Learn About a Country
Latest Country Developments
Begin by viewing our most recent Adoption Alerts and Adoption Notices for important developments in some countries.
Adoption Country Information
Intercountry adoptions are governed by both the laws of the child's home country and the laws of the United States. In fact, when adopting you must comply with three different sets of laws: U.S. federal law, the laws of the child's country of birth, and the laws of your U.S. state of residence. Learn about the U.S. requirements for intercountry adoption in the About Adoption tab of this website.
To help you navigate the adoption process in a specific country, we offer Country Information. For each country, this Country Information describes whether a country is party to the Hague Adoption Convention. It names a country's adoption authority and describes the eligibility requirements for prospective adoptive parents and for children to be adopted. In addition, the Country Information offers key contact information, information about the role of the court and adoption agencies, as well as adoption statistics.
Note: We are in the process of finalizing Country Information for all countries. If the country from which you are considering adopting is not currently listed, please check back soon or contact our office for more information.
Locate a U.S. Embassy
In over 260 countries in the world, there are U.S. embassies and consulates with consular officers available to provide assistance to American citizens abroad. If you need help while overseas in case of an emergency, consider the embassy your first point of contact. Find the U.S. Embassy in the country from which you are adopting. Learn where it is located and its contact information.
Travel Information
The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs (the Office of Children's Issues is part of this Bureau) offers Country Specific Information for every country of the world. This information provides you with key details about various issues, including entry requirements, health information, crime and security information, and any areas of instability. It's a good idea to check this Country Specific Information before your trip abroad.
We also recommend paying attention to our Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts before traveling. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid a certain country. We issue Travel Alerts to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions that pose significant risks or disruptions to Americans.
The Department of State provides additional Background Notes on every country in the world. The Background Notes include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of each country.
