Dominican Republic Adoptions
Introduction
Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean, and is on the eastern part of the Island of Hispaniola. The Island is shared with Haiti, which is to the west of Dominican Republic.
In October 2016, Agape Adoptions received approval from Consejo Nacional para la Nines y la Adolescenia (CONANI), the adoption authority in Dominican Republic (DR) to participate with inter country adoptions. CONANI handles the adoption process in conjunction with Dominican courts. Agape Adoptions is directly accredited by CONANI and works with a reputable law firm to handle all adoption cases successfully in court.
All adoptions from DR are completed in accordance with the Hague Convention on inter country adoption. More information can be found here. As a Hague country, the Dominican Republic’s adoption program has a clear process. In general, the Dominican government gives the highest preference for children under four years of age to people of Dominican descent but exceptions may be made when the child has special needs.
Eligibility
Agape Adoptions can provide a free case-by-case consultation regarding eligibility for adopting from DR.
Citizenship:
One adoptive parent must be a US citizen.
Age:
30 - 60 years old, and at least 15 years older than the child you plan to adopt.
Marriage Status:
Only heterosexual couples who have been married for five years or more are allowed to adopt from the Dominican Republic.
Income:
There is no minimum income required. However, you must meet the income requirements provided by USCIS for the child to immigrate.
Children in Home:
There is no limit to the number of children currently in the home.
Other:
Each potential adoptive parent must have at least a high school diploma or the equivalent.
No history of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or child abuse.
No criminal violations in past 10 years.
About the Children
The country of Dominican Republic includes many ethnic groups composed of European, Mestizo, Indigenous, Spanish, Haitian, and African backgrounds. Children available for intercountry adoption are representative of all of these ethnic groups.
Children placed for inter country adoption include boys and girls who are 3 - 15 years old. Most common are toddlers and elementary aged children. Infants are not available through DR.
(Children must be adopted prior to turning 16 years old in Dominican Republic, per USCIS immigration rules.)
Sibling Groups (2-3 children that are biological siblings).
Families considering adopting a child will have access to child’s background information before travel. In most cases, additional information is available upon request.
Many children available for adoption have identified medical or developmental special needs. Some medical conditions may be considered minor in the US; while other conditions may be more significant and even encompass multiple diagnoses. When adopting a child with special needs, Agape Adoptions strongly encourages families to research the needs they are open to, as well as consult with their family physician and/or an international adoption medical professional for more information about the particular health issues their child might face.
Process & Timeline
- Complete adoption application for preliminary approval by Agape Adoptions.
- Complete adoption home study report (generally 3-4 months to complete). If you live outside of Washington or Oregon, you must select a Hague or COA accredited home study agency in your state. Once complete, your home study will be filed with the Immigration office.
- Complete dossier documents. The dossier is then sent to DR for officially submission with CONANI, DR’s adoption authority.
- Average time to complete adoption of a waiting child is 24-36 months; families wanting to adopt a child that is not currently waiting should expect a 3-4 year process. *Please note the travel and co-habitation bonding period requirements for DR
Travel & Bonding Period; Post Adoption Requirements
After you are matched with a child or sibling group, you will travel to DR about two to three months later and you should be prepared to remain and live in the Dominican Republic for a co-habitation and bonding period of between 30-60 days. Both parents must participate in this co-habitation period to bond with the child.
If families have a valid reason, it is possible for the co-habitation period to be reduced. However, it will never be less than 30 days. Once this process is complete, there are additional paperwork and court processes that must be completed. At least one parent must stay in the Dominican Republic during the finalization process.
POST ADOPTION
Families are required to complete six (6) post adoption reports after arrival home. The reports are due at the following intervals: six months, 1,2,3,4 and 5 years after arrival home.
All reports must be completed by a Hague accredited agency and are submitted to CONANI through Agape Adoptions.
Agape Adoptions will advise you throughout the reporting process. Each report is intended to communicate to CONANI and Agape Adoptions how the family is adjusting to the adoption.
Fees
All fees are based on two adoptive parents and one adopted child
Total Agency Fees:$6000
Total application, dossier, translation and other paperwork processing fees:
$2700-$2800
Total USCIS, Department of State and IAAME Fees: $1695
Total Home Study and Post Placement Fees: $5400
Additional mileage and travel fees may be incurred for families located more than 100 miles from the main office, or city center of Spokane or Portland
Total Home Study Review Fee, for families completing a home study with another agency: $550
Total Attorney Fees in Dominican Republic: $8000-$10,000
Total Visa Fees: $20
Total Estimated Travel fees (for two PAPs and one adopted child): $5600-$7000
Total in country fees for child’s adoption processing: $625
Total estimated adoption and travel expenses: $30,040 - $33,540
*A detailed fee schedule is available upon request