Once you have compiled your adoption dossier, you will most likely send it to your agency. They will review your dossier to make sure everything is in order. They will then get it translated and will send it out to be authenticated. Some agencies require that the adoptive parent(s) take care of this process, so be sure to find out from your agency how they go about it.

When the dossier is translated and authenticated, it will be sent to your agency’s contact in Haiti. Once the dossier is received in Haiti, and most likely reviewed by Haitian staff, the adoptive parent(s) will be ready to accept a referral. Some agencies will refer waiting children prior to the dossier being complete. The length of time to wait for a referral varies from agency to agency. Most state that if you want an infant girl, you will be on a waiting list. Being open to gender, and especially to age, will better your chances for an immediate referral. However, most agencies have an upper wait time of about 2-4 months to receive a referral of an infant girl; and some do not have a wait time at all.

The family will then have a chance to review the referral information and decide to accept or ask for a different referral. Once the referral is accepted, the dossier is prepared (your paperwork will be combined with the information on your child/ren) for submittal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This process is often called “First Legals” and is where your paperwork will be authenticated. Once submitted, the dossier/file will be in the Minister of Foreign Affairs for 2-6 weeks. While your file is in the Minister of Foreign Affairs, your Haitian lawyer will then gather the social history of your child/ren. It has been compared to a mini-homestudy for your child, and will be combined with your own homestudy.

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