Please see our section on Adoptions from the United States for more information on the process for adopting a child from the United States. We urge prospective adoptive parents residing abroad who are considering adoption of a child from the United States to consult with the Cabo Verde’s Central Authority, Office of the Attorney General (PGR - Procuradoria-Geral da República), for its determination as to whether it considers your adoption to be subject to the Convention.

Cabo Verde is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention or Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Convention countries must be done in accordance with the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention; the U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA); and the IAA’s implementing regulations; as well as the implementing legislation and regulations of Cabo Verde.

Note: If any of the following occurred prior to January 1, 2010 (the date on which the Hague Adoption Convention entered into force for Cabo Verde), the Hague Adoption Convention may not apply to your case: 1) you filed a Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition, identifying Cabo Verde as the country where you intended to adopt and the approval is still valid; 2) you filed a Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, on behalf of a child from Cabo Verde, or 3) the adoption was completed. Under these circumstances, your adopted child’s adoption could continue to be processed as a non-Convention intercountry adoption, provided the child’s country of origin agrees. For more information, read about Hague Transition Cases. Please contact adoption@state.gov with the details of the case if this situation applies to you.

To bring an adopted child to the United States from Cabo Verde, you must meet certain suitability and eligibility requirements. USCIS determines who is suitable and eligible to adopt a child from another country and bring that child to live in the United States under U.S. immigration law.

Additionally, a child must meet the definition of a Convention adoptee under U.S. immigration law in order to be eligible to immigrate to the United States with an IH-3 or IH-4 immigrant visa.

In addition to being found suitable and eligible to adopt by USCIS, prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt a child from Cabo Verde must meet the following requirements imposed by Cabo Verde:

• Minimum Residency: There is no residency requirement for prospective adoptive parents residing outside of Cabo Verde.
• Age of Adopting Parents: Prospective adoptive parents must be between 25 and 60 years old, and the age difference between parent and child must be at least 16 years but not more than 40 years.
• Marriage: There is no prohibition against adoption by single parents. A married couple must be legally married or in a legally recognized common law marriage, and not legally separated. A married couple must jointly adopt (unless the child is already one of the parent’s biological children).
• Minimum Income: No specific requirement.
• Other requirements:
  • Cabo Verde requires that prospective adoptive parents have the moral suitability and economic means to guarantee the integral and harmonious development of the adopted child.
  • Additionally, prospective adoptive parents must not have a criminal record involving crimes against children or adolescents.

Because Cabo Verde is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, children from Cabo Verde must meet the requirements of the Convention in order to be eligible for intercountry adoption. For example, the adoption may take place only if the competent authorities of Cabo Verde have determined that placement of the child within Cabo Verde has been given due consideration and that an intercountry adoption is in the child’s best interests.

In addition to qualifying as a Convention adoptee under U.S. immigration law, the child must also meet the following requirements imposed by Cabo Verde:

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADOPTION:

Only non-emancipated minors who meet one of the following critera are eligible for adoption. This includes:

• Children who are born to unknown parents;
• Children whose parents are both deceased;
• Children whose parents have abandoned them;
• Children whose parents, by act or omission, or incapacity due to mental illness; endanger the safety, health, moral formation, education or development of the child;
• Children hosted by an individual or an institution and whose parents have shown a disinterest for the child in terms of seriously jeopardizing the parental ties at least six months preceding the request.

Courts will only finalize the adoption if:

• it is in the best interest of the child;
•   it is based on legitimate and reasonable grounds;
• it is reasonable to suppose that a parent-child relationship will be established between the prospective adoptive parent and the child to be adopted.

• Age of Adoptive Child: There is no minimum age. The maximum age is 17 years old. Please note that for a child to meet the definition of Convention adoptee under U.S. immigration law, a Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, must be filed on the child’s behalf while the child is under the age of 16 (or under the age of 18 if the child is the birth sibling of another adopted child who meets the age and other requirements to immigrate based on adoption by the same adoptive parent(s)). Please see the USCIS website for special rules on filing dates for children aged 15-16 or siblings aged 17-18.
• Sibling Adoptions: Authorities will generally give preference to placements that allow siblings to remain together.

