Colombia Adoption

Why Choose Colombia?

• Columbia’s adoption process is very stable
• The age range is from around ten months to school age
• Older children are also available

Location

Adoptions are directly through the ICBF (the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare) in Bogotá, Colombia.

Reason for Availability

Abandoned or orphaned.

Children's Situation

• The children live in well-run government orphanages and are cared for by specialized caregivers. Some children may also live in Foster Care with families selected and financially supported by the ICBF. 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.

Eligibility for Families

• Colombian adoption laws require that at least one of the adopting parents be over twenty-five years of age and both applicants must be physically, emotionally, and economically capable of supporting the adopted child. In practice, younger children are assigned to younger couples, and older children are assigned to older couples.
• Only heterosexual applicants are eligible.
• Married couples or single female applicants are accepted.
• Couples between twenty-five and thirty-eight years of age should expect a referral of an infant up to two years old.
• Couples between thirty-nine and forty-one years of age should expect a referral of a child who is three to four years old and above.
• Couples between forty-two and forty-four years of age should expect a referral of a child who is five to six years old and above.
• Couples between forty-five and fifty years of age should expect a referral who is seven years old and above.
• Single applicants must be open to a child seven years old and above.
• The ICBF can approve children younger than stated above. Families may request the placement of a child older than the minimum age they are elibible to adopt.

Procedure

• The dossier is translated, then submitted to ICBF and evaluated for approval to adopt from Colombia.
• Once approved, families wait to receive the referral of a child (this takes between eight months and three years depending on the age of the child and it can be shorter if families are willing to adopt a child over seven years old, a group of older siblings, special needs children, or if one parent was born in Colombia or has dual Colombian/U.S. citizenship).
• The ICBF sends a referral of the child directly to the family. (The referral generally includes pictures, a medical report, family history, and developmental report of the child in Spanish.)
• Once a family accepts a child, the Judicial process of the adoption starts and families will travel in approximately two to three weeks to submit the application to the judge and complete the adoption.

Travel

Travel is generally four to six weeks in duration. Court hearings are scheduled after the family arrives in Colombia. One parent can leave after ten to 14 days, but they are encouraged to stay if possible.

Due to the nature of international adoption, the information on this page is subject to change without notice.