Guatemala Update: The Registration Period has ended for Registering In-Process Cases with the National Adoption Council (February 13, 2008)

On February 12, 2008, Guatemala’s National Council for Adoptions (CNA) announced that the registration period has ended for registering adoption cases "entered" in Guatemala before December 31, 2007.  They informed us that during the registration period nearly 2,900 cases were registered.

The CNA also explained to us that “constancias” (individual certifications of registration) will not be issued to verify that a case was registered.  Each “aviso” that was filed with the reconstituted CNA, however, received a number and a signature from a CNA official. It is this number and signature that will be used as proof that the case was registered. The CNA will provide a list of the registered adoption cases directly to the PGN once they have completed processing all the cases. 

Prospective adoptive parents should consult with their legal representatives in Guatemala about issues concerning the status of their adoption cases.  The Department of State will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional information as it becomes available.