Please see our section on Adoptions from the United States for more information on the process for adopting a child from the United States. We urge prospective adoptive parents residing abroad who are considering adoption of a child from the United States to consult with Sweden’s Central Authority, the Family Law and Parental Support Authority, for its determination as to whether it considers your adoption to be subject to the Convention.
Sweden is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Convention countries must be done in accordance with the Convention; the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA); the IAA’s implementing regulations; and all applicable legislation and regulations of Sweden.
Sweden is not considered a country of origin for intercountry adoption at this time. While adoption is legally possible, children from Sweden are not generally placed for intercountry adoption. No child from Sweden has received a U.S. immigrant visa based on an intercountry adoption in the past five fiscal years. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in extremely rare adoption cases from Sweden, including adoptions of children from Sweden by relatives in the United States, as well as adoptions from third countries by U.S. citizens living in Sweden.
Prospective adoptive parents who are stationed overseas on U.S. military orders, posted overseas on U.S. government orders, or are private citizens living abroad are cautioned that the Convention may apply to an adoption completed in the United States, in the host country, and/or involving a child from a third country. We also strongly encourage such prospective adoptive parents to consult with the Central Authority of the country where they are physically residing, and/or where the child is residing, to determine whether the Convention applies to a proposed adoption.
Below is the limited adoption information the Department has obtained from the adoption authority of Sweden. U.S. citizens interested in adopting children from Sweden should contact the Central Authority of Sweden to inquire about applicable laws and procedures. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents living in Sweden who would like to adopt a child from the United States or from a third country should also contact Sweden’s Central Authority. See contact information below.
Please visit the Department of State’s country pages for more information on traveling to Sweden and the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm’s website for information on consular services.
The consular officer will send a letter (referred to as an “Article 5/17 Letter”) to Sweden’s Central Authority in any intercountry adoption involving U.S. citizen adoptive parents and a child from Sweden if all Convention requirements are met and the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States. This letter will inform Sweden’s Central Authority that the parents are suitable and eligible to adopt, that the child appears eligible to enter and reside permanently in the United States, and that the U.S. Central Authority agrees that the adoption may proceed.
Warning: Do not attempt to adopt a child in Sweden before USCIS has provisionally approved your Form I-800 petition AND a U.S. consular officer issues the “Article 5/17 Letter” for your adoption case.
Remember: The consular officer will make a final decision about a child’s eligibility for an immigrant visa later in the adoption process.
