The Hague Adoption Convention entered into force in Cabo Verde on January 1, 2010.  Any adoptions finalized in Cabo Verde since that date by U.S. citizens seeking to obtain U.S. immigrant visas for the adopted children are subject to the U.S. Hague Adoption Convention process. 

Below is the limited adoption information that the Department has obtained from the adoption authority of Cabo Verde. U.S. citizens interested in adopting children from Cabo Verde should contact the Central Authority to inquire about applicable laws and procedures. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents living in Cabo Verde who would like to adopt a child from the United States or from a third country should also contact Cabo Verde’s Central Authority. 

In general, it is no longer possible for a U.S. family to complete an intercountry adoption from Cabo Verde by filing a Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition and/or a Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, because intercountry adoption between the United States and Cabo Verde are now subject to the Hague Adoption Convention. One limited exception would be for cases involving full and final adoption decrees issued in Cabo Verde before the Hague Adoption Convention entered into force in Cabo Verde on January 1, 2010. Such cases could be processed for U.S. immigration purposes as non-Hague cases. Additionally, U.S. citizens who filed a Form I-600A or Form I-600 prior to January 1, 2010 may meet transition criteria.  If you feel your adoption could qualify as a transition case, please contact the USCIS office or Embassy where you filed the Form I-600A or Form I-600.

U.S. citizen families interested in adopting in Cabo Verde may initiate a Hague adoption case on behalf of a child in Cabo Verde by filing a Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country.  While adoption is legally possible, children from Cabo Verde are not generally placed for intercountry adoption. No child from Cabo Verde has received a U.S. adoption immigrant visa relating to an intercountry adoption in the past five fiscal years. 

Please note that all intercountry adoptions between Cabo Verde and the United States that do not meet the requirements to proceed as transition cases must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. laws relating to Hague adoptions. Do not finalize an adoption or obtain legal custody of a child in Cabo Verde in a Convention case, before a U.S. consular officer issues an “Article 5 Letter.” See the “Hague Adoption Process ” section for more information.

Questions about the transition process, Form I-600A, Form I-600 and/or Form I-800A and Form I-800 filings should be directed to USCIS.

We are in the process of updating our Country Information Sheet for Cabo Verde.  Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov for updated information. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at adoption@state.gov. You may also reach us at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States.