Ghana Adoption

CHILDREN AVAILABLE

• Children of either gender from toddler to teen are eligible for intercountry adoption.  
• Sibling groups are sometimes cleared for intercountry adoption.
• Children can be relatively healthy or have a variety of medical and/or developmental diagnosis.  Histories of trauma are common.

ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT 

Married heterosexual couples may adopt from Ghana. The country does not permit adoption by single parents with the exception of single women who hold dual Ghanaian and US citizenship. Single men may be approved case by case only when adopting a child that is a close relative. Parents must be between the ages of 25 and 55 and at least 21 years older than the child/children they wish to adopt. In kinship cases only, the prospective adoptive parents may be between 25 and 65 years of age. Applicants must be medically and financially fit to raise a child.

PROCESS 

1. For a proposed kinship adoption of a relative child, collect all required documents and provide to Nightlight’s Coordinator (proof of orphan status, such as death certificates, relinquishment of rights, school and medical records, etc.)
2. Make application to Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
3. Complete your adoption home study and submit form I-800A to USCIS.
4. Begin to assemble your dossier. We will give you detailed instructions.
5. Once USCIS has approved your application, you will receive your I-797C pre-approval notice.
6. When your dossier is complete, it is shipped to Ghana and you will be registered to adopt.  
7. The referral wait time is unpredictable and varies depending on a family’s specific child request. In kinship adoptions, families can expect more expeditious processing times.
8. Issuance of a referral by Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority.
9. Complete the official referral review with Nightlight’s Social Services Department.
10. Upon referral acceptance, Nightlight will begin processing the family’s I-800.
11. Once the I-800 is approved, kinship adoptions will move directly into the court and US visa process.  Families adopting a child not related to them, must travel to Ghana for the bonding period of at least 30 days.  Following the bonding, the court and US visa processes will take place before a family may return to the US with the child.

TRAVEL

A referral from Ghana will include a brief social and medical history of the child, and the current health and development of the child. We highly recommend that you have this information reviewed by a doctor who specializes in international adoption before you decide to proceed.  If accepting the referral, Nightlight will assist you in filing your I-800 and preparing for travel. Adoptions from Ghana require 1-3 trips and depend on a family’s ability to stay in country either for a single extended period of time (roughly 4-5 months) or to travel multiple times for the bonding period (30+ days and at least one prospective parent must be continuously present), then for the court hearing (7-10 days) and finally for the US visa process (about two weeks).  Families adopting a relative usually make a single trip for the court hearing and US visa process.   

POST ADOPTION 

Within 30 days of your arrival home, you must have a home visit by your home study provider. Ghana requires seven post-adoption reports at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, and 3 years, 4 years and 5 years after the adoption is finalized. These reports include information about your child’s health, developmental progress, and pictures. The first two reports must be social worker generated, notarized and apostilled.  The remaining reports are family generated.  All reports must be submitted via Nightlight to Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority.  Nightlight is committed to showing Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority that children adopted by US citizens are healthy and well care for by sending all required reports in a timely manner. Compliance with post adoption reports is also required by The Hague Convention.  

As a Hague accredited agency, you can be confident that Nightlight programs are regularly evaluated and monitored for excellence in both process and service. Our home study services are recognized by our peers as educational and thoroughly completed for the benefit of our clients.

You can count on Nightlight to be there for you long after your adoption is complete too. Our team is available to help answer questions and provide guidance as you navigate parenting your adopted child. You are not alone!

Please open our International Quicklook spreadsheet to give you an overview of the wide variety of international programs available through Nightlight.

To get started contact Monique@nightlight.org or call (502) 336-5780

Ghana Booklet and Fee Schedule 

Compare International Programs

Agreement for International Services