Many countries require adoptive parents to provide information regarding the progress and welfare of their adopted child after they join their new families through submission of post-adoption reports.
The specific requirements vary from country to country and are sometimes quite detailed and may extend until the child reaches the age of 18 (or even older in a few rare cases).
The Department of State encourages prospective adoptive parents to be aware of these obligations at the outset of their adoption process, and in consultation with their adoption service provider, consider their willingness and ability to comply with post-adoption reporting requirements prior to identifying the country from which they wish to adopt.
Post-adoption reports provide assurance to authorities in the child’s country of origin that children who are placed with permanent families in the United States are receiving appropriate care and protection.
Missing or delinquent post-adoption reports can negatively impact adoption service providers seeking authorization in affected countries, as well as U.S. citizen parents seeking to adopt in the future.
The consequences of failure to comply with post-adoption reporting requirements are significant, particularly for thousands of children in need of permanency who would be adversely impacted if intercountry adoption programs are suspended or closed.
U.S. regulations require adoption service providers to include the country of origin’s post-adoption reporting requirements in the contract with the prospective adoptive parents and make good faith efforts to encourage them to submit such reports.
While the Department will make efforts to keep the information on this page updated, we cannot guarantee its accuracy, as countries do change their policies. Prospective adoptive parents can obtain further information from a country’s adoption authority, their adoption service provider, or the “After Adoption” section of each country information sheet on http://adoptions.state.gov. If you have information about changed requirements in any of the countries listed below, please write to us at adoption@state.gov.
Post Adoption and Post Placement Reporting Requirements by Country
Visitors to the site may click on the country’s name to go to the country information sheet for the specific country, if available.
AFRICA (excluding North Africa)
Angola
- Angola does not require post-adoption reporting.
Benin
- No information available.
Botswana
- Botswana does not require post-adoption reporting.
Burkina Faso
- Burkina Faso does not require post-adoption reporting.
Burundi
- Burundian post-adoption procedures require adoptive parents to notify the Burundian Embassy in the United States of an adopted child’s presence in the United States and to submit annual reports on the child, the first report within six months, and then annually after the first.
- Children from Burundi maintain Burundian citizenship after immigrating to the United States and the Burundian Embassy may seek to conduct periodic welfare/whereabouts visits with Burundian adoptees and their adoptive families until the children reach age 18.
Cabo Verde
- Cabo Verde does not require post-adoption reporting.
Cameroon
- Cameroon does not require post-adoption reporting.
Central African Republic
- The Central African Republic does not require post-adoption reporting.
Chad
- Chad does not require post-adoption reporting.
Comoros
- Comoros does not require post-adoption reporting.
Cote d'Ivoire
- Cote d’Ivoire does not require post-adoption reporting.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo does not require post-adoption reporting.
Djibouti
- The Government of Djibouti does not require post-adoption reporting.
Eritrea
- The “Obligation of Adoption or Social Welfare Agency" must be signed by the adoption agency handling the adoption, by the organization that provided the home study, or by the parents' employer. This document acknowledges that the adoptive parent agrees to allow follow-up visits by a U.S. social worker, and to submit regular progress reports to the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare on the child(ren)'s adjustment to/development in the adoptive home.
- These visits should be scheduled 3 months, 6 months, and one year after the adoption and annually thereafter until the child reaches the age of 18.
- This form must be forwarded together with the psychosocial study/home study and an original translation into Tigrigna, by either the parents or the adoption agency; and
- Verification by the adoption agency or home study organization on the child's qualification for naturalization under the laws of the parents' country of residence with an original translation into Tigrigna.
Ethiopia
- Adoptive parents must submit post adoption reports (PARs) for all Ethiopian children adopted from Ethiopia every six months for five years following the adoption, and then annually until the child reaches the age of 18. The intercountry adoption ban currently in place does not alter this requirement.
- This is a commitment the adopting parents, home study agency, and adoption agency must sign when submitting documents for the adoption.
- Adoptive parents may send self-reports directly to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, DC (email: consular@ethiopianembassy.org). They may wish to send a copy of their submitted report to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa at ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov to serve as a record. Please note however that the U.S. Embassy does not have the capacity to submit reports to the Ethiopian Adoption Authority on behalf of the families. If you have further questions about the submission of the reports, please contact the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington (email: consular@ethiopianembassy.org, webpage: www.ethiopianembassy.org, telephone: (202) 364-1200).
Equatorial Guinea
- Equatorial Guinea does not require post-adoption reporting.
Gabon
- Gabon does not require post-adoption reporting.
Gambia
- Gambia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Ghana
- Ghanaian law requires post-adoption reports every six months during the first two years, and one a year during the following three years.
Guinea
- No information available.
Guinea-Bissau
- No information available.
