My last blog offered some general information, thoughts and cautions about adopting from countries with lesser-known, perhaps newer adoption programs with shorter wait times than many other country programs. It also profiled two Asian countries with such programs. This blog presents countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and Eastern Europe which have relatively short timeframes for adoption.
Jamaica is a very new program begun in October 2008. It is offered through the adoption agency Hands Across the Water (you can also contact this agency, and agencies working in all the countries described here, through the contact wizard at RainbowKids.com, described in the last blog). Children as young as six weeks are available. The current estimates for a timeline are: receiving a referral (a profile of a specific child) three to six months after submission of completed dossier), and travel to pick up the child three months after the referral is accepted. Parents should plan on staying in Jamaica for a one-week trip.
In Brazil, dossier submission to travel time is generally three to six months, shorter for children with special needs. However, parents should expect to be in Brazil for a month.
El Salvador has a timeline of three to six months dossier to referral, with travel one month after the referral is accepting. At least one parent should plan to stay in El Salvador for two full weeks.
In Armenia, children as young as six months are available for adoption, as are toddlers and older children. Travel to receive your child is about nine months from dossier submission. At least one parent must stay in Armenia two to three weeks.
Uzbekistan has children of all ages awaiting adoption. The timeline from dossier submission to referral is estimated to be three to six months. Time from referral to travel is unspecified. Parents will need to be in Uzbekistan for two weeks.
The eastern European republic of Georgia has an approximate time of 1-4 months from dossier submission to referral, and 1-2 months referral to travel, with travel taking two weeks. However, at the time the information was last updated, laws governing adoption were still being written and as a result the country was not considered a “good risk” for adoption. Interested singles and couples are advised to check the U.S. state department website for updates on adoption regulations.
Please see these related blogs:
Adoption Programs You’ve Never Heard Of