Dominican Republic is a beautiful country located on the island of Hispaniola that is part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. Dominican Republic is second largest economy in South America.
The The Dominican Republic is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption ( Hague Adoption Convention ). Therefore all adoptions between the Dominican Republic and the United States must meet the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.
Children available for adoption in Dominican Republic are usually over 3 years of age.
Adoption ARK works very closely with an experienced adoption law firm in Dominican republic. The role of Adoption ARK is to help the adoptive parents prepare the dossier, to provide adoption training, and to pre-qualified the family for adoption based on their submitted documents. Adoption ARK sends the dossier to the law firm in Dominican Republic and they submits the dossier to the Central Authority. Although Adoption ARK may have information on waiting children, the official referral is assigned by the Central Adoption Authority in Dominican Republic. An in-country attorney will assist the family in court.
International adoptions in the Dominican Republic are governed by Law #136-03. All adoptions must be done through an official Dominican government entity called CONANI (“Consejo Nacional para la Niñez y la Adolescencia” - National Council for Children and Adolescents). Private adoptions are not possible under the Law. All children are assigned to the adopting parents by CONANI.
How to Start the Dominican Republic Adoption Process
- Fill out our no-commitment registration form and an adoption consultant will contact you with more information.
- Complete an application for the Dominican Republic adoption program. Remember, the application process at Adoption ARK is always free.
- If you decide this program is for you, request an adoption agreement from your consultant, complete it, and send it in to our office with the initial fee. (Your contract will be reviewed and approved by our director, and then you will be assigned a parent coordinator to complete your adoption.)
- The parent coordinator will inform you of the steps needed to move forward with your adoption. Some of these steps include:
-Completeing an adoption homestudy with a licensed social worker
-Applying with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
-Collect the documents for your adoption dossier
- Your adoption dossier will be sent to Dominican Republic and the in-country coordinator will request a referal for a child available for intercountry adoption.
- Finally, travel to Dominican Republic will be arranged.
Adoption Travel to Dominican Republic
- Depending on the age of the child, Both prospective adoptive parents must comply simultaneously with the period of cohabitation required by Law. If adopting a child under 12 years old, cohabitation shall be for at least 60 days. If adopting a child over 12 years of age, cohabitation shall be for at least 30 days.
Through the entire process, Adoption ARK will be with you guiding you through the adoption process and offering support.