The Adoption Timeline

Many have asked us where we are in the process of our adoption. I have found an outline of what our process will look like. We met John Diego in January of last year, completed all of our paperwork in April and met Christine in June. We are only at step one of the official process. Please pray for our paperwork to move through each step quickly! IBESR Approval and Dispensation (where we are now) What Happens: Case is assigned a number and reviewed by social worker, lawyer and other government personnel specializing in certain areas. Questions must be resolved before moving to the next person. IBESR submits the file to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the MOJ gives it to the President for approval. Once approved by President Martelly, notice of approval is published in a government newspaper (Le Moniteur). MOJ gives the file back to IBESR for final approval by the IBESR director. Estimated Timing: 2-18 months First Required trip to Haiti/Parquet/I-600 filing What Happens: Prospective parents appear and sign papers at the local court (where relinquishment occurred) and the Civil Court "Parquet" in Port-au-Prince. File I-600 and Adjudicate Orphan Status First paperwork at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office in Port-au-Prince. Prospective parents visit with their child(ren) and their child(ren)'s caregivers and spend quality time in their environment. Estimated Timing: 2-4 weeks after IBESR approval/Dispensation Civil Court/Parquet What Happens: Civil Court "Parquet" reviews the file and IBESR's recommendation and issues a judgment of adoption. The judgment is typed up by an office within the Civil Court and then hand-written/officially recorded in a Court Book. Transcription of the judgment is then done by Birth Certificate Officer to add adoptive parent's last name to the child's name. Estimated Timing: 4-6 months National Archives (NA) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) What Happens: The case is attested at the NA, a higher office than the Civil Court/Parquet. MOJ is the highest office. Once the MOJ has reviewed everything to insure it is complete and correct, they issue their stamp of approval. Estimated Timing: 2-4 months Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) What Happens: Upon completion of NA/MOJ, cases go back to MOFA again before review and approval before going to the Ministry of Interior. Estimated Timing: 4-6 weeks Ministry of Interior (MOI) What Happens: The MOI reviews the file and if approved, the Director of the MOI signs off. A child's passport cannot be issued until this signature is received. Estimated Timing: 2-5 months Passport Office What Happens: Application for child's passport. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) What Happens: DHS interviews child's birth parent(s) or other family members. DHS may require clarification about a document or have questions. After DHS approval, the U.S. Consulate must review and grant approval. They sometimes request additional documentation. Estimated Timing: 2 weeks-2 months Child's Visa Medical Exam Estimated Timing: 1-2 weeks U.S. Consulate What Happens: Consulate reviews the file and lets the creche/orphanage know if any questions or action is needed before they will issue the visa. Estimated Timing: 2 weeks-2months Family's Second Required Trip to Haiti What Happens: Prospective parents appear at IBESR with the child and show the child's visa. IBESR provides a "travel authorization document" that will be required prior to departure. Spend a few days visiting and bonding with the child. Come home! Estimated Timing: Any time after the child's visa is approved And there you have it! This is what we know and what we've been led to believe we can expect. The timeline may vary some (it is Haiti), but we've also been told these files are going to be "expedited," so we can only hope and pray.Timing: 2 weeks-3 months