How To Adopt Abroad
Adopting a child abroad has always been a long and complicated task, but today it is even more so. The countries where more adoptions take place, such as China or Russia, have restricted their adoptions. Therefore, if until now it was complicated, these procedures are now more so as the number of children decreases.
Step by Step
1. Presentation of the application
The first step to adopt abroad is to go to the body that, in your Autonomous Community, is in charge of managing the adoption processes. In each one, the adoption depends on a different body, either in the Adoption Service or in the Child Protection Service. There they will offer you all the information and requirements that are necessary to start this process.
It is at this time when you must submit the application attaching all the necessary documentation that the corresponding agency requests.
2. Certificate of suitability
Once this file is opened, the next step is the adoption courses. These are carried out with applicants and expert workers in adoption cases, whose objective is to help you with the decision-making involved in the process.
When this phase ends, you must obtain the certificate of suitability, which will be the one that indicates that you are suitable or suitable to continue in the process, so it is essential to obtain it.
For this, psychologists and social workers will carry out a study to verify that you are capable of caring for a child. They will study if you have a stable partner – both sentimental and financially -, the conditions of the house in which you live or the lifestyle you have.
This certificate is valid for three years. If the adoption process is still open after that time, you will have to renew it.
3. Processing of the file
Choice of management path
Once the certificate has been obtained, the next step will be the processing of the file. To do this, you must first choose whether this procedure is carried out through the public administration or through an ECAI (International Adoption Collaborating Entity). The latter, although paid, will facilitate the parents all the bureaucratic process that must be followed when adopting abroad.
Once the processing route has been chosen, the file will be sent to the child’s country of origin so that the documents can be translated if the language is different from Spanish.
Wait for the answer
The next step will be to obtain the response from the child’s country of origin. The time it takes to get this answer will vary depending on the case. If the answer is affirmative, a history will be sent with all the characteristics of the child. At that time, the body that declared suitability is the one that accepts or rejects the adoption once the information of the child and that of the applicant or applicants has been obtained.
If the answer is affirmative again by the agency, it is the parents who must accept or reject the proposal last.
4. Traveling to pick up the child
And finally the trip to the country of origin arrives to pick up the child! Depending on the country chosen, you will have to travel once or twice: once to see it and once to pick it up.
At that time, an application for adoption registration must be submitted at the Spanish Consulate of the country. In the same way, once you arrive in Spain you have to carry out two more procedures:
- Submit an application for registration of adoption in the Civil Registry of your city
- Communicate to the body from which you requested the information that you are already in Spain with the child
Although the adoption has already been carried out and you are at home with your child, periodically you will be asked for follow-up reports to know the child’s situation.
