LONG-STANDING PROGRAM OF BOTH CHILDREN’S HOME AND LSS
THE COLOMBIA PROGRAM
Colombia is a Hague country. Our Colombia program offers three tracks: Traditional, Waiting Child and Heritage.
Watch an On-Demand Webinar About This Program NowCHILDREN IN COLOMBIA
Children may have been relinquished, abandoned or have had a termination of parental rights due to abuse or neglect. Children are generally between the ages of 3 months and 15 years at the time of referral. Families in our Heritage Track are eligible to adopt young children with no known needs. Please see our eligibility section below for additional details. 
Families in our Traditional and Waiting Child Tracks must be open to school-age children, sibling groups or children with identified needs. Colombia’s central authority, Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), determines a child’s eligibility for international adoption. The greatest need is for families in all tracks to be open to school-age children, siblings groups and children with identified needs that range from minor/correctable to lifelong.
THE CARE IN COLOMBIA
Children in Colombia are cared for in government-run orphanages, foster care or private adoption homes. Children receive medical care, adequate nutrition and education. As numerous studies have demonstrated, institutional care is not conducive to optimal development, therefore children may experience orphanage-related delays.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Like most international adoption programs, Colombia has its own unique eligibility requirements for adoptive parents. The basic requirements indicate applicants should be between the ages of 25-55 and have no serious physical or mental health concerns. Heterosexual couples should be married a minimum of two years at the time of adoption home study approval. Single men and women are eligible to adopt through the Traditional, Heritage or Waiting Child Tracks. Single men may adopt boys who are seven years and older, or children of any age who have identified needs. Single women may adopt girls or boys who are seven years and older, or children of any age who have identified needs. Applicants must be able to travel to Colombia per the requirements of the process.
For Colombia’s Heritage Track, at least one parent must be of Colombian heritage and able to provide a Colombian birth certificate, passport and ID card (cedula). In the Heritage Track your parental age determines the age of the child you are eligible to adopt:
Parents Age: Age of Child Eligible to Adopt:
25-40 years 0-35 months
41-45 years 36-59 months
46-50 years 60-83 months
51-54 years 84-107 months
Some requirements may be flexible for those pursuing an adoption through our Waiting Child Track. Please contact us to discuss your individual eligibility.
THE PROCESS
The first step for the Traditional Track is to apply and begin the home study process. If you live in MN, Western WI, MD or VA, Children’s Home and LSS can complete your home study. Then, we will guide you to apply for USCIS approval and compile a dossier that is sent to our representative in Colombia. After dossier approval, we anticipate the wait for referral to be 6-18 months for the Heritage Track and 6-12 months for the Traditional Track. Recently, families have traveled to Colombia approximately 5-9 weeks after official referral acceptance. Applicants need to travel to Colombia; at least one parent must stay for the duration of the 4-8 week trip. Post-placement reporting is required 3, 9, 15 and 21 months after the adoption date (as indicated on adoption decree/resolution/sentencia).
Families following the Waiting Child Track will bypass the wait for referral, but are required to complete all other steps in the process.
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