Brazil
February 28, 2007
Parents interested in adopting a healthy child under the age of five will have great difficulty in doing so from Brazil. Under current adoption law in Brazil preference is given to Brazilian citizens and citizens of countries that have implemented the 1993 Hague Convention on International Adoption. As of early 2006 the United States has not yet ratified and implemented the Convention. This is proposed to occur by the end of 2007.
Children Available:
Most commonly available to prospective parents without Brazilian citizenship are healthy children over the age of 5, siblings groups, and children that have special needs. The number of international adoptions out of Brazil are rising from countries such as the United States due to the increased interest in siblings adoptions.
Parental Requirements:
Eligibility for prospective parents are that they meet age requirements and that they follow residency requirements. To adopt a child of Brazilian citizenship a parent must be over the age of 21 and a minimum of 16 years older than the child. Parents, married or single, must reside in Brazil with the child for 15-30 days. A child is not permitted to leave Brazil until the adoption has been finalized.
Again, at this time adopting a Brazilian child can be difficult for citizens of countries that have not implemented the Hague Convention. If pursuing an adoption prospective parents will need to contact the adoption authority in Brazil which is the State Judiciary Commission for Adoption or CEJA. This division of government is responsible for international adoption. They are not
all willing to participate in international adoptions for citizens of the countries that have not implemented the Hague Convention. Several of them are known to work with citizens of these countries and this information may be found on the website for the U.S. Department of State.
Timeline:
Adopting from Brazil, when possible, takes an average of 3 months to a year. The cost of adoption ranges as well due to the qualifications and location of the attorney that must be hired. The Brazilian government does not charge a fee to open a dossier with CEJA. An additional cost in adopting a child from Brazil is that the official home study must be translated into Portuguese and authenticated by either the Brazilian Embassy of the prospective parents country of citizenship.
Once the CEJA grants permission for prospective parents to adopt they are able to begin filing documents that will further the adoption process. When all documentation has been submitted the CEJA will issue a Habilitation Approval Certificate, which is enable the prospective parents to locate children eligible for adoption through a database. After this point the prospective parents will need to fill out paperwork confirming that their country of citizenship will comply with the Hague Convention. For citizens of the United States this is the I-600A and the 600A. As soon as the Brazilian government has all adoption requirements met a judge is able to grant a final adoption. It is only after this point that a child may leave Brazil and travel to their adoptive parents country of residence.
