The Hague Convention
Many websites still indicate that Haiti is not a Hague Agreement country, but it became a convention country in 2014:
On April 1, 2014, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) will enter into force in Haiti. The United States will be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions from Haiti that are initiated on or after April 1, 2014. However, please note that delays may occur while Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), implements a Convention-consistent adoption process, including finalizing the schedule of in-country fees.
This means that all the requirements of international adoptions must be followed as stated in the convention documents. There are many sites out there that can give detailed information on the Hague Agreement and what it means for adopting from Haiti. We have pulled some key information to share with you here, but we encourage you to check out the many other resources available to you.
What does this mean? Adoptive parents may not request a particular child that they have met or have heard about. They may indicate on interest in a child of a certain gender, age, orphanage of residence, etc., but there are no guarantees that those requests will be honored. Because of this law, we strongly encourage prospective adoptive parents to limit comments on social media about adopting a specific child until after IBESR has made the match.
Note: Haitian and U.S. law prohibit any payments to the child's birth parent(s) or guardian(s) by the prospective adoptive parent(s) or their agents.
Many websites still indicate that Haiti is not a Hague Agreement country, but it became a convention country in 2014:
On April 1, 2014, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) will enter into force in Haiti. The United States will be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions from Haiti that are initiated on or after April 1, 2014. However, please note that delays may occur while Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), implements a Convention-consistent adoption process, including finalizing the schedule of in-country fees.
This means that all the requirements of international adoptions must be followed as stated in the convention documents. There are many sites out there that can give detailed information on the Hague Agreement and what it means for adopting from Haiti. We have pulled some key information to share with you here, but we encourage you to check out the many other resources available to you.
- AGE REQUIREMENTS: Under Haitian law, the prospective adoptive parent must be 35 or older. For married couples, one prospective adoptive parent may be under age 35, provided the couple has been married for ten years and has no biological children. The adoptive parent must be at least 19 years older than the child they intend to adopt. These restrictions can be waived with permission from the President of Haiti.
- OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Haitian law permits adoptions by single parents, provided they meet the age requirements. Adoptive parents who already have children will need to obtain a waiver from the President of Haiti. This requirement is commonly waived.
- Being Matched with a Child: Under the current system, matching often occurs through the adoption service provider. Each family must decide for itself whether or not it will be able to meet the needs of a particular child and provide a permanent family placement for the child. Once the prospective adoptive parents are matched with a child, they must submit the Extrait des Minutes du Greffe du Tribunal de Paix (minutes of the legal consent proceedings) or Extrait de l'acte de Decès (extract of the death certificates of the biological parents), if applicable to IBESR, which will investigate, among other things, the medical and psychological well-being of the prospective adoptive parents and child. The child must be eligible to be adopted according to Haiti's requirements. The child must also meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law.
What does this mean? Adoptive parents may not request a particular child that they have met or have heard about. They may indicate on interest in a child of a certain gender, age, orphanage of residence, etc., but there are no guarantees that those requests will be honored. Because of this law, we strongly encourage prospective adoptive parents to limit comments on social media about adopting a specific child until after IBESR has made the match.
Note: Haitian and U.S. law prohibit any payments to the child's birth parent(s) or guardian(s) by the prospective adoptive parent(s) or their agents.