On December 28, President Vladimir Putin signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6, which prohibits the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law went into effect on January 1, 2013. The law bans adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens, bars adoption service providers from assisting U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children, and requires termination of the U.S.- Russia Adoption Agreement.

The United States regrets that the Russian government has decided to ban the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and to terminate the Agreement under Article 17(5). The Agreement entered into force on November 1, 2012, to promote stronger safeguards for children and all parties involved in the intercountry adoption process. Under the termination clause of the Agreement, it will remain in force for one year, until January 1, 2014. Despite the adoption ban, the U.S. government remains committed to implementation and fulfillment of its obligations under the Agreement. The United States continues to urge the Russian government, in the spirit of the Agreement, to allow U.S. families already in the process of adopting a child from Russia to complete their adoptions so that these children may join permanent, loving families.

At this time the Russian government has provided no details on how Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6 will be implemented. The Department of State has no information on whether the Russian government intends to permit the completion of any pending adoptions.

In observance of national holidays, most Russian government offices will be closed through January 8, 2013.

U.S. families in the process of adopting a child from Russia may continue to reach out to the Office of Children’s Issues at Russiaadoption@state.gov. The Office of Children’s Issues will reach out directly to families as additional information becomes available. Further information regarding intercountry adoption from Russia will also be posted on www.adoption.state.gov.

On December 28, President Vladimir Putin signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6, which prohibits the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law will go into effect on January 1, 2013.

In keeping with the spirit of the current U.S.-Russia adoption agreement, which went into effect on November 1, 2012, the U.S. government continues to urge the Russian government to allow U.S. families in the process of adopting a child from Russia to complete their adoptions so that these children may join permanent, loving families.

At this time the Russian government has provided no details on how the law will be implemented. The Department of State has no information on whether the Russian government intends to permit the completion of any pending adoptions.

In observance of national holidays, most Russian government offices will be closed through January 8, 2013.

Prior to traveling to Russia, we strongly encourage families, in cooperation with their adoption service providers, to confirm that Russian authorities will process their adoptions to conclusion and provide all required documents. It remains unclear whether Russian immigration authorities will allow adoptees to depart the country and whether families in this situation will encounter legal complications with local authorities starting on January 1, 2013.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will continue to process Forms I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, and immigrant visa applications for children whose families have obtained all required documents as part of the adoption process. U.S. citizen adoptive parents who have completed an adoption, received a Russian passport for their child, and have filed or are ready to file Form I-600 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and then apply for the immigrant visa at the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow should call +7-495-728-5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +7-495-728-5000 or email the USCIS office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow at Moscow.dhs@dhs.gov to request assistance.

Hi Families and friends! Its a wonderful month to plan a picnic for all of our families! October 20th, 2012 We will be having a get together with all of our California AO families! We want to see all of our beautiful families together in one place, sharing the bond of family! We are getting back in the process of updating our blog and news letters again so please stay tuned! also check out our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adoption-Options-Inc

Also if you’re planning on attending to the Family Picnic please RSVP ASAP

July 3, 2012

On July 1, 2012, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption entered into force for Montenegro. However, Montenegro does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place. Therefore, the United States has determined that it will not be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions until the Government of Montenegro implements an effective Convention intercountry adoption process.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that, to ensure that adoptions from Montenegro will be compliant with the Convention, important steps must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Montenegro resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in

Montenegro until the Department of State notifies them that it has resumed adoptions in Montenegro.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or

202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

On June 1, 2012 Adoption Options was informed that the accreditation approval committee had postponed their May meeting due to allegations of a denied agency into wrong doing in the approval process.  The committee will reconvene once the issues are resolved over the complaints of the denied agency.  We anticipate we will have an answer this summer.  We feel positive about our chances to assist the Kyrgyzstan orphans.

Adoption Notice: Cambodia

March 19, 2012

The Office of Children’s Issues wishes to provide a further update for U.S. citizens interested in intercountry adoptions with Cambodia.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation recently announced to all embassies with diplomatic and consular missions in Cambodia that the Cambodian government has decided to delay the date that it will begin receiving adoption petitions until January 1, 2013. The Cambodian government is still working to establish the necessary internal child welfare structures to function as a Hague partner.

The Special Advisor for Children’s Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, met with the host government officials in January 2012 regarding Cambodia’s ability to meet obligations for conducting intercountry adoptions.  The United States continues to support Cambodia’s efforts to create a child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process that fulfills its obligations under the Hague Adoption Convention.  We welcome Cambodia’s efforts to fully implement its new law on intercountry adoption.

Updated information will be provided on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.