colombia

BAY AREA ADOPTION SERVICES was founded by an adoptive parent who adopted her daughter from Colombia, thus we have a long standing, close connection with this country. Our agency has been assisting families with adoptions from Colombia for over 22 years. Colombia has a long history of adoption. Colombia Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) is the central authority responsible for processing domestic and international adoptions.

CHILDREN AVAILABLE

Children who are eligible for adoption from Colombia have been orphaned, legally abandoned or relinquish by a sole parent. Reliatve adoptions are allowed provided that adoptive parents meet the criterea of eligibility set by ICBF and USCIS. Parents who have retained Colombian citizenship are given priority status. Waiting children are cared for in foster care centers or local orphanages. Male and female children are available for adoption. The children are ages infant through school age and sibling groups are also available. Characteristics of children available:

• Infants 6 months old and up are available
  
• Older children, generally from 3 to 8 years of age
  
• Sibling groups

All the children who are available for adoption are examined and tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Tuberculosis prior to being matched and referred to a family.

REQUIREMENTS

• Must live within the BAAS licensing area of northern California. Please read additional Legal Requirements.
• Couples and single women can adopt
  
• Couples must be between 25-38 to adopt a child who is 6-36 months old
• Singles must be open to adopt older children (40 years and above can adopt older children)
  
• There is no quota for single parents
• Preference given to individuals of Colombian citizenship

ROLE OF THE FACILITATOR

• Assist in preparing the family’s dossier
  
• Translate and submit family’s dossier to ICBF
  
• Assist families with hotel accommodations
• Accompany families to the court and U.S. Consulate in Bogotá
• After you have returned home with your child, the facilitator will translate and submit post-placement reports to the placing agency as required by the Colombian government

IN COLOMBIA

When traveling to Colombia, both parents are expected to travel to pick up the child. Families can expect to be in Colombia for approximately five to eight weeks; one parent may return to the United States after 10 days, if necessary.

TIME INVOLVED

At present, the entire adoption process usually takes approximately 24-36 months (unless adopting an older child). The first 6 months of the process involves completing the homestudy, receiving CIS clearance, and gathering and notarizing documents required by the Colombian government. Currently, the referral time for infant children is approximately 18 – 24 months, and less for families of  Colombian citizenship. Once a child has been assigned, the family is expected to travel to Colombia approximately to 3 to 6 weeks later.

FEES

(Note: there is no fee for the application and process through ICBF.)

BAAS FEE: - $7,760
Fees Include:

• Registration & Pre-adopt class
  
• Homestudy
  
• Paperwork assistance, including dossier preparation and CIS filing
  
• Overseas program consultation
  
• 5 post placement reports
• Official translations of reports into Spanish and courier fees
  
• Assistance with all post-adoption paperwork

FACILITATION FEE IN COLOMBIA: Approx. $1100

• Translate and present family’s dossier to ICBF
  
• Coordination fee including communication with the Colombian government
  
• Document Handling while family is in Colombia
  
• Assist families coordinate their travel arrangements

MISCELLANEOUS FEES- $1500 to $2500

• USCIS filing fee
• Attorney fees in Colombia
  
• Procurement of documents (i.e., birth & marriage certificates, etc.)
  
• Psychological Evaluations (required by ICBF in Colombia)
  
• Photocopying of documents
  
• Notary fees
  
• Certification & Authentication of official documents
  
• Court filing fees

INTERNAL TRAVEL - $3000-4000

• Includes hotel accommodation
  
• Food, various expenses
  
• Internal travel during full stay in Colombia. Airfare to Colombia is additional

AIRFARE TO COLOMBIA (VARIES)

Approximately $ 1100.00 per person roundtrip. This varies depending on dates, airlines, and departing location.

TOTAL COSTS

Generally speaking, the entire cost of completing an adoption in Colombia is approximately 13,000 to $17,000, including the BAAS fee, the Liaison agency fee (including all adoption processing in Colombia) and travel.

For more information regarding the Colombia program, please contact the BAAS office at (650) 964-3800. Please note that adoption procedures, fees and timelines for Colombia, as stated above, can change at any time without prior notice.

• Please note that this information is subject to change without notice as changes occur in government/country regulations and/or adoption procedures. For the latest information, please call BAAS directly.