Kenya
- Adoptive parents must submit post adoption reports on the child’s welfare (with pictures) for five years, every three months for the first two years immediately following the adoption and then every six months for the last three years. Post-adoption reports can be submitted through your U.S. adoption service provider to the Kenya adoption society that made the adoptive parent and child placement.
Lesotho
- Lesotho does not require post-adoption reporting.
Liberia
- Liberia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Madagascar
- Adoptive Parents must agree to keep the Malagasy Central Authority informed, through regular written reports of the child's well-being, and progress in integrating. Reports should be sent to the Malagasy Central Authority every six months during the first year after adoption, and thereafter every year until the child reaches the age of 18.
Malawi
- Malawi does not require post-adoption reporting.
Mali
- Mali does not require post-adoption reporting.
Mauritania
- Intercountry adoption is not permitted under Mauritanian law.
Mauritius
- No information available.
Mozambique
- The Government of Mozambique requires post-adoption monitoring until the child reaches 21 years of age. This requirement may be waived by the Juvenile court. However, the courts may not grant an adoption if the child will be immediately taken out of Mozambique.
Namibia
- Namibia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Niger
- In practice, Nigerien authorities accept a letter from the social service agency with jurisdiction over the prospective parents' place of residence in the U.S. that it will monitor the child's post-adoption development. Your adoption agency may be able to help you with this process. There is no requirement that parents sign an agreement to pay for Nigerien social workers to travel and visit the family every two years until the adopted child reaches majority.
Nigeria
- Nigeria does not require post-adoption reporting.
Republic of Congo
- The Republic of the Congo does not require post-adoption reporting.
Reunion Islands
- No information available.
Rwanda
- The provider that completed the adoption home study for the adoptive parents shall follow up with the adoptive parents and provide post-adoption reports to the Rwandan Ministry of Family and Gender six months after the adoption and an annual progress report for the first two years.
Sao Tome & Principe
- The Republic of the Sao Tome & Principe does not require post-adoption reporting.
Seychelles
- No information available.
Senegal
- No information available. Your adoption agency may be able to help you with this process.
Sierra Leone
- The Republic of the Sierra Leone does not specify any post-adoption reporting requirements, but may require post-adoption requirements on an individual basis.
Somalia
- No information available.
South Africa
- South Africa does not require post-adoption reporting.
South Sudan
- The Republic of the South Sudan does not require post-adoption reporting.
Sudan
- Sudan does not require post-adoption reporting.
Eswatini
- The Department of Social Welfare (DoSW) does not have post-adoption requirements in writing, but does strongly encourages families to provide them with regular updates on the welfare of their Swazi-origin child(ren). Hawaii’s International Child (HIC), the U.S. adoption agency designated by the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland to facilitate adoptions of Swazi orphans by adoptive parents residing in the United States, currently assists families to do this, and organizes annual trips for DoSW to travel to the United States to visit adopted Swazi children. Failure for adoptive families to comply with the DoSW’s request could jeopardize the Government of the Kingdome of Swaziland’s willingness to cooperate with the United States on future adoptions. Your cooperation will contribute to that country’s history of positive experiences with U.S. adoptive parents.
Tanzania
- Tanzanian law requires foreign adoptive parents to notify the Commissioner of the Office of Social Welfare of their intent to remove an adopted child from Tanzania on a permanent basis after the adoption.
- The penalties for not doing so include sizeable fines (U.S. $6,000 – $30,000) and/or imprisonment (for six months to two years).
- If a family has custody of the child and only an interim adoption order, then the family must seek the consent of the High Court before removing the child from Tanzania.
Togo
- For the first three years after an adoption, the Comite National d’Adoption des Enfants au Togo (CNAET) requires the adoption agency to submit an annual report concerning the child’s well-being.
- Thereafter, until the child reaches the age of 18, reports are due based on the following schedule:
- After the sixth year after adoption (three years after the third report),
- After the 11th year after adoption (four years after the fourth report), and
- After the 16th year after adoption (five years after the fifth report).
- The adoption agency should transmit the reports directly to the CNAET;
- Alternatively, the CNAET will address the request through the U.S. Central Authority.
Uganda
- Once the adoption is finalized, adoptive parents must register the adoption with the NIRA | National Identification and Registration Authority in Kampala. NIRA informs the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the adoption. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will maintain the adopted child's records, which will remain available to the child. Unless the court orders otherwise, post-placement are filed with the Ugandan authorities annually. Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov for updated information on intercountry adoption in Uganda.
Zambia
- Zambia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe does not require post-adoption reporting.
EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Australia
- Intercountry adoption from Australia is not possible.
Brunei
- Brunei does not require post-adoption reporting.
Burma
- No information available.
Cambodia
- Adoptive parents must provide the Inter-Country Adoption Administration (ICAA) with semi-annual post placement reports on the progress of the child for three years after the child has been adopted (two reports each year).
