Adoption Information: Haiti
Alert: In April 2024, the Department of State advised prospective adoptive parents to reconsider intercountry adoptions from Haiti. USCIS and the Department of State strongly recommend that prospective adoptive parents reconsider intercountry adoptions from Haiti. Haitian government offices and courts that process adoptions are currently closed or operating with limited capacity. They may be unable to issue required documentation or provide essential functions that would allow adoptions to proceed under both U.S. and Haitian law, and in compliance with all applicable Hague Adoption Convention mandates.
For the latest information on adoptions from Haiti, see the Department of State’s Intercountry Adoption for Haiti webpage, which also contains previously issued Department of State adoption notices for Haiti.
We encourage U.S. citizens who are still in the adoption process in Haiti to work with their adoption service provider to contact the Department of State at adoption@state.gov for the most up to date information on obtaining required documents and completing in-country requirements.
The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Adoption Convention, or Convention) went into effect in Haiti on April 1, 2014.
Countries that are parties to the Convention must follow a rigorous set of requirements. These requirements ensure certain safeguards in the inter-country adoption process take place in the best interests of the child and in respect of commitments by countries who are parties to the Convention. For a Haitian child to successfully complete the immigration process in the United States, all applicable Hague Adoption Convention mandates as well as Haitian and U.S. laws must be followed, and the steps in the Convention process must take place in a specific order.
Haitian Authorities Adoption Processing Information
The Haitian government, including the Haitian Central Adoption Authority (IBESR) and courts, are operating at limited capacity at this time, and may be unable to issue required documentation or provide essential functions. This may result in extended delays or inability to complete an intercountry adoption from Haiti. For additional information on the current situation and impact on intercountry adoptions, refer to and the Department of State Intercountry Adoption webpage for Haiti.
The Department of State’s consular officers verify on a case-by-case basis that individual adoption cases in Haiti meet the requirements of both the Hague Adoption Convention and the Intercountry Adoption Act. Consular officers may:
Grant final approval of a provisionally approved Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative;
Issue Hague Adoption Certificates; and
Issue immigrant visas for Convention adoptees.
Ongoing concerns not in the Department of State adoption notice may prevent you from completing an intercountry adoption from Haiti. Haitian authorities may be unable to issue required documentation or provide essential functions that would allow adoptions to proceed in a timely fashion under U.S. and Haitian law, and in compliance with all applicable Hague Adoption Convention mandates. Although we continue to accept and adjudicate petitions, we may not be able to provisionally approve these petitions if the required documentation and processes supporting those petitions are not available.
U.S. Citizen Prospective Adoptive Parents Pursuing a Convention Adoption in Haiti
To pursue a Convention adoption of a child habitually resident in Haiti, a U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parent must file two primary forms with USCIS:
Following the approval of your Form I-800A and while your Form I-800A approval remains valid, you may then file:
Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, on behalf of a child habitually resident in Haiti.
You can find the filing fee for Form I-800 and Form I-800A on our Fee Schedule page.
Please note the Haitian government, including the Haitian Central Adoption Authority (IBESR) and courts, are operating at limited capacity at this time, and may be unable to issue required documentation or provide essential functions. This, may result in extended delays or inability to complete an intercountry adoption from Haiti.
Change of Country Requests
Prospective adoptive parents with a pending or approved and valid Form I-800A applications may request a change of country to continue the adoption process in another Hague Convention country. For additional information, see our Change of Country webpage.
Expedite Request Information and Criteria
If you have a current pending case with USCIS, you may request an expedited adjudication. Find more information on the, Expedite Request webpage. You may ask us to expedite the adjudication of an application, petition, request, appeal, or motion that is under our jurisdiction. We consider all expedite requests on a case-by-case basis and generally require documentation to support an expedite request.