Ethiopia Placement Program
Adoption Requirements
Couples who have been married at least three years are welcome to apply. Previous divorce is acceptable. Infertility is not required. There is also no limit on the number of children already in your home. However, there must be a 2 year age difference between the adopted child and the age of the child/children already in the home.
We seek applicants with an active Christian faith. A reference from your Pastor/Priest will be required in the application process.
Because that initial time to bond with your child is so important, we require that at least one parent stay home to take care of the child for a minimum of 60 days beginning when your child joins your family. Spouses may alternate time off to cover the 60 days.
Currently both adoptive parents must travel to Ethiopia to attend the court hearing. Once court approval is granted, it takes approximately 8-12 weeks for the process to be completed and the child ready to travel home. Escort services may be avilable for the 2nd trip, but additional paperwork and USCIS processing may require additional time to the completion of your placement and the arrival of the child in your home.
How does the Ethiopia program work?
Once you have completed Love Basket's application packets, have received an approved Home Study in your state of residence, and your completed foreign court dossier has been received in Ethiopia, you are eligible to receive the refferal of a specific child. USCIS approval must be received before the child can leave Ethiopia.
When a child is available for you to consider, you will receive a photo, a health summary, lab test results, and any social/medical history that is available for the child. We strongly recommend that you review this information with a medical professional (preferably one familiar with children adopted internationally) to help you evaluate the information you have received. The length of your wait for child referral may average 3-6 months.
When you have accepted a referral, the processing time in Ethiopia is approximately 3-6 months.
Once the adoption is completed in the foreign court, the child's Ethiopian birth certificate and passport will be received and submitted to the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. Parents can expect to travel approximately 6-7 weeks thereafter. Expect to spend approximately 7 days in Addis Ababa while obtaining your child's visa.
If an escort is going to be used, the court documentation must be sent to the US first to get USCIS approval. Please contact our office to discuss this option further.
How much does it cost to adopt from Ethiopia?
View the Ethiopia Placement Program Fee Schedule.
How old are most of the children adopted from Ethiopia?
Children may be as young as 2 months of age at the time of referral to you. There must be a 2 year age difference between the adopted child and the age of the child/children already in the home.
What can we specify about our prospective adoptive child?
You can tell us the age range and sex of the child you wish to adopt. You can tell us whether or not you would accept a sibling group. You can also specify any special needs you will accept (if any). Keep in mind that the broader the age range you will accept, or if you are open to adopting either a boy or girl, the quicker the referral of a child may be.
Can we be on both the international and domestic waiting lists?
Yes, but there are non-refundable fees involved in each program. You may switch from one list to the other during the process by letting us know in writing before a child has been referred to you. Additional paperwork may be required.
Post Placement Requirements
The Ethiopian Government requires that post placement reports be submitted 3 times during the first year after the child arrives home, and then yearly until the child turns 18 years old.
If the adoptive parents have seen the child prior to the finalization of the adoption overseas, which would occur when they travel to Ethiopia for the court hearing, that child may qualify for automatic US Citizenship upon entry into the US. However, adoption laws in the adoptive parents' state of residence then become an issue, so each case must be evaluated on an individual basis regarding whether the adoption can be recognized, or if re-adoption is necessary, in order to establish US Citizenship and obtain a US birth certificate once the child arrives home.