- After the initial three years following the adoption, adoptive parents must provide an annual report (one report each year) on the child to the ICAA either directly or through the Central Authority, or competent authority for inter-country adoption or accredited inter-country adoption agency of the receiving country or country of their permanent residence until the adopted child is 18 years of age.
China
- For adoption cases completed after January 1, 2015 with a “Notice of Coming to China for Adoption,” the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption requires Prospective Adoptive Parents to submit post placement reports six months, one year, two years, three years, four years, and five years after the adoption registration.
- The first three reports must be prepared by the social workers who prepared the home study. The last three reports may be written by the families themselves. Please consult your adoption service provider for further details.
- Previous Reporting Requirements:
- For travel approval before August 1, 2011, post placement reports are due six months post adoption, and 1 year post adoption.
- For travel approval after August 1, 2011 and prior to January 1, 2015, post placement reports are due 1 and 6 months post adoption, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 years.
Federated States of Micronesia
- The Federated States of Micronesia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Fiji
- Fiji does not require post-adoption reporting.
French Polynesia
- French Polynesia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Hong Kong S.A.R.
- Hong Kong does not require post-adoption reporting.
Indonesia
- If adoptive parents return to their country of residence with their newly adopted child, they must:
- Report the development of the child to the Indonesian Embassy every year until the child is 18 years old;
- Contact the Indonesian Embassy about any future areas of residence; and
- Agree to be visited by a representative from the Indonesian Embassy to monitor and report on the child’s development until the child is 18 years old.
Japan
- Japan does not require post-adoption reporting.
Kiribati
- Kiribati does not require post-adoption reporting.
Laos
- Adopting parents are asked to report to the District Family Registration Office where the child was born or had been most recently residing when an adoption is approved.
Macau S.A.R.
- Macau does not require post-adoption reporting.
Malaysia
- Malaysia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Marshall Islands
- The adoptive parents must arrange for a post-adoption home visit during the first six months after the adoption and must file a Post Adoption Report with the Central Adoption Authority at the conclusion of the six month period.
- The Post Adoption Report must contain a description of how the child and family are adjusting, whether bonding and attachment between the child and family are sufficient, whether the child’s health and emotional needs are being met, what the family is doing to encourage the child’s cultural heritage, and any other pertinent data sufficient to inform the birth family of the status of the child.
Mongolia
- A report and information on the child's development (pictures, videos, etc.) made by the social worker appointed by the relevant authority shall be submitted:
- For children 1 month to 3 years old - once every half year;
- For children 4 to 8 years old - once every year;
- For children 8 to 16 years old - once every two years.
- The adoption agency is responsible for translation of the reports into Mongolian and their delivery to the Immigration Agency.
- In necessary cases the Immigration Agency shall visit the adopted children at the expense of adopted parents and adoption agency in order to meet with the child and examine his/her conditions.
- According to Mongolian regulations, adoptive parents have a responsibility to introduce the child to Mongolian culture.
Nauru
- Nauru does not require post-adoption reporting.
New Caledonia
- New Caledonia does not require post-adoption reporting.
New Zealand
- No information is available.
North Korea
- No information available.
Palau
- Palau does not require post-adoption reporting.
Papua New Guinea
- Papua New Guinea does not require post-adoption reporting.
Philippines
- According to Philippine law, after the adoptive parents assume custody of the child and escort him/her to the United States, they enter a six-month post-placement period where the adoption service provider in the United States conducts bi-monthly reviews of the child’s welfare and reports the information to the Inter-Country Adoption Board.
- After adoptive parents complete the post-placement period, the adoptive parent(s) should file a petition for adoption before the court in the United States.
- The adoption service provider should submit the final U.S. adoption decree to the Inter-Country Adoption Board within one month of its issuance.
Samoa
- Samoa does not require post-adoption reporting.
Singapore
- Singapore does not require post-adoption reporting.
- Adoptive parents are encouraged to participate in Singapore’s pre- and post-adoption programs to help them prepare for and transition to their new parenting roles and ensure the continued well-being of the adopted child.
- If adopting a child from China in Singapore, China’s post-adoption reporting requirements may apply. Please refer to the information on Ministry of Social and Family Development’s website regarding adoptions of children from China in Singapore.
Solomon Islands
- The Solomon Islands does not require post-adoption reporting.
South Korea
- South Korea does not require post-adoption reporting;
- However, adoption agencies do provide after-adoption services. Korean adoption agencies provide "after adoption services" for 6 months beginning immediately following the legal grant of custody in Korea.
- Every two months a social worker from a partner agency in the United States may provide a report to the Korean agency on the status of the child. The Korean adoption agency will continue to perform after-adoption services on a less frequent basis pending the child's attainment of U.S. citizenship based on a full and final adoption in the United States.
