ADOPTION NOTICE – 10/22/09

Vietnam is not party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). On June 21, 2005, the United States and Vietnam signed a bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption. The current Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the United States and Vietnam expired on September 1, 2008. As a result, intercountry adoption is suspended until a new MOA is signed and implemented. If a child had been referred to a family by September 1, 2008 and approved by the Vietnam Department of International Adoptions, the adoption can proceed to completion. A referral has occurred once DIA sends a letter to the prospective adoptive parents informing them that both DIA and provincial authorities have agreed to a particular child’s match.

Prospective adoptive parents who have a pending dossier with the Government of Vietnam should be aware that documents relating to adoptions in Vietnam, such as birth certificates, abandonment reports, relinquishment agreements, and investigative reports are generally issued by orphanage directors, local People’s Committees, Provincial Departments, and the Department for International Adoptions (DIA). The facts asserted in these documents are not verified by the issuing officials. Attempts by U.S. officials to verify the accuracy of these documents frequently uncover evidence of fraudulent or inaccurate information. Therefore, documents issued by the authorities listed above, and any other documents containing information not verified by the issuing authority, may not be considered adequate evidence of the facts claimed. They may be used in conjunction with primary and contemporaneous secondary evidence, or must be independently verified by U.S. officials in Vietnam, before they can be considered valid for immigration purposes.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Department of State have instituted procedures to verify that children identified for placement meet the requirements of Vietnamese and U.S. law, before the child has been adopted under Vietnamese law. Information about these procedures is available from USCIS. The Embassy strongly advises prospective adoptive parents not to travel to Vietnam until they have received notification from the Embassy that their case is ready for final processing and travel is appropriate. Parents should contact the Embassy immediately if anyone, including their adoption service provider, encourages them to travel to Vietnam prior to receiving this notification. The Embassy can work together with adoption service providers, Vietnam’s Department of International Adoptions, and local authorities to resolve issues such as the scheduling of a Giving and Receiving Ceremony.

Updated: October 2008

DISCLAIMER

CONTACT INFORMATION


U.S. Embassy in Vietnam
U.S. Embassy
Consular Section
6 Ngoc Khanh
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84) (4) 831-4590
Fax: (84) (4) 831-4578
Email: HanoiAdoptions@state.gov
Internet: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov


Vietnamese Adoption Authority
Ministry of Justice’s Department of International Adoptions (DIA)

Embassy of Vietnam
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
1233 20th Street, N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: (202) 861-2293 or (202) 861-0694
Internet: http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/


Office of Children’s Issues
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
SA-29
Washington, D.C. 20520
Tel: 1-888-407-4747
E-mail: AskCI@state.gov
http://adoption.state.gov


U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
For questions about immigration procedures, call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC)
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)