Welcome to the Questions & Answers of Haiti Adoption.

At this time, Haiti only takes into account the number of birth children in the home. So, if you have two birth children and have the resources and can be approved for up to two more children, you may adopt up to two additional children from Haiti.

Yes, Haiti allows for the adoption of a sibling group or unrelated children from the same crèche.

While CCAI’s service fees will not change, you will be financially responsible for the quarterly crèche support payment for each child you are adopting, as well as in-country expenses for processing in Haiti.

No. All fees are prepaid before you travel.

The Maison des Enfants de Dieu Crèche requires that their children be adopted into Christian homes.

La Maison Des Enfants De Dieu cares for about 120 to 130 children at any given time. Due to limited space in the crèche, the number of new children the crèche may care for is directly related to the number of children who are adopted. As beds become available, the crèche can accept new children. Due to space limitations, every month the crèche must turn away about 80 children who need care.

Generally speaking, it is accurate. The crèche has an on-site European-trained pediatrician, as well as access to other reliable physicians and laboratory testing.

Living in a crèche is like living with a very big family. La Maison Des Enfants De Dieu is a Christian environment where a typical day includes meals, prayer time, morning school for preschoolers to 6th grade (for information about curriculum, visit www.aceministries.com; classes are taught in English), afternoon classes for older children (e.g. art, journaling), play time, and age-appropriate chores. Excursions are arranged on a weekly basis. Saturdays are free and children attend church inside the crèche on Sundays.

FHG and its crèche staff work very hard with their limited resource to provide love and basic care to their children. However, the crèche is not a home where a child truly belongs. The overall condition of the crèche is far from the standards we hope to achieve. It is in urgent need of improvement, which can only happen when more children are adopted and more funding becomes available

Yes. Although uncommon, if you wish, you may join a mission trip to Haiti and have an opportunity to meet a child whom you may wish to adopt. However, if another family formally decides to adopt the same child/children you plan to visit, you may risk losing the match even though you have plans to travel to Haiti for a preliminary visit.

Because Haiti is an island country, most products have to be imported. The cost to purchase everything from food items to gasoline is much higher than in the US. For example, gas can cost over nine dollars a gallon and a seven-dollar bag of formula can cost $20 or more in Haiti.

Most of the children in the crèche have living birth parents. The children are placed in the crèche due to their birth parents’ economic hardship, which renders them incapable of caring for their own children. These children are brought to the crèche by their birth parents, who are hoping for basic care and ultimately adoption for their children.

CCAI requires adoptive families to travel to Haiti soon after they receive their immigration approval (I-171H or I-797) to file for their I-600 with the USCIS at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti. The I-600 filing allows the USCIS to set up its interview with the birth parents to finalize the birth parents’ decision to relinquish their parental rights to their child(ren). That interview will adjudicate the orphan status of the child(ren) that will allow the child(ren) to be legally free for adoption.

It is the responsibility of the USCIS to be absolutely sure that the person or persons wishing to relinquish a child for adoption have the legal right to do so. It is more often required if the birth mother is deceased and the birth father is the only parent involved.

Yes, CCAI requires that you travel to Haiti to file your I-600 with USCIS in Haiti after your I-171H is approved and your dossier is waiting for approval from the governmental office known as the IBESR. This early filing of the I-600 will set up the birth parent interview, which is needed to adjudicate your child early on as an “orphaned” child.

Yes, you may! There are approximately four trips per year that you can join through For His Glory, that allow you to visit your child(ren) and volunteer in the orphanage.

You will spend time volunteering in the orphanage and supporting the orphanage staff which may include laundry, child care, helping in the school, making repairs and improvements, taking children’s update photos and measurements, and more. You will also have the opportunity to take your child(ren) to the hotel for relaxation and bonding time.

You know your child(ren) better than anyone, so you will know what is best for them. CCAI encourages you to consider your child’s age, ease with travel to new places, developmental stage, maturity, and understanding of adoption (their own, if adopted, and their new sibling’s).

By the time your child(ren) is/are ready to come home with you, the adoption will already be finalized and your child(ren) will be issued their passport(s) and visa approval to leave Haiti. You will fly into Haiti to receive your child(ren) and all of their documents at the airport, and then immediately return home.

You will receive an Adoption Decree at the end of the in-country process. This is a legal Haitian court document which signifies that the adoption is final. Once this decree is issued, your child is legally your child.

Although uncommon and not recommended, an escort service by the crèche is available. This must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

CCAI and FHG take the security of adoptive families and missionaries that come to the orphanage very seriously. A portion of the $350 trip fee, paid to FHG, goes toward private armed security staff that travels with members of the team at all times. If the teams are larger in size, more security is added. Armed guards are in place at the orphanage at all times and will be present during your visit to the orphanage. The airport is staffed with UN soldiers as well as police officers and security guards. When you travel to pick up your child(ren) upon finalization of their adoption, you will not need to leave the airport.

For families adopting older children, we suggest the family write a letter to their child, introducing their family and including photos of the home, school, church, parks, and any other activities that are part of the family’s life. Your letter and photos will be shared with your child prior to your visit to meet your child. We suggest that all photos be laminated with sturdy plastic as they will be well loved!

No, you are not able to switch, or transfer, your dossier that is logged into another country to Haiti. Your dossier for another country’s adoption is a totally different adoption and would not meet the requirements for a dossier for Haiti. Each country has its own requirements for a dossier. Additionally, Haiti requires that the dossier documents be current at the time the dossier is submitted.

However, if you have an approved I-171H for another country, you may request a transfer of your immigration approval from a non-Hague country to Haiti.

A “Wellness Letter” is written by a licensed psychiatrist and states that you are in good mental health. Married couples may have this interview conducted together. It is separate from the Physical Examination that is also required for the dossier.

No, Haiti has not signed the CONVENTION ON PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND CO-OPERATION IN RESPECT OF INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION (the Hague Treaty). You will need to file the I-600A at your local USCIS office for immigration approval to adopt from Haiti. CCAI will provide assistance to you with this part of the process.