China
Guatemala
Russia
Vietnam
Brazil
IndiaThe Citizenship & Immigration Service (CIS) is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Every US citizen who adopts internationally must obtain approval from the CIS. Your first contact is at the very beginning of your adoption process as explained below. Also, the last step before returning home with your new family member(s) involves the CIS (or the US Department of State-Consular Services if there is no CIS representative in the country from which you adopt).
I-600A. The I-600A is an “Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition” to start the CIS process for your international adoption from a non-Hague country (Russia or Vietnam). When the I-600A is approved, you will receive the I-171H. The I-600A is sent to the CIS along with your filing fee of $670 and fingerprint fee ($80 per person 18 years and older in your home) by certified check or money order, your home study, your birth certificate(s), marriage certificate (if applicable), and divorce decree(s) (if applicable). You can obtain an I-600A by calling 1-800-870-FORM. You can also obtain the I-600A from the CIS website.
I-800A. The I-800A is an “Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country” to start the CIS process for your international adoption from a Hague country (Brazil, China, Guatemala, India, or Panama). When the I-800A is approved, you will receive an approval notice from the CIS. The I-800A is sent to the CIS along with your filing fee of $670 and fingerprint fee ($80 per person 18 years and older in your home) by check or money order (must be made out to “US Department of Homeland Security” – no abbreviations), your original home study, your birth certificate(s), marriage certificate (if applicable), divorce decree(s) (if applicable), and evidence of compliance with preadoption requirements (if applicable). You can obtain an I-800A by calling 1-800-870-FORM. You can also obtain the I-800A from the CIS website.
Because time is usually very important to you, after you have made the decision to adopt, we strongly recommend beginning your home study procedure as soon as possible after making your decision to adopt. You need your completed home study for the CIS procedure. Please note: Since the implementation of the Hague Convention on April 1st, there are interagency agreements FTIA must have in place with the agency who completes your home study. Please do not begin the home study process until you have confirmed with FTIA that the appropriate interagency agreement is in place.
Listed below in MAGENTA are the documents you submit to the CIS with your I-600A Application for Advance Processing of your Orphan Petition or your I-800A Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. Only send documents to the CIS through express mail services with a tracking number, or if you use the U.S. Postal Service, certified with a green card receipt.
* When you obtain original, certified copies of your birth certificate(s), marriage certificate (if married), and divorce decree(s) (if applicable) from the appropriate state/county offices, we recommend that you order at least three or four originals at one time. You will need at least one original, certified copy of birth, marriage, and divorce documents for your dossier (some countries require two originals), and possibly for your home study agency, the CIS, and also if you have to apply for U.S. passport(s). It will save you time and money if you order multiple originals at one time. If you have questions regarding how many originals you will need, please consult your FTIA country coordinator and your home study agency social worker.
** The CIS is supposed to accept photocopies of original documents as long as you attach a statement to the photocopies which should read: "Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered original documents and I understand that I may be required to submit originals to an Immigration or Consular official at a later date."
Signature
Typed or Printed Name
Date
Detailed instructions for completing the I-600A or I-800A will be available to you via the MyFTIA online system once your Application for Adoption & Adoption Services Agreement has been received and approved by FTIA.
Contacting CIS. The CIS has several field offices throughout the US. To find the field office that serves your county/region, please visit the CIS website. The CIS has an email address for each of its offices for adopting parents to use to check the status of your I-600A/I-800A application. To find the email address for your CIS office, go to the correct field office. A few sub offices may not have an email address in place. Please note that these email addresses are for adopting parents only. Agency representatives are not allowed to utilize these email addresses to check on the status of your application without having an additional authorization form on file with the CIS office. Also, most offices will advise that they will not look into a particular case until a certain length of time passes after all your paperwork has been submitted and your fingerprints have been taken—usually about 30 days. Some offices may be longer and some shorter.
Be forewarned that you typically cannot get through on the telephone to your CIS office and speak with a live person. There are exceptions, but you probably won't be able to talk to anyone at your office directly. Also be aware that even though all CIS policies and procedures are rules that are to be applied consistently, the application of the rules tends to vary significantly from CIS office to CIS office.
Please note that military families can receive special assistance from the CIS. For additional information, please see the CIS Website, or call 1-877-247-4645.
