Haitian adoption refers to the adoption process aligned with a child who resides in Haiti. As a result of Haiti’s poor economic climate and overall impoverished conditions, Haitian adoption is one of the more prevalent forms of international adoption in the United States. Haitian adoption, as is common with other forms of International Adoption practices, requires a standardized policy that must be stringently adhered to, in order to ensure that all legality issues have been satisfied. 

The typical application for Haitian adoption takes 5 working days to process. Once approved, you will file for a home study program (a necessary step of home study Haitian adoption) that will last approximately 6-8 weeks. Following the fulfillment of the home study program, the Haitian adoption process requires you to file a Dossier and Child Identification pamphlet; this process takes approximately 3 months.

The next step of the Haitian adoption will require you to travel to Haiti to meet the child you intend to adopt; this portion of the Haitian adoption, which is referred to as Haitian Adoption Authority Approval will last approximately 18-24 months. Furthermore, you will be required to travel to Haiti at least two more times to affirm the Haitian adoption; you will be required to stay in Haiti for approximately 6-9 days total. 

Filing The CCAI Application for Haitian Adoption: The application allows the CCAI to screen your qualifications for a Haitian adoption. Through the filing of this application, the CCAI is able to determine whether or not you meet the requirements of the particular agency and the requirements established by the various U.S. and Haitian governmental entities that are responsible for overseeing the adoption.

Home study: This process is required to further ensure you are suitable to partake in a Haitian adoption; without the completion of a home study you will not able to complete your dossier. A home study is an evaluation of each potential adoptive family prior to the placement of a child in the home.

An approved home study report will enable us to recommend you to Haiti. Therefore, the home study is an extremely important part of the adoption process. The purpose of a home study is to completely and accurately assess the readiness of an adoptive family to ensure the placement is made in the best interest of the adoptive child and the adoptive family.

Dossier Compilation, Subsequent Review and Translation:Once your adoption application has been approved, you will begin to compile your adoption dossier. Your dossier is a collection of documents that report on various aspects of your life and represents you as adoptive parents to the Haiti government. This part of the adoption process often seems daunting to adoptive families, but it is important to remember to follow CCAI’s copyrighted Haiti Adoption Dossier Guide, and get help from our knowledgeable dossier team. Most of your dossier documents, including the notarization and certification pages, must be translated into French before legalization.

Haitian Adoption Authority Approval: After the submission of the dossier, you must come to terms with the waiting process between dossier submission and travel needed to complete the Haitian adoption. Timelines will vary based on a case by case basis and are controlled by the IBESR, the Haitian Adoption Authority, The Haitian civil court system, and other Haitian government offices. 

Haitian Adoption Travel Requirements: Once approved, you will need to travel to Haiti at least twice. On your first trip to Haiti, you will be required to file your I-600 at the USCIS of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince to facilitate the Haitian adoption process. The first trip will last between 3-5 days. When you return to the United States, a post adoption report must be submitted one year after placement to satisfy Haitian adoption requirements.