- Please note: Depending on the Korean adoption agency, all adopted children will be able to gain access to his or her records stored in the Korean Adoption Database once they reach the age of 13/15/18 (please note each Korean adoption agency has different age requirements).
- The adoption agency must report the child’s full adoption to the local ward office within one month from the issuance of the irrevocable Confirmation of Certificate, and the child is removed from the birth parent(s)’ family registry. When the adoptee becomes a legal adult, according to Korean Civil Law, he/she is able to obtain his/her full adoption relation certificate which shows both biological and adoptive parent information. The adoption agency also reports the child’s acquisition of U.S. citizenship to the Ministry of Justice through the Seoul Immigration Office.
Taiwan
- Taiwan requires five years of post-adoption reports.
- In the first year, post placement reports are required at three, six, and twelve months. Thereafter, one report per year is required.
- The reports should include photos of the child, and must be completed by a licensed social worker or agency through home visits.
Thailand
- Adoptive parents are required to register their adoption with the nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate in their home country.
- If prospective adoptive parents did not complete the six-month pre-adoption (post-placement) period in Thailand, then the U.S. Hague accredited adoption service provider must submit to the Department of Social Development and Welfare three bi-monthly reports detailing the child’s progress in adjusting to his or her new family and environment and his or her general welfare before the prospective adoptive parent can finalize the adoption in U.S. state court.
Timor-Leste
- Timor-Leste does not require post-adoption reporting.
Tonga
- Tonga does not require post-adoption reporting.
Tuvalu
- Tuvalu does not require post-adoption reporting.
Vanuatu
- Vanuatu does not require post-adoption reporting.
Vietnam
- Adoptive parents are responsible for providing post-adoption reports to both the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Department of Adoptions (DA) and a Vietnamese diplomatic mission in the country where the adopted child resides, every six months for three consecutive years following the adoption.
- The report should provide information about the child’s health status, physical and psychological development, and how he or she is integrating with the adoptive family and new environment.
- In order to submit post-adoption reports, adoptive parents must fill out the “Child development report form,” which is available through your adoption service provider or from Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice. The form must then be certified by a competent home study preparer and authenticated by a Vietnamese diplomatic post in the United States.
- Under Vietnamese law, adoption service providers are responsible for reminding adoptive parents to submit post-adoption reports. Adoption service providers must also provide the MOJ/DA with a separate annual report summarizing the development of all Vietnamese children who have been adopted through the adoption service provider. In addition, adoption service providers must also provide a report on specific cases at the request of the MOJ/DA.
Wallis and Fortuna
- Wallis & Fortuna does not require post-adoption reporting.
EUROPE
Albania
- Adoption service providers must provide the Albanian Adoption Committee with three post-placement reports during the first year after the adoption and two additional reports during the second year.
Andorra
- No information available.
Armenia
- Armenia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Austria
- Austria does not require post-adoption reporting
Azerbaijan
- No information available.
Belarus
- No information available.
Belgium
- Belgium does not require post-adoption reporting.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bosnia and Herzegovina does not require post-adoption reporting.
Bulgaria
- Bulgaria requires four post-placement reports – one every six months after the adoption for the first two years.
Croatia
- The ASP must provide two post adoption reports on the adaptation of the child after adoption drafted by an expert: the first report within six months after adoption and the second report within two years after adoption. The reports should be original documents, accompanied by certified translations into Croatian.
Cyprus
- No information available.
Czech Republic
- No information available.
Denmark
- Denmark does not require post-adoption reports.
Estonia
- Estonia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Finland
- No information available.
France
- France does not require post-adoption reporting.
Georgia
- Adoption service providers must submit information on the health and social condition of the child on an annual basis until the adopted child is 18 years old.
- Social Service Agency is responsible to request annually information about the adopted child.
- U.S. ASPs may assist in providing a report on the child on annual basis until the adopted child is 18 years old.
- ASPs should provide the information using the form approved by Minister of Labour Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, which is titled “Special information form about the health and social condition of the adopted child from Georgia”.
Germany
- Post-adoption reporting requirements will be determined by a German local authority.
Greece
- Greece requires an annual report for the first three years following the adoption.
Hungary
- Hungarian authorities require two post-placement reports. The first report must be submitted two months after the adoption, and the second report one year after the adoption. Parents should make the reports as detailed as they can and include family photos.
Iceland
- Iceland does not require post-adoption reporting.
Ireland
- Ireland does not require post-adoption reporting.
Italy
- Italy does not require post-adoption reporting.
Kosovo
- No information available.
Latvia
- If the adoptive parents and the child continue to reside in Latvia, the orphan court having jurisdiction over the child’s place of residence will monitor the adopted child’s well-being for the first two years after the adoption's finalization.
- If the adoptive parents and the child reside outside Latvia, the Ministry requires post-adoption reports on the adopted child for two years after the adoption (one per year).