• Special Needs or Medical Conditions: Adoption of children with disabilities is not addressed by the legislation of Cabo Verde.

• Waiting Period: It usually takes 6 to 12 months to finalize an adoption from the time the application is received by the Central Authority to the time the final adoption decree is issued.

• Foster Care: The period of time that a prospective adoptee child can stay in a foster home is not regulated by the legislation of Cabo Verde.

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 hardship, intending that the child return home when possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have not relinquished their parental rights or consented to the adoption of their child(ren).

Warning: Do not adopt or obtain legal custody of a child in Cabo Verde before: 1) USCIS has approved your Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, 2) the Central Authority of Cabo Verde has determined the child is available for intercountry adoption, 3) USCIS has provisionally approved your Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, and 4) a U.S. consular officer has issued an “Article 5/17 Letter” in the case. Read on for more information.

Cabo Verde’s Central Adoption Authority
Office of the Attorney General of Cabo Verde (PGR - Procuradoria Geral da República)

The Process

Because Cabo Verde is party to the Hague Adoption Convention, adoptions from Cabo Verde must follow a specific process designed to meet the Convention’s requirements. A brief summary of the Convention adoption process is provided below. You must complete these steps in the following order to meet all necessary legal requirements. Adoptions completed out of order may cause significant delays or result in the child not being eligible for an immigrant visa to the United States.

1. Choose a U.S. Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Provider To Act as Your Primary Provider

2. Apply to USCIS to be Found Suitable and Eligible to Adopt (Form I-800A)

3. Apply to Cabo Verde’s Authorities to Adopt, and Be Matched with a Child

4. Apply to USCIS for the Child to be Found Provisionally Eligible for Immigration to the United States as a Convention Adoptee (Form I-800) and Receive U.S. Agreement to Proceed with the Adoption (Art. 5/17 letter)

5. Adopt the Child in Cabo Verde

6. Apply for a U.S. Immigrant Visa for Your Child and Bring Your Child Home

1. Choose a U.S. Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Provider To Act as Your Primary Provider:

Please note: There are no accredited U.S. adoption service providers operating in Cabo Verde. Only Italy has accredited adoption service providers in-country. The Cabo Verdean Central Authority notes that the existence of country-specific adoption service providers is not mandatory, as adoptions are arranged in coordination between the Central Authority of the Receiving State (United States) and the State of Origin (Cabo Verde). However, under U.S. regulations, U.S. prospective adoptive parents must work with an accredited/approved U.S. adoption service provider as their primary provider.

A primary provider must be identified in each Convention case and only accredited or approved adoption service providers may act as the primary provider in your case. Unless a public domestic authority is providing all adoption services in your case, a primary provider is required in every intercountry adoption case. Your primary provider is responsible for:

• Ensuring that all six adoption services defined at 22 CFR 96.2 are provided consistent with applicable laws and regulations;
• Supervising and being responsible for any supervised providers, and otherwise complying with the requirements regarding the provision of adoption services using other providers (see 22 CFR 96.14); and
• Developing and implementing a service plan in accordance with 22 CFR 96.44.

2. Apply to USCIS to be Found Suitable and Eligible to Adopt

In order to adopt a child from Cabo Verde, you will need to meet the requirements of the Government of Cabo Verde and U.S. immigration law.

After you choose an accredited or approved adoption service provider, you must be found suitable and eligible to adopt by USCIS by submitting Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. You will need to submit a home study, provide biometrics, and cooperate in a background check as part of this application. Read more about Suitability and Eligibility Requirements. Unless an exception applies, the home study must be prepared by a person who is authorized under 22 CFR 96 to prepare home studies and must comply with the requirements in 8 CFR 204.311.

