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CIS guidelines require that single women be 25 years or older to adopt. Married couples and single women are eligible to adopt from Guatemala. Your income must be at least 125% of the U.S. Poverty Guidelines.
A detailed breakdown of the fees and costs associated with an adoption from Guatemala can be found on our Costs to Adopt from Guatemala page.
The Guatemalan adoption process can be divided into three main time ranges:
At the time of referral, children are between the ages of one month and 6 months. Children between the ages 6 to 12 months are occasionally available. Children older than 12 months are not available as often and you should be prepared for a longer wait for a referral if you would like to adopt a child toddler age or older at the time of referral.
The adoption process currently takes 6-10 months from the time you receive the referral. You should plan on your child being approximately 6-10 months older than his or her age at referral when he/she comes home. Please understand that if unusual delays or circumstances occur during your adoption, your child could be even older when they come home.
Most children adopted through the FTIA Guatemala Program are living in foster homes. Foster parents are chosen by the attorney in Guatemala. No more than two foster children can be placed in the same home but the foster family may have biological children as well.
Generally the children adopted from Guatemala are healthy. Statistics indicate that the children adopted from Guatemala are among the healthiest of internationally adopted children. Of course, there is always the possibility of unforeseen or undetected medical issues and you should be prepared for such.
Generally the first contact the attorney has with the birthmother is when she relinquishes the child. Therefore, the attorney has little control over the quality of pre-natal care received. Because it is not customary in Guatemala to see a doctor regularly as it is here in the states, it is unlikely that the birthmother will have received regular pre-natal check ups.
When you receive a referral of a child, you will receive the child's lab results for Hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV. You will also receive a brief report from the doctor describing the child's general health. You will receive lab results for the birth mother for HIV, and possibly Hepatitis B, and syphilis. No other medical information will be available for the birthmother.
It is not required that the medical information be reviewed by a doctor but we do recommend that you obtain a medical opinion. We are not in a position to offer medical advice or opinions. We want you to be comfortable with the decision you are making and encourage you to take the time needed to read through and evaluate the information provided, and to obtain the opinion of a pediatrician. FTIA's website includes a list of physicians who specialize in evaluating internationally adopted children: International Adoption Clinics.
You will receive updated photos and measurements (height, weight, & head circumference) approximately every 6 weeks.
The birthmother has to personally relinquish the child to the attorney in Guatemala, who will then assign the child to a foster mother. The birthmother will be interviewed by a Family Court Social Worker. DNA samples will be taken from both the child and the birthmother to assure that she is indeed the child's biological parent. The birthmother and child are required to be present at the same time to take the samples. Once the adoption file is approved, the birthmother will again be asked to ratify her decision by signing the final adoption decree. Additionally, although not required, our attorneys involve all the birth mothers in an interview/questionnaire process at the time of relinquishment to ensure the birthmother is acting voluntarily and understands her decision.
Yes. The birthmother can change her mind at any point in the process until she signs the final adoption decree. It is rare that the birthmother will change her mind but you should be prepared for the possibility.
Even though the adoption is finalized in the foreign country based on a Power of Attorney signed by you, it is still necessary to travel to obtain a visa for the child to travel to the United States. We strongly recommend that our families travel to see their child's birth country and experience the culture. If you cannot travel due to a health condition or other legitimate reason, we do offer an escort service.
The stay in Guatemala is usually 4-6 days.
There are many nice hotels in Guatemala City. Some of those include the Marriott, Holiday Inn, & Radisson. There are also many nice Guatemalan hotels, such as the Casa Grande, Princess Reforma, or Quinta Real, for those families that would like to experience more of the Guatemalan culture.
We have FTIA staff in Guatemala who will be available to translate for you and the foster mother when you receive your child. FTIA staff in Guatemala will also be taking you to the U.S. Embassy to apply for your child's visa.
Because families adopting from Guatemala do not travel in groups, it is best that you make your own travel arrangements. Once you receive the final approval from our office to travel you are free to travel at your convenience. We will send you a very detailed packet of information about travel, including information for travel agencies, recommended hotels, etc, and our staff will consult with you about your proposed itinerary and make sure it is appropriate before you secure your tickets.
You do not have to carry much cash when you travel. Your international fees will be submitted through our agency before you travel. When you travel, you will need to pay in cash a $380 visa fee at the U.S. Embassy; and in addition to the visa fee, we'll recommend that you take approximately another $500 in cash for souvenirs, food, airport tax (when you depart Guatemala), etc. Other than that, large expenses such as airfare, hotel, etc., can be charged to your credit card.
Yes, you can visit the child. We do recommend that you wait until after the DNA testing has been completed and the DNA results have been obtained, however.
