Colombia Adoption

Colombia

About The Children

Children waiting in Colombia for forever families are 2 years of age or older, sibling groups, and children under 8 that have special needs. Due to recent positive law changes in Colombia, over 5,000 children are now available for adoption.

Colombian children come from a variety of ethnic groups that make up Colombia’s rich cultural heritage. These groups are Latino-Colombian, African-Colombian, and European-Colombian.

Colombian Institute of Child Welfare (ICBF) charges no administrative fees for adoption services.

Eligibility

Applicants should be 25 – 60+ years old. Both applicants much be 15 years older than the child and not more than 50 years older than the child. Some exceptions may be allowed on a case by case basis.
If you hold current Colombian citizenship or were born in Colombia and have your birth certificate, you may be qualified to adopt a young child with no special needs.
Colombia does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
Single women and men are allowed to adopt.
No more than three marriages per spouse. Couples should be married for at least 2 years.
Psychological Evaluation is required.
Families with health and mental issues will be considered on a case by case basis.
Adoptive parents must have clean criminal history records to adopt from Colombia. (Some minor infractions occurring many years ago may be considered).
Family support: The Colombian authorities place a high value on children in the family, even those not at home, supporting the adoption of a child from Colombia.
Families must be open to a child of either gender up to 5 years and 11 months old at the time of referral.
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Travel and Time Frame

Travel

Adopting from Colombia is a one-trip process about 3-5 weeks long.

Time Frame

The average time between referral and picking up the child is about 4-6 months.  The entire adoption process can take about 18-36 months.
Process

ADOPTION PROCESS

CHI has worked with adoptions in Latin America for 25 years and in Colombia for over 10 years.  Our team in Colombia has many years of experience and takes great care of our families from start to finish.  CHI’s International Specialist is an adoptive mom and also has over 25 years of experience.  She is bilingual and will be available should you have any questions before and during your stay. We look forward to helping you adopt from Colombia!

Contact Us
1

Apply to Children’s House International’s Colombia Program.
2

Complete the Home Study Process with a CHI Social Worker or a Local Hague Accredited Social Worker.
3

Submit Approved Home Study.
4

Apply for I-800A Approval from USCIS.
5

Compile your dossier for Colombia.
6

Obtain Apostille seals for dossier documents.
7

Your completed dossier will be sent to Colombia for translation. It will then be forwarded to ICBF (Colombian Central Authority) for their review and approval.
8

ICBF provides a referral to CHI, and the CHI Social Services Supervisor sends the referral to the family.
9

Upon family acceptance of the referral, the I-800 is filed with USCIS to determine the child’s adoptability. Travel takes place after USCIS approval of the I-800.
10

Both parents must travel to Colombia to the region where the child resides. One parent may return home 7-10 days after arrival. At least one parent must stay in Colombia for approximately 3-4 weeks to complete the adoption process.
11

After obtaining the child’s visa at the US consulate, the family can return to the U.S. with their child.

Want To Learn More
About Colombia?

CHI will be happy to talk with you to discuss your hopes and dreams concerning adopting from Colombia.  Please contact us to schedule a phone call.  We are pleased to go over the entire process and answer any questions you might have.

We are very excited about our Colombian vacation program!  Families host older children in a summer and winter program.  Many find their forever families through this program.  CHI works exclusively with Frontier Horizons, who has many years of hosting experience.  Contact us for more details!

Click here to go to the State Department Website!

Click here to go to the Centers for Disease Control Website on International Adoption!

Go to the CIA World Factbook on all countries!

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Review Colombia Documents Here!

Want to learn more about waiting children
in Colombia?

Waiting children on Rainbow Kids!

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Waiting children on Rainbow Kids!

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Waiting children on Rainbow Kids!

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What parents say about us?

We are happy to share our families experiences
about Children's House International

When we set out on our adoption journey, we asked close friends of ours who they had adopted through and whether they would recommend that agency. Our friends highly recommended Children's House International and we looked no further. Children's House... Read More>>

China Adoptive Family, Adopted from China

We had an absolutely incredible adoption experience with Children’s House International!  Throughout every step of the process, communications were timely, straightforward, and frequent.  It was clear we had chosen an agency whom we could 100% trust, and who truly cares... Read More>>

Lanstrum Family, Adopted from Colombia

We had a wonderful experience adopting thru CHI! We selected the Bulgaria program because it was predictable, close to our family’s heritage and because we liked the idea of being able to meet our child before committing to the adoption.... Read More>>

Adoptive Parents, Adopted from Bulgaria

I just wanted to tell you how wonderful the last 10 years have been with my son. He was adopted from Romania in 2000. What a joy he has been to our family. He is now 11, almost 12, and... Read More>>

Nancy, Adopted from Romania

Successfully having the paperwork move through the process. There is a feeling of accomplishment with each step and knowing we properly completed each requirement was what kept us going through the wait.

Jody, Adopted from China