.usembassy.gov

Office of Children’s Issues
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
SA-17
Washington, DC 20520
Tel: 1-888-407-4747
E-mail: Adoption@state.gov
Internet: adoption.state.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

For questions about filing a Form I-800A application or a Form I-800 petition:
USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC)
Tel: 1-877-424-8374 (toll free); 1- 913-275-5480 (local); Fax: 1-913-214-5808
Email:  NBC.Adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov

For general questions about immigration procedures:
USCIS Contact Center
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)
Internet: uscis.gov