Adoption

Your dream to have children has not yet come true, so you have decided to adopt… An adoption requires a lot of patience and a lot of paperwork that must be completed. Moreover, a lot of hurdles need to be overcome.

On the following pages, we would like to provide information on domestic and international adoption options available.

Adoption
in General

Adoption in
Germany

Step-Parent
Adoption

Hague Convention
Adoption

Requirements

Requirements

Requirements

Requirements

Consequences

Consequences

Consequences

Consequences

Traps

Traps

Traps

Traps

Here at the German American Law Center, we are licensed German attorneys and licensed U.S. attorneys with an office in the United States and in Germany. We can prepare and execute domestic and international adoption in both Germany and the United States. For example, we can assist with the adoption of a Ukrainian child for German parents. Germany, the United States, and other countries who participate in the Hague Convention are subject to its intercountry adoption provisions. These provisions can be cumbersome, heavily detailed, and include very specific guidelines.

Below are facts related to adoptions that are subject to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention):

  • The purpose of the international treaty is to protect and ensure what is best for all parties involved in the adoption. It is seen as a safeguard against such issues as abduction and child trafficking.
  • There is a designated Hague Convention certified Central Authority, and there are Adoption Service Providers (ASP) in each country to safeguard and assist the intercountry adoption proceedings. In the United States, the Department of State is designated as the Central Authority.
  • Adoption service providers may not provide legal advice and/or represent the parties in the adoption in regards to USCIS. For legal procedures, an immigration lawyer is appropriate.
  • A child is eligible for intercountry adoption when the child is eligible for adoption in his/her own country and when a placement attempt has been made in the child’s country of origin. The adoption must also be seen as being in the child’s best interest.
  • Both the Form I-800A and I-800 must be filed by the prospective parents with the USCIS. These forms determine the eligibility of the prospective parents to adopt and the child to be adopted.
  • The IH-3 and IH-4 are the two visa granted in adoptions subject to the Hague Convention.

If you would like to look at the Hague Convention in its entirety, please click on “The Hague Convention” link above.

If you are interested in an international or domestic adoption, please contact attorney Mandy Pecher. She has successfully conducted numerous German adoptions in Germany and internationally.