Colombia


Process

1. Preliminary / Formal Application
Both applications must be completed before you can formally begin your Colombia adoption. The preliminary application is available on Bethany’s website, and the formal application is sent to you by your local Bethany branch once the preliminary application has been approved. Bethany’s Colombia team must approve both applications.

2. Adoptive Home Study
The Home Study is completed by a social worker from your local Bethany branch. Four documented meetings are required for submission of a dossier to Colombia. During the Home Study process, families will also be involved in trainings for intercountry adoption, which are also required by ICBF. These trainings must be documented in the Home Study.

3. Dossier Gathering / Authentication
Several documents must be gathered, notarized, and apostilled for your Colombia dossier. More information will be provided to you by your Bethany adoption worker once you formally enter the program. Once the dossier is submitted, the Colombia team in Grand Rapids, MI, will review your dossier.

4. Dossier Translated and Reviewed in Colombia
Once your dossier is reviewed in Grand Rapids, it will be sent to Colombia. The dossier will be translated in Colombia by a legal translator. After translation, the dossier will be presented to either ICBF or an adoption house.

If a family wants to adopt through ICBF, the dossier will be presented to ICBF for review and approval. After a family has been approved by ICBF and placed on the waiting list, the dossier will either be retained in Bogotá or forwarded to one of the ICBF regional offices. The family will receive a letter advising them of their approval and what region is retaining their dossier.

If a family is adopting through one of the adoption houses, the dossier will be presented to the adoption house and retained there.

5. Referral / Travel
Referral and travel times are subject to change during your Colombia adoption. The current time frame varies greatly depending on the child or children desired. After ICBF approves a family, the waiting time for referral for an infant is approximately 3-4 years (subject to change). The wait can be less for a child 7 years or older, a larger sibling group, or a special needs child. When a child has been selected, ICBF or the adoption house will send the referral directly to Bethany’s International Office in Grand Rapids, MI. Generally, a family will receive a social history, medical documents, legal documents, and a photograph.

Once the family has received a referral, they need to receive I-800 provisionary approval from the National Benefits Center. Then the visa needs to be cabled to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. A family cannot travel until they have received clearance from the U.S. Embassy in Colombia when they issue the "Article 5" Letter/Letter of "No Objection".

After the family has been given clearance to travel, the adoptive parents will need to obtain an adoption visa from the Colombian Consulate. A visa is required for adoptive parents traveling to Colombia. Once travel arrangements have been made, your local branch worker and Bethany’s International Office will help you arrange for a visa application from the nearest Colombian Consulate.

Travel typically occurs between 2 and 4 months after you receive a referral.

6. Post-Placement Reports
Once you return from Colombia with your new child, your social worker will contact you about setting up a post-adoption meeting. Five post adoption reports are required after the child is placed in your home. Reports are due at the following times: arrival, 3 months, 9 months, 15 months, and the final report is due at 21 months. Prior to writing the final report, families are required to submit a copy of the certificate of citizenship and U.S. birth certificate.

For more information about Bethany's Colombia program, please call 1.877.64.ADOPT, e-mail us at bcsinternational@bethany.org, or fill out our contact form.