THIS PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY CLOSED
Mexico Adoption Program
Mexico is a wonderful adoption program for families seeking to impact the life of an older child, siblings, or a child with medical needs.
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Hague Convention:
Mexico is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore, all adoptions between Mexico and the United States must meet the requirements of The Hague Adoption Convention and U.S. law and regulations implementing the Convention. The SRE (Secretary of Exterior Relations, or Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores), a branch of The Mexican Central Authority, is responsible for making sure all adoptions in Mexico fall under the guidelines of the Hague Treaty.
Who can adopt:
· Prospective adoptive parents must be over 25 years of age and at least 17 years older than the child. If married, only one parent must meet the age requirement. At least one of the prospective adoptive parents must be a US Citizen to qualify as a petitioner, even in the case of relative adoptions.
· Prospective adoptive parents may be married or single, male or female.
· Prospective adoptive parents must demonstrate the means to support the physical and educational needs of the child. Parents must state in their dossier why they would like to adopt from Mexico specifically.
Note: Mexican States may have their own requirements so be sure to check with the state from which you receive your referral.
Who can be adopted?
Age: Children five years and older are allowed to be adopted internationally. children under 5 years of age may be adopted if siblings older than five are also being adopted.
Health: The majority of adoptable children have a physical or mental disability, or suffer from a disease that is costly to treat. These children will be matched with families that can prove the resources and desire to care for them.
Family Adoptions: children that are related to adoptive parents that are dual Mexican and US nationals can potentially be adopted. This is determined on a case by case basis.
Note: Children that are waiting to be adopted are under the care and protection of DIF (the National System for the Full Development of the Family, or Sistema Nacional para el Desarollo Integral de la Familia.) DIF has the authority to match adoptive children with the family that they see is the best fit. Prior to children being adopted internationally DIF has attempted every avenue to have them adopted in country by a Mexican family. The Federal level DIF has the final say on adoptions; however the DIF offices in the 31 Mexican States must also sign off during the adoption process.
Travel
Travel is a minimum of two trips. Time frames of each can vary based on the requirements of the state you are adopting from. The first trip is to meet the child on a trial basis, which can be anywhere from 1-3 weeks. The second is to go through the US Embassy process and bring your child home, which is usually less than 2 weeks. Clients will be escorted by our bi-lingual facilitators.
Time Frame
Time frames will vary depending on the child you are adopting and the requirements of the State that is processing your case. From the time of referral you can expect the court and embassy process to take anywhere from 6-12 months. As we develop our Mexico program we will have a better idea of what to expect for the overall time frame.
Mexico Information Resources
· USCIS (for Adoption Petition Forms)
· US State Department – Mexico Travel