Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is bordered by the United States to the north and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. Mexico is about one-fifth the size of the United States. Baja California in the west is an 800-mile (1,287-km) peninsula that forms the Gulf of California. In the east are the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche, which is formed by Mexico’s other peninsula, the Yucatán. The center of Mexico is a great, high plateau, open to the north, with mountain chains on the east and west and with ocean-front lowlands beyond. It is the second most populous country in Latin America. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, its capital and largest city. The Hispanic culture is warm and friendly. There is a domestic adoption program available to Mexican citizens – these families generally get preference in child placement before foreign adopters.
Mexico is party to The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore, all intercountry adoptions between Mexico and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention. Mexican adoptions are conducted through a collaborative effort of a Hague accredited adoption agency in the U.S. and by the Mexican Central Adoption Authority (DIF).
CHILDREN AVAILABLE
- Single children above the age of 5.
- Children of all ages with various special needs are available.
- Sibling groups are available.
ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT
- The age difference between adoptive parents and a child should be at least 18 but not be more than 45 years.
- Parents must be over age 25.
- Single women are accepted into the program.
- A couple has to be married for at least 3 years.
PROCESS
- Make application to Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
- Begin your adoption home study and submit form I-800A to USCIS.
- Begin to assemble your dossier. We will give you detailed instructions.
- Once USCIS has approved your adoption home study, you will receive your I-797C pre-approval notice.
- Once your USCIS approval has been received your dossier is complete, you will be registered to adopt in Mexico.
- The Mexican Central Authority will add you to a list of waiting families and it can take approximately 12-24 months to receive a referral. You may meet with State DIF before a referral is received. The State DIF is a large part of Mexico’s Central Authority that processes all adoptions. This is an optional trip; however, it is encouraged as a way to establish a relationship between the parents and the State DIF and may help accelerate the matching process. Both parents must travel for this first trip, which is expected to be two to three days in length.
- You will file the I-800 for the child and then travel to Mexico. This will be your longest trip and will be your bonding trip to meet and spend time with your child. The length of time you are in Mexico is dependent upon the state the child resides in the regional DIF’s requirements. It is generally 6 to 9 weeks in country.
- A third trip may be required for the judicial procedure and adoption of the child.
- The final step (last trip) is to obtain the US visa for your child and returning home.
- Mexico adoptions can take on average from 24 to 36 months to complete.
TRAVEL
Referrals are provided by National System for Family Development (DIF) via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) of the Mexican state the child resides. The referral will contain basic information on child’s medical and social background and pictures. Referral time depends on the profiles of the child(ren) a family looks to adopt. Two to four trips to Mexico are likely required, though each Mexican state may have different requirements. The length of the trips may range from 3 days to 3 weeks in length.
NIGHTLIGHT’S COMMITMENT
POST ADOPTION
Within 30 days of your arrival home, you must have a home visit by your home study provider. Additionally, your home study provider will prepare post-adoption reports and submit them to Nightlight and Mexico every 6 months after the date of the final decree of adoption for the first three years. Sometimes a State DIF office will request fewer or more reports. They occasionally ask for an annual report by the family after the first three years and until the child reaches the age of 18, but this is rare. These reports include your child’s developmental progress and pictures. This is a very serious commitment. Compliance with post adoption reports is also required by The Hague Convention. Therefore, Nightlight charges a fee to monitor and process these post placement reports and also requires families to pay for the cost of the post placement report in advance.
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Mexico Adoption Program Details
- Children will be 5 years of age or older.
- Referral time is typically 12-24 months depending on the family’s openness to age, gender, and special need.
More Information on Mexico Adoptions
Mexico Adoption Overview and Fees
Mexico Adoption Overview and Fees (Spanish)
U.S. Department of State Information on Mexico