- The first post-adoption report shall be submitted to the Ministry one year after the date the adoption became effective.
- The second post-adoption report shall be submitted to the Ministry two years after the date the adoption became effective.
- The reports should be prepared by appropriate child welfare officials in the state where the child resides.
Liechtenstein
- No information available.
Lithuania
- Following the adoption, the accredited adoption service provider that represents the adoptive family must provide feedback to the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour consisting of reports about the integration of the adopted child into the family, including detailed information on the child’s living conditions, development, and health. The reports should include photos and shall be provided as follows:
- Twice a year during the first two years following the adoption;
- Once a year for the following two years;
- At the request of the service after four years following the adoption.
Luxembourg
- No information available.
Macedonia
- No information available.
Malta
Moldova
- Post-adoption reports are required by the Central Adoption Authority for the first five years after adoptions are finalized. Three post-adoption reports are required during the first year at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the adoption is finalized. Two post-adoption reports are required during the second year at 6 months and 12 months. One post-adoption report is required during the third, fourth, and fifth year after the adoption is finalized.
- All post-adoption reports should be submitted to the Central Adoption Authority of Moldova.
Monaco
- No information available.
Montenegro
- No information available.
Netherlands
- The Netherlands does not require post-adoption reporting.
Norway
- Norway does not require post-adoption reporting.
Poland
- When adopting from Poland, adoptive parents are required to sign a written statement agreeing to:
- Maintain contact with the Central Authority or Catholic Adoption Center for a period of six months after the adoption is finalized;
- Consent to communication and visits by Polish consular officers for a period of six months after the adoption is finalized; and
- Have adoption service providers prepare their post-adoption reports once a year for the first three years and once every three years thereafter until the child reaches majority.
Portugal
- No information available.
Romania
- The National Authority for the Protection of the Child’s Rights and Adoption is required to follow the child’s development and his/her relationship with his/her adoptive parent(s) for a period of at least two years after the adoption is granted.
- To comply with this requirement, the adoption service provider will be expected to send the National Authority for the Protection of the Child’s Rights and Adoption a report of the child’s progress every four months until the two year period is completed.
Russia
- Intercountry adoption from Russia is suspended at the current time. Parents who have previously adopted from Russia are still required to comply with the post adoption reporting requirements.
- The Government of Russia requires children adopted from Russia to be registered with either the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) before they leave Russia or with the Russian Embassy or Consulate once they arrive in the United States.
- Russia requires four post-adoption reports to provide information regarding the welfare of children adopted by U.S. families.
- The initial post-adoption home study should be done at least five months after the court order granting adoption goes into effect, and the post-adoption report is due no later than the end of the seventh month.
- The second post-adoption home study should be done at eleven months after the court order granting adoption goes into effect, and the post-adoption report is due no later than the end of the 13th month after the court order.
- The third post-adoption home study should be done 23 months after the court order granting adoption goes into effect, and the post-adoption report is due no later than the end of the 25th month after the court order.
- The fourth post-adoption home study should be done 35 months after the court order granting adoption goes into effect, and the post-adoption report is due no later than the end of the 37th month after the court order.
- Reports should be prepared in accordance with the requirements established by the Russian government and as agreed to during the adoption process.
- All reports should be translated into Russian.
- Reports may be submitted either to the Ministry of Education and Science at the following address or to the regional authorities where the adoption was completed.
San Marino
- No information available.
Serbia
- When adopting from Serbia, adoptive parents are required to prepare post-adoption reports for the adopted child twice a year for the first three years after the adoption is finalized.
- The Serbian Central Authority does not specify the format of the reporting, but has indicated that they are particularly interested in reports on the child’s medical, educational, and developmental situation.
Slovakia
- No information available.
Slovenia
- No Information available.
Spain
- Spain does have national post adoption requirements, however, there are different requirements among the different 17 Autonomous Communities (regions) and two Autonomous Cities. Adoptive parents will need to contact the relevant regional authority to learn about the requirements for that region.
Sweden
- Sweden does not require post-adoption reporting.
Switzerland
- Switzerland does not require post-adoption reporting.
Turkey
Ukraine
- Ukraine requires that adoptive parents register their adopted child with the Ukrainian Embassy or appropriate Ukrainian consulate in the United States following the process described on their website here.
- Furthermore, Ukrainian law requires that adoptive parents provide post-adoption reports to the Consular Office of the Embassy of Ukraine annually during the first three years following the adoption, and then once every three years thereafter until the child’s 18th birthday. Adoptive parents can find the post-adoption report form at the Ukrainian Embassy’s website here.
- Note: Under Ukrainian law, an adopted child maintains his/her Ukrainian citizenship until the child’s 18th birthday. At that time, he/she can decide to officially renounce his/her Ukrainian citizenship or renew his/her Ukrainian passport.
