Morocco Adoption

CHILDREN AVAILABLE 

• Children from the age three months and up are eligible for Kafala and subsequent adoption from Morocco and referred to families through the local courts.  Most Moroccan children eligible for intercountry adoption are relatively healthy or have mild/correctable medical diagnoses.  The country refers almost exclusively boys and is not a good option for families only open to adopting a girl.  Sibling groups are very uncommon in this program.

ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT 

• Morocco requires that applicants must be actively practicing Sunni Muslims, preferably lifelong but for at least 5 years.
• Applicants must be at least 25 years of age.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years older than the prospective adoptive child.
• Applicants 45 years old or more at the time of dossier submission must be open to adopting a child to 36 months of age at the time of referral.
• Married couples and single women may adopt.
• Applicants must meet US income standards of 125% over poverty and be in good physical and mental health.

PROCESS 

1. For a proposed kinship adoption of a relative child, collect all required child documents and provide to Nightlight coordinator (proof of orphan status; parent death certificates or relinquishment of rights; medical evaluation; school and social report
2. For all adoptions, complete our online application 
3. Complete our International Adoption Services Agreement & pay the Monitoring and Oversight fee. The Monitoring and Oversight fee is paid to the accrediting entity designated by the US Department of State/Office of Children’s Issues, the (US Central Authority.)
4. Orientation meeting with Nightlight Staff, reviewing the intercountry adoption process from Morocco. Review and return Service Plan. 
5. Begin your Home Study with Nightlight or an approved Hague Accredited agency that is identified and approved by Nightlight.
6. Once your Home Study has been completed, Nightlight will review the Home Study and assist you with preparing your I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-600a.pdf.
7. Morocco Dossier: Nightlight will assist you in putting together the packet of documents required by the local courts and the US embassy.
8. Receive approval of the I-600A. 
9. Submit your complete dossier for review by Nightlight, followed by shipment to Morocco, and approval and registration with the local court.
10. Referral wait of varying length, depending on the specifics of the child request outlined in the home study.
11. Upon receipt of a referral, Nightlight will review the specific child referral with you- medical, social, psychological reports with the family.
12. If the referral is accepted, the family travels to Morocco for 6 to 12 weeks to finalize the process, including the Islamic investigation, court Kafala process, I-600 filing and US visa process.
13. Complete a minimum of 5 post placement reports once you return home and finalize the adoption via the court in your state of residence.

TRAVEL

The Morocco program requires a single trip of 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the child’s location and the local process.  The trip begins with meeting the child as well as the interviews with social workers, the police and the Islamic Affairs office. If all requirements are satisfied, the case moves through the court Kafala process and the child’s guardianship documents are issued.  After obtaining the child’s passport, the family moves into the I-600 and US visa process and can return home once a visa has been granted. 

POST PLACEMENT/ADOPTION 

Your child will arrive home under a Kafala (guardianship) from a local Moroccan court.  This means that you must finalize your adoption in your state of residence by petitioning the court.  Following finalization, you can obtain the child’s Certificate of US citizenship and US passport.  Within 30 days of your arrival home, you must have a home visit by your home study provider.  Post-placement/adoption reports are required at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months from Kafala.  In accordance with state law, at least the first two reports must be generated by a social worker.  Once the adoption has been finalized, reports can be family generated, if permissible by state law.  Reports must be sent to Nightlight and on to the proper authorities in Morocco. 

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 email Abigail@Nightlight.org or call (502) 423-5780

Morocco Booklet and Fee Schedule 

Compare International Programs

Agreement for International Services