Colombia
Welcome to the Colombia program! We hope that the information on this page will help you in deciding if Colombia is the right adoption program for you.
Once you have reviewed the information on our website if you further
questions.
Please call 1-800-522-2913 and ask for Melinda.
You can also e-mail her at:
Melinda@hopeforchildren.org. We will assist you in finding your child and work with you to successfully
complete the adoption process
Colombia Adoptions
Adoptions in Colombia have been taking place under the current system
since 1979 and the process is extremely stable. The US immigration office
reports that 279 Colombia adoptions took place in 2004. HOPE for Children facilitates adoptions directly through the ICBF,
(the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare) in
Bogotá, Colombia.
Our HOPE for Children facilitator will host families in Colombia and help
families navigate the in-country process
Children in Need of Homes
 The children waiting for adoption in Colombia range from three months to
school age children with more boys than girls. The referral time for young
infants is longer than for children 12 months and older. The children live
in government run orphanages (Centros de Proteccion Especial (CPE). In these
orphanages, the children are cared for by specialized caregivers with the
assistance of psychologists and social workers. Some children may also live
in Foster Care with families selected and financially supported by the ICBF.
There are no more than 20 children per orphanage and no more than 3 children
per foster home. Some children with special needs are also available for
adoption.
Families may request gender preference however Colombia believes that a
first child should be accepted if boy or girl, just as if the child were
born to the family.
Parent Requirements
Colombian adoption laws require that at least one of the adopting parents be over 25 years of age and be physically, emotionally, and economically capable of supporting the adopted child. In practice, newborns are assigned to younger couples, and older children are assigned to older couples.
Couples 25-35 may adopt children 2 mo. to 12 years old.
Single women may adopt school age children and sibling groups.
Couples older than 35 may adopt children around 5 or older. However, this is up to the ICBF and orphanage directors to match a child or sibling group with a family.
Timeframe
The time frame varies from 10 months to two years from approval by the
ICBF and depending on the age of the child.
Adopting an older child (6-12) will take less time, approximately 6-15
months. The process is also expedited if one parent was born in Colombia
or has dual Colombian/US citizenship.
Process to Adopt from Colombia
Adoption in Colombia is under strict supervision of the Government
through ICBF- (Instituto Colombiano De Bienstar Familiar).
1. The dossier is translated into Spanish by the HOPE for Children
facilitator in Colombia. It is then submitted to ICBF and evaluated for
approval to adopt from Colombia (this takes approximately 1-3 months)
2. After formal approval families wait to receive the referral of a child
(this takes up to two years depending on the age of the child- and it can be
shorter if families are willing to adopt a child over 7 years old, a group
of older siblings, special needs children, or if one parent was born in
Colombia or has dual Colombian/US citizenship).
3. The ICBF sends a referral of the child directly to the family. (The
referral includes pictures, a full medical report, family history, and
developmental report of the child in Spanish)
4. Once a family accepts a child, the Judicial process of the adoption
starts and families will travel in approximately 2-3 weeks to submit the
application to the judge and complete the adoption.
Travel Requirement
After the parents are informed that they have been assigned a child,
they then travel to Colombia to begin the legal process with Colombian
authorities. The HOPE for Children facilitator in Colombia will assist the family with obtaining the documents needed to complete the Colombian legal procedures, including (but not limited to) the adoption decree, a new Colombian birth certificate, and a new Colombian passport.
Travel is generally 4-6 weeks in duration. Court hearings are scheduled after the family arrives in Colombia.
One parent can leave after 7 to 10 days.
Costs
The total cost for an adoption from Colombia depends on your state of residency, travel costs, escort costs, and professional fees. For complete fee schedule as well as adoption process information, please complete the
Online Request Form.
Formal Adoption Application:
To get started in our Colombia program, you will need to send us your
completed Adoption Application. The non-refundable fee for the
application and processing is $275
(Click here to download Application).
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