Dominican Republic

"We are thrilled to share some remarkable news with you – The staff of Madison Adoption Associates will be joining the Gladney Center for Adoption family! This union marks a significant step forward in our collective mission to build and support loving families through adoption. For now, if you are interested in working in the Dominican Republic Adoption Program, it will be under Madison Adoption Associates' (MAA) country accreditation."

Once the transition is complete, your adoption and post adoption services will be completed under Gladney’s accreditation.

As Madison Adoption Associates is recently accredited in Dominican Republic, this is a pilot program for our agency. Any families adopting must understand that there are unpredictable timeframes and increased uncertainties.

In Dominican Republic, children ages 2 years to 14 years are available for adoption. Dominican Republic is a stable, albeit very small, Hague adoption program. The children reside in public or private orphanages throughout the country. Many children are also abandoned or found working in the streets due to poverty.

Families may apply to adopt a waiting child (an older child or child with special needs), or a sibling group. There are many beautiful, healthy sibling groups available. They may also submit a dossier requesting to be matched with a child meeting certain criteria. Younger children with minor needs are available to families once they submit their dossier to Dominican Republic.

The country has a beautifully diverse culture and the children are of Hispanic, African, or mixed-race heritage as there is a large Haitian minority in the country. Some children may be of pure African or Haitian ethnicity. The children generally receive excellent medical care, but need a forever family to give them the individual love and attention they deserve.

Medically healthy young children are available, however preference is given to families of Dominican heritage.

When adopting your child, both prospective adoptive parents must comply simultaneously with the period of cohabitation required by Dominican Law. If adopting a child under 12 years old, cohabitation shall be for at least 60 days. If adopting a child over 12 years of age, cohabitation shall be for at least 30 days. The travel time to complete the adoption process is two to three months, but can be up to six months in country. One parent is able to leave after the cohabitation period. Please note that the travel process times can be unpredictable.

Once you are home with your child(ren), CONANI requires post adoption reports to be submitted for 5 years after the child has entered the United States. Madison Adoption Associates always requires the first post adoption visit to be within thirty (30) days of arriving home. The following reports must be submitted at 6 months, and then 12 months after the child enters the United States. Annual reports are then required for years 2, 3, 4, and 5, making a total of 7 reports required.

If you are interested in this program, we invite you to contact Misty Lucas (Misty@MadisonAdoption.org) to discuss your individual situation or inquire about current children available for adoption.

Adoption between the United States and Dominican Republic is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Dominican Republic is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Therefore, all adoptions between Dominican Republic and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Couples interested in adopting through Gladney’s Dominican Republic Program (under Madison Adoption Associates country accreditation) must meet the following guidelines:

• Applicants must be at least thirty (30) years old, and may be approved up to age sixty (60).
• Applicants must be at least fifteen (15) years older than the child to be adopted.
• Applicants over forty-five (45) years old are eligible for referrals of children age six (6) and up, but exceptions may be made for waiting special needs children.
• There is no minimum income required, but the family must be financially stable and able to provide for the needs of a child as well at meeting the income requirements of USCIS (currently 125% of the poverty guidelines).
  
• There is no family size limit, but family must prove that they can meet the individual needs of the child.
  
• The applicants must be legally married for at least five (5) years. Single applicants are not permitted to adopt through this program.
  
• Families adopting from Dominican Republic must be mentally and physically fit to parent. If you take prescription medication or have a health condition, please contact us prior to application to determine if you are eligible. Supporting medical letters will be required with the adoption dossier.

To read the full list of requirements, please proceed to Exploring Adoption »