Department of State Notice on Hague Approved Agencies
Department of State Announcement: Accrediting Entities Announce Accredited or Approved Adoption Service Providers
Today, February 29, 2008, is the Uniform Notification Date (UND), the date set by the Department of State on which the designated Accrediting Entities (AEs) must announce their accreditation and approval decisions. Adoption service providers who applied for accreditation or approval to provide services in Hague Convention adoptions through either of the two AEs — the Council on Accreditation (COA) or the Colorado Department of Human Services (CO) — will be notified by their respective AE whether their application has been granted, denied, or remains pending. The list of accredited, temporarily accredited, and approved providers will be posted on the Department of State website, www.Travel.State.Gov, in the Children and Families section, as of 5:00 pm today.
Please note that only those adoption service providers that have been accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved by either COA or CO as of today will be able to provide adoption services in connection with Hague adoption cases after the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption enters into force for the United States on April 1, 2008. However, the names of additional adoption service providers will be added to the list on the Department of State website on a rolling basis once we have received notification from the AE’s that they are subsequently accredited or approved. Please direct specific questions about the accreditation or approval status of an individual adoption service provider to the applicable Accrediting Entity.
Information on intercountry adoption under the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention, including which adoption cases are covered, is available in the Children and Families / Intercountry Adoption section of the Department of State website. Please direct any further general questions to the U.S. Central Authority at AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.
