International Adoption - Home

Orientation Schedule

Steps of International Adoption Process

International Adoption Links

Dossier Prep

International Homestudy Education

USCIS Hague Adoption Convention Process

Adoption Forms

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Dossier Prep

Your dossier is a set of legal documents and adoption papers that will represent you in the foreign country for your international adoption. Every country has its own dossier list and there generally are some differences in the dossier list depending on the country’s requirements. A typical dossier might include the following:

• Homestudy document (approved and notarized)
• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decrees (if applicable)
• Birth certificates of petitioners
• Medical statements signed by physician
• Financial letter or bank statements
• Reference letters (notarized)
• Criminal background checks – BCI and FBI
• Central Registry Background Checks
• USCIS approval (I-171 H)

Your international agency is responsible for providing you with the required list and instructions in order to complete your dossier. Most countries require that all documents be notarized and county and state verified.  If you are adopting from Russia and possibly some other Eastern European countries, you will be required to have your documents apostilled* at the state level.

*An apostille is a document that has been legally authenticated for use in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention.

 

 

 

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