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EmailU.S. on Track to Join the Hague Adoption Convention in December
A message from the U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues, is pleased to announce that the President signed the U.S. instrument
of ratification of the Hague Adoption Convention on November 16. The legal requirements for ratification of the Hague Convention
on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) have been completed,
and we plan to join with our deposit the instrument of ratification on December 12, 2007! The Department will announce the
official date the Convention will go into force for the United States—projected to be April 1, 2008—in the Federal Register.
The Hague Adoption Convention protects children and their families against the risks of unregulated adoptions abroad and ensures
that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of children. The Convention also serves to prevent the abduction
of, sale of, or traffic in children.
Once the treaty is in force, the new processing requirements for Hague adoption cases will take effect for adoptions between the United States and more than 70 Convention members. The new process protects the rights of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents while promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical practices among adoption service providers.