United Kingdom
- Post-adoption reporting requirements will be determined by a UK local authority.
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Algeria
- Algeria does not require post-adoption reporting.
Bahrain
- No information available.
Egypt
- The Ministry of Social Affairs conducts regularly scheduled visits after the fostering of the child to determine whether the foster parents are able to care for the child properly. However, if parents are planning to travel to the United States, they may discuss the possibility of waiving the visit requirements.
Iran
- No information available. In accordance with current Iranian practice, acquiring legal custody/guardianship by parents residing outside of Iran is not possible.
- Prospective adoptive parents must be Iranian citizens and fulfill all other required conditions for acquiring legal custody/guardianship.
Iraq
- No information available. Under the laws of Iraq, adoption of Iraqi children is not permitted.
Israel
- Israel requires a follow-up report once a year for the first three years after the adoption.
Jordan
- After the child has immigrated to the United States, adoptive parents are required to inform the nearest Jordanian Embassy or consulate of any change in address.
- This facilitates the follow-up the Ministry of Social Development performs for all adopted Jordanian children abroad.
Kuwait
- No information available.
Lebanon
- Lebanon does not require post-adoption reporting.
Libya
- No information available.
Morocco
- Although Morocco does not generally have post-placement reporting requirements, an individual Kafala court may impose certain post placement obligations on the prospective adoptive parents in the Kafala order.
Oman
- No information available.
Qatar
- No information available.
Saudi Arabia
- No information available.
Syria
- No information available.
Tunisia
- No information available.
United Arab Emirates
- No information available.
West Bank & Gaza
- No information available.
Yemen
- No information available.
SOUTH CENTRAL ASIA
Afghanistan
- No information available.
Bangladesh
- Bangladesh does not require post-adoption reporting.
Bhutan
- Post adoption report for Inter Country adoption shall be sent annually to the nearest Bhutanese Embassy/Consulate/Mission/Designated Representatives or directly to the Competent Authority by the adopting parents till the child turns 18 years of age. The status on the child shall be carried out by a certified and recognized organization in the country The National Commission for Women and Children is the authorizing entity for Adoption Service Providers in Bhutan.
- The Post Adoption Report for inter-country adoptions shall contain:
- Name, gender, date of birth and the date on which the Child was adopted;
- Name, date of birth, occupation and Social Security Number/Passport number of the adopting parents;
- Details of the present address;
- The relationship between the parents and the child;
- The health (both mental and physical) status of the child;
- The census status of the child;
- The education status of the child;
- Hobbies and interest of the child; and
- The environment in which the child resides.
India
- The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) requires adoptive parents to submit online post-placement reports on the child through their adoption service provider to CARA and the Specialized Adoption Agencies.
- The post-placement reports should be uploaded into CARINGS quarterly by the prospective adoptive parents’ ASP during the first year, and twice a year during the second year after the child’s arrival in the United States. The reporting continues for two years after the child acquires U.S. citizenship.
- In addition to the above reports, some Indian courts require regular follow-up visits and post-adoption counseling by a licensed social worker until the child has adjusted to his/her new environment.
- The follow-up visits are generally for a period of one year or as directed by the court. Copies of the court ordered follow-up reports should be sent to the court where the adoption or guardianship order was obtained, as well as to other government offices as required.
Kazakhstan
- The Ministry recently simplified reporting requirements to make reporting easier. Families may seek the assistance of an adoption service provider (ASP) and should include the parent(s)’ names, the child’s name and DOB, and the region where the child was adopted. PARs should also include a summary on each of the following:
- Health and development
- Education
- Activities (sports, hobbies, etc.)
- Family adjustment
- PARs should include recent photos of the child in various situations, including family photographs.
- Families may submit reports in English. The government of Kazakhstan no longer requires translations.
- Families may submit PARs directly to the Adoption Committee at the Ministry of Education and Science at consuldc16@gmail.com, kznyconsul@gmail.com, and qazconsulsf@gmail.com. Please copy the Department of State at adoption@state.gov to help ensure the Kazakh government receives submission of your report(s).
Kyrgyzstan
- The Kyrgyz Republic requires four post-adoption reports: the first is due no more than seven months after the adoption is completed, then at one, two, and three years after the adoption is completed.
- After three years, reports are required as requested by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD).
- The adoption service provider should assist with the preparation of these reports.
- These reports should be completed by a social worker, notarized and translated into Russian or Kyrgyz, and submitted twice a year until the child turns 14 years of age.
Maldives
- Maldivian law and Islamic Shari’a law, upon which Maldivian family law is largely based, does not allow the adoption of Maldivian children in Maldives.
- Maldivian law recognizes only long term guardianship as an alternative to adoption, and this arrangement is only available to Maldivian nationals.
Nepal
- Nepal requires the adopting parents send a yearly progress report relating to the maintenance, education, and health of the adopted child, along with a recently taken postcard sized photograph of the child until the child reaches16 years of age. Adoptive parents can submit these reports through their adoption service provider.
