Mexico

 

Why Adopt From Mexico?

Mexico is party to the Hague Convention and has a transparent adoption process. Families with ties to the Latin American community, who speak Spanish or have adopted from another Latin American country such as Guatemala, may consider adopting from Mexico. Mexico’s geographical proximity allows adoptive children and families to continue a relationship of service to the country.

Who Are the Children in Need of Families?

  • Children range in ages from five years to teens
  • Both boys and girls are in need of families. Gender preferences may be specified
  • Children are primarily of Hispanic ancestry
  • Children with special needs are in need of families
  • Sibling groups are in need of families
  • Children from Mexico may need to be placed in families through international adoption due to economic hardship, lack of acceptance of unwed mothers and medical reasons where parents lack the financial resources to meet the needs of their biological children

Who Can Adopt from Mexico?

  • Couples married for at least three years both of whom are at least 25 years old
  • Single women who are at least 25 years old may adopt from Mexico
  • Parents must be at least 18 and no more than 45 years older than the child they intend to adopt
  • Additional stipulations may be determined by your government to apply for an orphan visa if you live outside of the United States

How Long Does It Take to Complete the Adoption Process?

The adoption process in Mexico does not officially start until the family’s dossier arrives in Mexico. After submission of the dossier, the time frame to receive a prospective match is approximately 12-24 months, depending upon the age and gender of the child the family has indicated. Prospective matches are made based on the date of dossier submission and balanced by several variables; characteristics of child the family has indicated (age, gender, health status) and the children in need of families at any given time. The typical time frame to complete an adoption from Mexico is approximately 24-36 months after the dossier is received in the country.

Please note that time frames may vary on a case-by-case basis and are subject to change.

adopt from Mexico

What Travel is Required?

Two to four trips are likely required, though each Mexican state may have different requirements. The length of the trips may range from 3 days to 3 weeks in length. You may meet with State DIF before a referral is received. The State DIF is a large part of Mexico’s Central Authority that processes all adoptions. This is an optional trip; however it is encouraged as a way to establish a relationship between the parents and the State DIF and may help accelerate the matching process. Both parents must travel for this first trip, which is expected to be two to three days in length. Both parents must then travel to meet the referred child. This trip is expected to take one to two weeks depending on the bonding and attachment process and age of the child. The court may also request parents travel to attend the court hearing (judge’s discretion). The length of this trip is not known, but could range from one day to two weeks. For the last trip, both parents must travel to sign for their child’s birth certificate and passport. Parents must also complete the visa process during this trip. The length of this trip is expected to be approximately two weeks. Additional visit trips are optional. Parents may only visit referred child(ren) with the permission of MLJ Adoptions and the children’s home.

Why Choose MLJ Adoptions to Adopt From Mexico?

MLJ Adoptions is a Hague Approved Adoption Service Provider with programs in multiple countries including Mexico. We are one of only 12 Adoption Service Providers authorized by the Mexican Central Authority to provide adoption services. Our Mexican Supervised Provider, who works towards completing the adoption process in Mexico, maintains dual licenses to practice law in both the US and Mexico.

Our team is diverse group of professionals committed to supporting families before, during and after adoption. Families wishing to adopt from Mexico will primarily work with Sonja Brown, one of MLJ Adoptions’ Program Directors. Sonja has ten years of experience in adoption, and has united more than 200 children with their forever families. Our staff also includes licensed attorneys domestically and we work with Mexican attorneys. It is beneficial to families to have attorneys in both the US and Mexico reviewing and assisting with the legal processes of adoption.

As a pilot program, there are inherently additional risks associated with adopting from a newer country program. Please be aware that these risks can include things like a longer process than originally anticipated, changes in the requirements of the country you are adopting from, increased fees and changes in travel requirements (this information is meant to give Parent(s) examples, and not intended to be an exhaustive list of additional risks).

To learn more about how to adopt from Mexico please request information

Country information is to be considered general information and subject to change. The information is based upon state, federal, foreign, and international law, as well as our own business policies.