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

However, Cuba is not considered a country of origin for intercountry adoption at this time. While adoption is legally possible, children habitually resident in Cuba are not generally placed for intercountry adoption. No child habitually resident in Cuba has received a U.S. immigrant visa based on an intercountry adoption in the past five fiscal years. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in extremely rare adoption cases from Cuba, including adoptions of children habitually resident in Cuba by relatives in the United States, as well as adoptions from third countries by U.S. citizens living in Cuba.

In general, the Department of State is not aware of any U.S. citizens who have successfully completed domestic adoptions or legal guardianship in Cuba of Cuban children. We understand that some foreign nationals who are residing in Cuba with permanent status and are married to a Cuban national have successfully adopted children in Cuba.

The Department of State and USCIS caution that, under U.S. law and regulations, any Cuban children adopted by U.S. citizens under the Cuban domestic adoption process will generally not be eligible to immigrate to the United States as adopted children until they meet the criteria in section 101(b)(1)(E) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and have an approved Form I-130 petition as an immediate relative. More specifically, children adopted by U.S. citizens through the Cuban domestic adoption process while under the age of 16 (or age 18 if the sibling exception applies), including children adopted by their U.S. citizen biological family members (e.g., aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent, etc.), may not be eligible for U.S. immigrant visas on the basis of a final adoption until the U.S. citizen adoptive parents accrue two years of legal custody and joint residence with the child outside the United States, among other requirements. Please see the USCIS website for additional information on this process and applicable age and Convention-related requirements.

Please visit the Department of State’s Country Specific Information for more information on traveling to Cuba and the U.S. Embassy in Havana’s website for information on consular services.

U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba
Address: Calzada between L & M Streets
Vedado, Havana
Tel: (53)(7) 839-4100
Email: havanaconsularinfo@state.gov
Internet: cu.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: http://adoption.state.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
For questions about pending Form I-130 petitions and other immigration questions for USCIS:
USCIS Contact Center
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)
Internet: uscis.gov

For questions about a pending Form I-800A application or related supplements:
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