Pakistan
- The Family Law Court may ask the adoptive parents to bring the child back to Pakistan upon request.
Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka requires the following post-adoption reporting from adoptive parents:
- Quarterly progress reports on the child until the adoption is legally confirmed in their state of residence;
- Semi-annual process reports on the child, including his/her photograph, for a period of three years from the date on which the final adoption order in Sri Lanka is issued;
- Annual reports for the child until he or she reaches ten years of age.
- Post-adoption reports should be conducted by a social worker from the family’s U.S. Hague accredited adoption service provider through a home visit and include information on the adopted child’s physical and emotional development, health, and adjustment to the family environment. This report must be authenticated by the Sri Lankan Embassy in the United States, and forwarded to the Department of Probation and Child Care Service.
Tajikistan
- No information available.
Turkmenistan
- No information available.
Uzbekistan
- Uzbek law requires adoptive parents submit annual reports to the Ministry of Public Education until the adopted child reaches the age of 16.
- Parents should contact their adoption service providers in the United States for more information on post-adoption requirements.
WESTERN HEMISPHERE (including North and South America and Caribbean)
Anguilla
- Anguilla does not require post-adoption reporting.
Antigua & Barbuda
- Antigua & Barbuda does not require post-adoption reporting.
Aruba
- Aruba does not require post-adoption reporting.
Argentina
- Argentina does not require post-adoption reporting, but according to Argentine law, adoptive parents must inform the child of his/her adoption before the child turns 18 years of age. Once the child turns 18 years of age, he/she have a right to know their true biological identity and will have access to their adoption file.
- Parents must sign this commitment at the court at the time the adoption is granted.
Bahamas
- The Bahamas does not require post-adoption reporting.
Barbados
- Barbados does not require post-adoption reporting.
Belize
- If a provisional adoption order is issued, the prospective adoptive parent(s) will have custody of the child for a probationary period, usually one year, during which there must be quarterly reports regarding the child’s care and progress.
- Belize does not require post-adoption reporting once the adoption is finalized.
Bermuda
- No information available.
Bolivia
- Bolivia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Bonaire
- No information available.
Brazil
- Adoption Service Providers must send post-adoption follow-up reports to the State Judiciary Commission of Adoption (CEJA) and Autoridade Central Administrativa Federal (ACAF) on the adopted children every six months for up to two years after the adoption is granted and/or until the child gets the naturalization certificate.
- ACAF may also request ASPs information about an adopted child at any moment and ASPs need to send an official copy from USCIS of the child's naturalization certificate as soon as it is issued to ACAF.
British Virgin Islands
- The British Virgin Islands does not require post-adoption reporting.
Canada
- Requirements, if any, vary by province. Please contact the relevant provincial adoption or territorial authority for specific information on post-adoption/post-placement requirements.
Cayman Islands
- No information available.
Chile
- Servicio Nacional de Menores (SENAME), the Central Authority for Chile, requires post-placement reports following the adoption. Parents must fulfil any post-placement reporting requirements in their state or territory.
- SENAME requests a report every semester during the first two years after the placement, and one report per year during the third and fourth years.
- This requirement applies to families that have adopted from Chile since July 24, 2015.
- SENAME has highlighted the importance of this process in guaranteeing the proper adjustment of a child to their new family and social environment given the increasingly complex profile of children being adopted.
Colombia
- Post-adoption reports are submitted to the the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) Cecilia de la Fuente de Lleras or to one of the eight authorized institutions to carry out adoptions in Colombia,dependent on the authority through which the adoption was processed.
- Colombia requires four post-adoption reports certified by a psychologist. The reports should be provided to ICBF 3 months, 9 months, 15 months, and 21 months after the adoption has been finalized.
Costa Rica
- Costa Rica does not require post-adoption reporting.
Cuba
- No information available.
Curacao
- Curacao does not require post-adoption reporting.
Dominica
- Dominica does not require post-adoption reporting.
Dominican Republic
- The Central Authority, Consejo Nacional para la Niñez y la Adolescencia (CONANI), requires post adoption reports to be submitted by the ASP every year, for the first five years after the child has entered the United States;
- The first report must be submitted six months after the child entered the United States, the second report after the first year, then once a year for the next five years.
- The reports are to be submitted to the closest Embassy or Consulate of the Dominican Republic to the residence of the child in the United States.
Ecuador
- Ecuador requires a minimum of five post-adoption reports to be forwarded to the Central Authority during the first two years after the child’s adoption at the following intervals: four, eight, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months after the adoption has been finalized.
El Salvador
- The Oficina Para Adopciones is required by law to follow up on the adoptee’s situation through the Central Authority or accredited body every four months for a period of three years after the adoption is finalized.