3. Apply to Cabo Verde’s Authorities to Adopt, and Be Matched with a Child

Submit Your Dossier to the Central Authority

After USCIS determines that you are suitable and eligible to adopt and approves the Form I-800A application, your adoption service provider will provide your approval notice, home study, and any other required information to the adoption authority in Cabo Verde as part of your adoption application. Cabo Verde’s adoption authority will review your application to determine whether you are also suitable and eligible to adopt under Cabo Verde’s law.

Receive a Referral for a Child from the Central Authority

If both the United States and Cabo Verde determine that you are suitable and eligible to adopt, and Cabo Verde’s Central Authority for Convention adoptions has determined that a child is eligible for adoption and that intercountry adoption is in that child’s best interests, the Central Authority for Convention adoptions in Cabo Verde may provide you with a referral. The referral is a proposed match between you and a specific child based on a review of your dossier and the needs of the child. The adoption authority in Cabo Verde will provide a background study and other information, if available, about the child to help you decide whether to accept the referral. We encourage families to consider consulting with a medical professional and their adoption service provider to understand the needs of the specific child but you must decide for yourself whether you will be able to meet the needs of, and provide a permanent home for a specific child. You must also adhere to the recommendations in the home study submitted to USCIS with respect to the number of children and capacity to deal with any special needs of an adoptive child. Learn more about Health Considerations. If you accept the referral, the adoption service provider communicates that to the Central Authority in Cabo Verde. Learn more about this critical decision.

4. Apply to USCIS for the Child to be Found Provisionally Eligible for Immigration to the United States as a Convention Adoptee and Receive U.S. Agreement to Proceed with the Adoption

Submit a Petition for a Determination on the Child’s Immigration Eligibility

After you accept being matched with a particular child, you will apply to USCIS for provisional approval for the child to immigrate to the United States by filing the Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative. USCIS will make a provisional determination as to whether the child appears to meet the definition of a Convention adoptee and will likely be eligible to be admitted to the United States.

Submit an Immigrant Visa Application

After provisional approval of Form I-800 petition, you or your adoption service provider will submit a visa application to the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Praia responsible for issuing immigrant visas to children from Cabo Verde.

You should receive a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC) confirming receipt of the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and assigning a case number and an invoice ID number. Use this information to log into the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) to file the Electronic Immigrant Visa Application (DS-260) for your child. An adoptive parent should fill out these forms in your child's name. Answer every item on the form. If information is not applicable, please write “N/A” in the block. Please review the DS-260 FAQs, our Online Immigrant Visa Forms page, or contact the NVC at NVCAdoptions@state.gov or +1-603-334-0700 if you have questions about completing the online DS-260 form. A consular officer will review the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and the visa application and, if applicable, advises you of options for the waiver of any ineligibilities related to the visa application.

The consular officer will send a letter (referred to as an “Article 5/17 Letter”) to Cabo Verde’s Central Authority in any intercountry adoption involving U.S. citizen parents and a child from Cabo Verde if all Convention requirements are met and the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States. This letter will inform the Cabo Verde’s Central Authority that the parents are suitable and eligible to adopt, that the child appears eligible to enter and reside permanently in the United States, and that the U.S. Central Authority agrees that the adoption may proceed.

Warning: Do not attempt to adopt a child in Cabo Verde before you receive provisional approval of your Form I-800 petition AND a U.S. consular officer issues the “Article 5/17 Letter” for your adoption case.

Remember: The consular officer will make a final decision about a child’s eligibility for an immigrant visa later in the adoption process.

5. Adopt the Child in Cabo Verde

Remember: Before you adopt a child in Cabo Verde, you must have completed the above four steps. Only after completing these steps can you proceed to finalize the adoption

The process for finalizing the adoption in Cabo Verde generally includes the following:

• Role of Adoption Authority: The Office of the Attorney General is the Central Authority of Cabo Verde. It is responsible for intercountry adoption and follows the process of social and family integration of the children from Cabo Verde who are adopted by parents from another country or children from another country who are adopted by parents from Cabo Verde, within the framework of the intercountry adoption process. The Central Authority will ensure intercountry adoption does not involve improper financial gain for anyone.

