Filing I-800/I-800A - Orphan Petitions Under the Hague Adoption Convention

U.S. citizens contemplating an international adoption from a country covered by the Hague Adoption Convention should become familiar with the information provided on our website USCIS Hague Adoption Convention. Information is also available on the Department of State website on the Hague Adoption Convention.

Effective April 1, 2008, the Hague Convention significantly alters intercountry adoption processing. Intercountry adoptions between the United States and any other country that is a party to the Hague Convention (unless the Department of State determines that the Convention is not in force with a particular country) will be processed on new Forms I-800A and I-800.

USCIS has established a special unit to process all Hague inter country adoption applications and petitions at its USCIS National Benefits Center.

Where to File

You must file your form I-800A application with the appropriate USCIS office. Upon receipt of your application, it will be forwarded to a central USCIS office for adjudication and decision.

• If you live in the United States, the appropriate office will be the USCIS office with jurisdiction over your actual place of residence in the United States.
• If you live outside the United States, you may file either with the USCIS office overseas with jurisdiction over your current place or residence or with the USCIS office in the United States with jurisdiction over the proposed place of the child's residence in the United States.

You must always file your form I-800 with the USCIS office that approved or granted the most recent extension of your form I-800A.

Form I-600A and I-600 may not be filed for a child who habitually resides in a Hague country on or after April 1, 2008, unless the case was in process prior before that date.

Forms

• Form I-800A
• Form I-800