Grenada
- Grenada does not require post-adoption reporting.
Guadeloupe
- Guadeloupe does not require post-adoption reporting.
Guatemala
- In accordance with Guatemalan family law, and by the formal agreement adopting parents sign with the National Adoption Council’s (CNA), all parents who adopt Guatemalan children under the CNA Acuerdo process must provide post-placement reports every six months for the first two years after the adoption is finalized.
- This reporting must include information on the general welfare, education, upbringing, and health of the child. For more information about the contents of the reports, please visit the CNA web page.
Guyana
- Guyana does not require post-adoption reporting.
Haiti
- Haiti requires that adoptive parents provide post-adoption reports on the status of children adopted from Haiti for a period of eight years. This series of up to nine (9) reports is designed to show the evolution and integration of the child within his/her adoptive family and environment. Reports are due at the following time intervals: six (6) months after the child’s arrival with his/her adoptive family, then following at the 12 month/1 year mark, then once a year for seven consecutive years. The reporting requirements end when the child turns 18. The last five reports may be completed by an entity other than your authorized adoption service provider, and can be submitted directly to L’Instituit du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches (IBESR) by the adoptive parents.
- Your authorized adoption service provider is responsible for transmitting at least the first four (4) reports to IBESR. The post-adoption report must include a cover letter, a psychological report on the child, a medical evaluation of the child, school results, and a social evaluation. All documents must be in French or include certified translations into French.
Honduras
- The Honduran Family Code requires adoptive parents to send post-adoption updates on the child directly to DINAF until the child reaches the age of 18. The family code orders the submission of children’s post-adoption reports as follows:
- Every three months during the first year of the adoption;
- Every six months during the second year;
- Thereafter annually until the child reaches 18, as required by Honduran law
- Post-adoption reporting is coordinated by adoption service providers.
Jamaica
- The Child Development Agency (CDA) may, on a case-by-case basis, require the agency that conducted the home study to submit reports to the CDA on a regular basis for up to two years after an Adoption License is issued.
- Post-adoption reporting is not mandated in cases that receive Adoption Orders.
Martinique
- Martinique does not require post-adoption reporting.
Montserrat
- Montserrat does not require post-adoption reporting.
Mexico
- Mexico requires post adoption reporting twice a year for the first three years and once a year thereafter until the age of 18.
- All reports should be submitted to the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores by an accredited adoption service provider that is also authorized to provide services in Mexico.
Nicaragua
- Nicaragua's Ministry of the Family requires a U.S.-based adoption agency to conduct annual visits after adoption and to report on the welfare of the child until the child reaches the age of 18.
- These reports need to be sent directly to the Ministry of the Family's Consejo de Adopción.
Panama
- In adoption cases where prospective adoptive parent(s) are granted legal guardianship of a child in order to adopt the child in the United States, a Panamanian judge must interview the prospective adoptive parent(s) and determine an adoption outside of Panama is in the best interests of the child. This often includes a psychological evaluation of the parent(s) by a social worker.
- This evaluation can be performed by a comparable agency in the United States.
- A judge must approve the departure of a child from Panama if the child is leaving without the child's birth parent(s) or legal guardian.
- The judge will grant the prospective adoptive parents guardianship for a trial period.
- This trial period can take place either in the United States or in Panama.
- If the judge determines the child's adjustment has been successful, the adoption is finalized under Panamanian law.
- If the judge is concerned about the child's welfare, the judge may extend the trial period or cancel the process altogether.
- Once the adoption is finalized, Panamanian law requires post-placement reports every six months for three years (for a total of six reports).
- These reports can either be delivered by the adoption service provider or via DHL or Federal Express sent to the Secretaría Nacional de Niñez, Adolescencia y Familia.
Paraguay
- Paraguay does not require post-adoption reporting.
Peru
- Peru requires post-adoption reports every six months for four years after the adoption.
- This requirement applies even if the child turns 18 during the four year period.
- Parents should contact their adoption service providers in the United States for more information on the process to submit post-adoption reports.
Saba
- No information available.
St. Barthelemy (St. Barts)
- No information available.
Saint Eustasius
- No information available.
Saint Kitts & Nevis
- Saint Kitts & Nevis does not require post-adoption reporting.
Saint Lucia
- Saint Lucia does not require post-adoption reporting.
Sint Maarten
- Sint Maarten does not require post-adoption reporting.
St. Vincent & Grenadines
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Adoption Board requires post adoption placement reports at 3 months, 6 months, and yearly up to the age of eighteen years old.
Suriname
- Suriname does not require post-adoption reporting.
Trinidad & Tobago
- Trinidad & Tobago does not require post-adoption reporting.
Turks & Caicos
- No information available.
Uruguay
- Uruguay does not require post-adoption reporting.
Venezuela
- Venezuela does not require post-adoption reporting.