• Role of the Court: After the Cabo Verde Attorney General’s Office concludes the administrative procedures and issues the certificate of adoption of the child, the prospective adoptive parents themselves take the file to the court, the Curator of Minors, to ask for the child's legal custody and adoption. The Court observes whether the adoption process presented at the Office of the Attorney General has met the necessary requirements for the adoption and decrees the final decision.

• Role of Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Providers: Cabo Verde does not authorize adoption service providers or allow facilitators to work on intercountry adoptions in country. However, under U.S. regulations, U.S. prospective adoptive parents must still work with an accredited/approved U.S. adoption service provider, unless an exception applies.

• Adoption Application: The intercountry adoption process in Cabo Verde has two phases: Administrative (through the Office of the Attorney General) and Judicial (in the Court, Curator of Minors). After procedures are concluded with the Attorney General’s Office, the prospective adoptive parents themselves take the case file and bring it to the court’s Curator of Minors to ask for the child's custody and adoptions.

• Time Frame: Intercountry adoptions in Cabo Verde may take approximately six months to one year to complete.
  
  
• Adoption Fees: We encourage prospective adoptive parents to obtain detailed receipts for all fees and donations paid by them directly and to raise any concerns regarding any payment that you believe may be contrary to the Convention, U.S. law, or the law of Cabo Verde, with your adoption service provider, and, when appropriate, through the Complaint Registry. Improper payments violate applicable law or create the appearance of buying a child, and could put all future adoptions in Cabo Verde at risk. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, for instance, makes it unlawful to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. Further, the IAA makes certain actions relating to intercountry adoptions unlawful, and subject to civil and criminal penalties. These include offering, giving, soliciting, or accepting inducement by way of compensation intended to influence or affect the relinquishment of parental rights, parental consent relating to adoption of a child, or a decision by an entity performing functions as a competent central authority, or to engage another person as an agent to take any such action.

In the adoption services contract that you sign at the beginning of the adoption process, your adoption service provider will itemize the fees and estimated expenses related to your adoption process.

Some of the fees specifically associated with adopting from Cabo Verde include:

• Birth certificate: 150 Cabo Verdean Escudos (CVE)
• Adoption decree: 250 CVE
• Adopted child’s passport: 60 euros fee (normal); 111 Euros fee (expedite); Application Form 20 CVE

(Note: The specific costs of intercountry adoption have not yet been regulated in Cabo Verde, and the charges by the Court depend on the specific legal requirements in each case. Court fees are usually fixed by the judge plus the attorney's fees. In order to make a payment for court fees, the applicant must take out the payment guide at the secretariat of the Court, where the adoption is taking place, and make payment at Banco Comercial do Atlântico (BCA) in the account of the Court.  

• Documents Required: A representative of the propsective adoptive parents must submit the application and the documents listed below to the Central Authority of the receiving country, which in turn will send these to the Central Authority of the state of origin (Office of the Attorney General):
  • Certificate of salary and the economic and financial conditions of the adoptive parents,
  • Identity Card or Passport of the person who intends to adopt,
  • Statement if the prospective adoptive parents cannot have biological childre and medical documentation to support the statement, if applicable,
  • Declaration of work, and
  • Declaration of property.

Note: Additional documents may be requested.

• Authentication of Documents: You may be asked to provide proof that a document from the United States is authentic. The U.S Department of State’s Authentications Office has information on the subject. The United States and Cabo Verde are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. U.S. public documents may be authenticated with Apostilles by the appropriate U.S. Competent Authority

6. Apply for a U.S. Immigrant Visa for Your Child and Bring Your Child Home

Once your adoption is complete, there are a few more steps to take before your child can head home. Specifically, you need to apply for three documents before your child can travel to the United States:

Birth Certificate

You will need to obtain a birth certificate for your child.

If you have finalized the adoption in Cabo Verde, you will first need to apply for a new birth certificate for your child. Your name will be added to the new birth certificate.

