DOS Notice – Haiti Expedite Fee Fraud

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti has heard reports from a number of prospective adoptive parents regarding certain adoption service providers requests for substantial additional payments.  These adoption service providers are claiming that these fees are charged by the Haitian authorities to expedite the adoption process.  The Embassy has verified with Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-Être Social et de …

DOS Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo Announces Stricter Scrutiny of U.S. Adoptive Families’ Applications for Visas

The Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Washington informed the Department of State on April 24 that applications for visas to travel to the DRC from U.S. adoptive families may be refused “in some cases.”  Congolese officials state that adoptive families should be prepared for increased scrutiny of their visa applications as well as possible refusal of …

DoS Alert – Adoption Scams and Fraud

Actions U.S. citizens can take in Response to Adoption Scams and Fraud The Department of State is aware of a growing number of adoption scams in which individuals are offering to match prospective adoptive parents with a child who is allegedly available for intercountry adoption. In Hague Adoption Convention countries, matching is done by the Central Authority, another public authority, …