• Home
• Adoption FAQ
• Adoption Glossary
• Adoption Resources
• Adoption Services
• Domestic Adoption
• International Adoption
  • Haiti Program
    • Haiti Costs
    • Haiti Process
    • Haiti Requirements
• Mission Statement
• News and Events
• About KAS
• Contact KAS
• Hague Disclosures
• Privacy Policy
• Search
• Site Map

Click to View Our Video

Your Donations

Click to Donate Today

Haitian Adoption Process

The adoption process from Haiti can appear overwhelming initially. However, KAS can guide you through.

The Steps to a Haitian Adoption

The first step in adopting from Haiti is to have a home study conducted by an agency licensed in your state of residence. The home study agency you choose should be familiar with International adoptions. Kentucky Adoption Services, Inc. will contact the agency that you have chosen to give them the specifics on what the home study should include - the home study must be signed by a Masters Level Clinician.  KAS can provide home studies for Kentucky residents.

The second step, that can be done concurrently, is to file your Immigration and Naturalization Paperwork: the I-600A. Kentucky Adoption Services or your home study agency can tell you how to fill this out. It is important that one of these two entities be either with you in person while you are filling it out or be on the phone with you. The second page of the I-600A can be confusing and it is important that it be filled out correctly.

The next step is to prepare your Dossier. The Dossier is a compilation of documents that require various seals at different levels of government.  These documents will be notarized, (or certified from an appropriate state court or agency), certified (by the Secretary of State from the state the document originated), and authenticated (by the appropriate Guatemalan Embassy). KAS, Inc. will provide adopting families with exact directions about how to prepare their Dossier and an up-to-date Dossier document list when they have chosen to adopt from Haiti.  Don't be overwhelmed - we'll help you with this, and KAS, Inc. can even manage dossier preparation and domestic and international mailing! Families should begin collecting these documents early to help the process move as efficiently as possible. Once your dossier is ready to submit, your documents will be reviewed and prepared to enter the Haitian legal system when you have accepted a referral.

The Referral

The current wait time for a child from Haiti varies based on the age and gender of child requested. The process of adoption takes on average 12-14 months from the time a referral is offered.   Referral information includes as much detail as we receive from our overseas counterparts, including photographs with medical and social history.  If the child resides at the KAS orphanage, Promises of Hope, families can expect more information at the time of referral, then if the child resides at another orphanage.  KAS will try to provide updated information about the child throughout the adoption process. 

Travel

Adoptive parent travel is encouraged, but families can choose to have their child escorted to the USA by an agency representative (escort service can add four or more weeks to the process).  Length of stay in country is usually around one week for children adopted from Promises of Hope to allow for the family to get to the orphanage which is in the mountains of Haiti.  For the adoption of children residing in an orphanage located in Port-au-Prince travel time is about 3 - 5 days.