If you have been granted legal custody for the purposes of emigration and adoption of the child in the United States, the birth certificate you obtain will, in most cases, not yet include your name.

The adoptive parents or their representative can request a new birth certificate for the child. This can be requested online:

• Porton di Nos Ilha - www.portondinosilha.cv - "On-line Certificates";

(Note: the Consular Section of the US Embassy accepts only the original birth certificate with stamp/seal)

Or in-person, at:

• “Casa do Cidadão” offices (including the Mobile “Casa do Cidadão”);
  • National free line: 8002008 – Toll free number of national telephone line
  • From abroad: 00238 20605500
  • E-mail: casadocidadao@casadocidadao.gov.cv
• National Archive of Civil and Criminal Identification;
• Conservatory of Central and Civil Registry , telephones: 2614061
• Conservatory / Registry;
• Delegation of Registry, Notary and Identification Services

Cabo Verde Passport

Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or passport from Cabo Verde. Apply for the child’s passport in the Passport Section of the Emigration and Border Services in Praia or in any Regional Commands or Public Order Police Units. It can be issued within 10 days, but note that when the passport is issued outside Cabo Verde it takes longer.

The following will be necessary:

• Presence of an adoptive parent or legal representative
• Child’s Birth certificate issued after adoption and Adoption Decree
• National Identity Card
• Fees: 60 Euros fee (normal); 110 Euros fee (expedite); Application Form 20 CVE

U.S. Immigrant Visa

After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child you need to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa for your child from the U.S. Embassy in Praia. After the adoption is granted, visit the U.S Embassy for a final review of the case, and if applicable, the issuance of a U.S. Hague Adoption Certificate or Hague Custody Certificate, the final approval of the Form I-800 petition, and to obtain your child’s immigrant visa. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you and be admitted to the United States as your child. Please contact the U.S. Embassy in Praia by email at praiaconsular@state.gov to schedule your child’s immigrant visa appointment. As part of this process, you must provide the consular officer with the Panel Physician’s medical report on the child if you did not provide it during the Form I-800 provisional approval stage. Read more about the Medical Examination.

Before coming for your child’s immigrant visa interview, please complete an Electronic Immigrant Visa Application (DS-260) online at the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). You should receive a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC) confirming receipt of the provisionally approved Form I-800 petition and assignment of a case number and an invoice ID number. You will need this information to log into CEAC to file the DS-260 for your child. You should fill out these forms in your child's name. Answer every item on the form. If information is not applicable, please write “N/A” in the block. Print and bring the DS-260 confirmation page to the visa interview. Review the DS-260 FAQs, our Online Immigrant Visa Forms page, or contact NVC at NVCAdoptions@state.gov or +1-603-334-0700 if you have questions about completing the online DS-260 form.

Upon receipt of the case at post, the Consular Section generally notifies the petitioner. Visa issuance after the final interview generally takes one week. It is not usually possible to provide the visa to adoptive parents on the same day as the immigrant visa interview. You should verify current processing times with the U.S. Embassy in Praia before making final travel arrangements. Additional information on immigrant visa processing can be found on our website https://cv.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/

Child Citizenship Act

For adoptions finalized abroad prior to the child’s admission into the United States:  An adopted child residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence generally will acquire U.S. citizenship automatically if the child otherwise meets the requirements of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, including that the child is under the age of eighteen.

For adoptions finalized after the child’s admission into the United States: You will need to complete an adoption following your child’s admission into the United States and before the child turns eighteen for the child (if he or she otherwise meets the requirements of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000) to automatically acquire U.S. citizenship.

Read more about the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

Applying for Your U.S. Passport

U.S. citizens are required to enter and depart the United States on a valid U.S. passport. Once your child acquires U.S. citizenship, s/he will need a U.S. passport for international travel. Only the U.S. Department of State has the authority to grant, issue, or verify U.S. passports.

Getting or renewing a passport is easy. The Department of State’s Passport Application Wizard will help you determine which passport form you need, help you to complete the form online, estimate your payment, and generate the form for you to print—all in one place.

