Uganda

ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT:  Single parents may adopt, but they may not adopt a child of the opposite sex (unless an exception is made).  Married couples must adopt jointly.  Adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old and 21 years older than the child they plan to adopt.  In the case of married couples, it is sufficient for one spouse to meet these requirements.

In addition to the three-year residency and 36-month fostering requirement, foreign adoptive parents must demonstrate they have no criminal record, and that they have been approved by their country of nationality to adopt.  The adoptive parent must also demonstrate that their country of nationality will respect and recognize the Ugandan adoption decree.  The Ugandan attorney working with the adoptive parents usually provides a letter or brief statement in the petition to adopt presented to the High Court that the U.S.state will recognize the adoption decree.  It is assumed that the attorney conducted the necessary research to confirm this. For U.S. citizens, the High Court of Uganda generally accepts that an approved I-600 or I-600A petition satisfies the requirement that the adoptive parents have approval of their home government to adopt abroad.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS:  Unless a judge waives the fostering requirement, prospective adoptive parents must reside in Uganda with their prospective adoptive child for three years.

TIME FRAME:  Prospective adoptive parents should allow sufficient time to complete the necessary processing of the case both with the Ugandan High Court, and the U.S. Embassy.  The court process often takes at least three weeks from the initial court appearance, the execution of the adoption or legal guardianship decree, and the issuance of a court ruling. 

In September 2006, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda assumed responsibilities for the processing of all immigrant visa adoption cases from Uganda .  Prospective adoptive parents planning travel to Uganda are strongly encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy in Kampala well in advance of their anticipated arrival in Uganda.  This assists the Embassy in confirming that the required I-600A or I-600 approval packet has been received in Kampala, and in some cases allows the Embassy to commence the required I-604 orphan investigation before the prospective adoptive parents arrive in country.

ADOPTION FEES IN  UGANDA :  Court fees are less than $100.00 and may vary according to the number of documents that require notarization.  Attorney’s fees can range from $500 to $2,000. The U.S. Embassy in Uganda discourages the payment of any fees that are not properly receipted, “donations,” or “expediting” fees, that may be requested from prospective adoptive parents.  Such fees have the appearance of “buying” a baby and put all future adoptions in Uganda at risk.

ADOPTION PROCEDURES:  Foreign citizens wishing to adopt a child in Uganda are required to file a petition with the High Court of Uganda after they have identified a child they wish to adopt.  Prospective adoptive parents are required to appear in person, and the court requires that the local Probation and Social Welfare Officer overseeing the case submit a report with his/her recommendation.  In certain cases, the court may also request that other individuals or authorities submit a report in respect to the adoption petition.  For instance, in many cases orphanage directors are requested to submit information about children that were placed in their care.

Children who are 14 years old or older must consent to the adoption.  The consent of both biological parents, if known, must be obtained and may be withdrawn prior to the execution of the adoption order.  Under U.S. immigration law, if both biological parents for a child are living, they must independently release their child for adoption and emigration abroad, prior to U.S. prospective adoptive parents being identified.

Once the adoption is finalized, adoptive parents must register the adoption with the Registrar General’s Office in Kampala.  The Registrar General informs the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the adoption.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will maintain the adopted child’s records, which will remain available to the child.

Legal Guardianship and Final Adoption Abroad:  The Ugandan Government also permits foreign citizens to obtain legal guardianship of orphans and in some cases allows the child to emigrate from Uganda for full and final adoption abroad.  For U.S. citizens, this means the prospective adoptive child may qualify for an Immediate Relative 4 visa (IR-4) for the purpose of emigration and adoption in the United States .  In order to file for an IR-4 visa for the child, the legal guardianship order and the accompanying court ruling must state clearly that the High Court is aware of, and concurs with, the intention of the legal guardian to take the child out of Uganda for full and final adoption abroad.   Once the child immigrates to the United States, the legal guardians must file for adoption with a U.S. state court.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ADOPTION IN UGANDA:  The following documents must be submitted to the Ugandan High Court:

1. Marriage certificate of adoptive parents;
2. Police clearances;
3. Proof of financial stability (e.g., tax returns and bank statements);
4. A report from the Probation and Social Welfare Officer, or a U.S. home study if the prospective parents do not reside in Uganda ;
5. The High Court of Uganda must issue an adoption order for the child to be adopted by the parent(s);
6. Assurance that the adoptive parent(s)’s country will respect and recognize the adoption order issued by the Ugandan Court.  (The U.S. Child and Citizenship Act of 2000 meets this requirement).

 AUTHENTICATING U.S. DOCUMENTS TO BE USED ABROAD:  For more information on authenticating U.S. documents to be used abroad, please see the Judicial Assistancesection of our website.

(All information is taken from the U.S. Department of State website)

http://www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_3012.html