Obtaining a Visa to Travel to Cabo Verde

In addition to a U.S. passport, you may also need to obtain a visa. Where required, visas are affixed to your passport and allow you to enter a foreign nation. To find information about obtaining a visa for Cabo Verde, see the Department of State’s Country Specific Information.

Staying Safe on Your Trip

Before you travel, it is always a good practice to investigate the local conditions, laws, political landscape, and culture of the country. The Department of State provides Country-Specific Information for every country in the world about various issues, including health conditions, crime, currency or entry requirements, and any areas of instability.

Staying in Touch on Your Trip

When traveling abroad during the adoption process, we encourage you to enroll with the Department of State through our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country. Enrollment makes it possible for the U.S. Embassy in Cabo Verde, to contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. Whether there is a family emergency in the United States or a crisis in Cabo Verde, enrollment assists the U.S. Embassy in reaching you.

Enrollment is free and can be done online via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

Post-Adoption/Post-Placement Reporting Requirements

We are not aware of any post-adoption or post-placement reporting requirements but please refer to the court order for any additional requirement in your specific case.

Post-Adoption Resources

Many adoptive parents find it important to find support after the adoption. There are many public and private nonprofit post-adoption services available for children and their families. There are also numerous adoptive family support groups and adoptee organizations active in the United States that provide a network of options for adoptees who seek out other adoptees from the same country of origin. You may wish to take advantage of all the resources available to your family, whether it is another adoptive family, a support group, an advocacy organization, or your religious or community services. Your primary provider can provide or point you to post- placement/post-adoption services to help your adopted child and your family transition smoothly and deal effectively with the many adjustments required in an intercountry adoption.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains a website, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which can be a useful resource to get you started on your support group search.

COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about your intercountry adoption process, we ask that you share this information with the Embassy in Praia, particularly if it involves possible fraud or misconduct specific to your child’s case. The Department of State takes all allegations of fraud or misconduct seriously. Our Adoption Comment Page provides several points of contact for adoptive families to comment on their adoption service provider, their experience applying for their child’s visa, or about the Form I-800/A petition process.

The Complaint Registry is an internet based registry for filing complaints about the compliance of U.S. accredited or approved adoption service providers with U.S. accreditation standards. If you think your provider's conduct may not have been in compliance with accreditation standards, first submit your complaint in writing directly to your provider. If the complaint is not resolved through the provider's complaint process, you may file the complaint through the Complaint Registry.

U.S. Embassy in Cabo Verde
Address: Rua Abílio Macedo 6, Praia, Cabo Verde
Telephone: 238- 260-8900/ 2608948/260-8949
Fax: 238 -261-1355
Email: praiaconsular@state.gov
Internet: https://cv.usembassy.gov/

Cabo Verde’s Adoption Authority
Ministério Público
Procuradoria Geral da República (Attorney General’s Office)
Autoridade Central para Adopção Internacional (Central Authority for Adoptions)
Conselho para a Adopção Internacional (International Adoptions Council)
Address: Prainha , Rua Dr. Manuel Duarte, Postal Box 268, Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde
Telephone: 238- 261-5748
Fax: 238 -261-6884
Email: Procurador-Geral Adjunto (Assistant Luis Landim- luis.landim@pgr.gov.cv;
Margarida.B.Andrade@pgr.gov.cv; Catia.Cardoso@pgr.gov.cv
Internet: www.ministeriopublico.cv

Embassy of the Republic of Cabo Verde
3415 Massachusetts Avenue,
NW, Washington DC 20007
Telephone: (202) 965-6820
Fax: (202) 965-1207
Email: embassy@caboverdeus.net
Internet: http://www.embcv-usa.gov.cv/

Office of Children’s Issues
U.S. Department of State
CA/OCS/CI
SA-17, 9^th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20522-1709
Tel: 1-888-407-4747
Email: 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 National Customer Service Center (NCSC)
Tel: 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)
Internet: uscis.gov