Factsheet, Page 3

PERUVIAN FEES: Adoption agencies estimate that the total cost of an adoption in Peru will be $5,000 to $7,000. This includes:

Office of Adoptions (MIMDES) $1,040 Peruvian Legal Fees $3,000 - $4,000 Other Peruvian adoption costs $1,000

These fees are subject to change without notice, and will vary according to the current foreign exchange rate.

PERUVIAN INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION PROCEDURES:

For prospective parents, the process begins when they apply through one of the approved U.S. agencies to MIMDES for permission to adopt. When the dossier of the prospective parents is completed (see documentary requirements below) and approved by the MIMDES Board of Directors, MIMDES tentatively assigns a child to those parents and forwards information regarding the assigned child to the parents'' adoption agency.

MIMDES will give the U.S. agency a specific amount of time (usually 15-20 working days) to confirm the parents'' intention to adopt the child. The parents then must travel to Peru for the adoption proceedings. There is no established minimum or maximum time after confirmation of intent during which travel is required, but adoptive parents should confirm with MIMDES that adoption proceedings are ready to move forward before making travel plans. If married, both parents must attend the ratification of the adoption. Provisional custody is awarded to the prospective parents shortly after their arrival in Peru. After 10-15 days, a social worker assigned to the case will issue a report attesting to the compatibility and bonding of the child and its prospective parents. If the report is favorable, both of the adoptive parents appear in court to ratify their adoption request, after which the judge may issue the final adoption decree.


When completed, the adoption is entered into a national adoption registry maintained by MIMDES. The adoptive parents must also register the child in the municipality where s/he was born and obtain a birth certificate listing the adoptive parents as the child''s parents. In preparation for the U.S. visa process, adoptive parents must also obtain a Peruvian passport for the child. All court documents related to the child''s abandonment and adoption must also have an official English translation. A list of translators is available at the U.S. Embassy in Lima.

At this point, the adoptive parents need to file their I-600 petition with the USCIS office at the American Embassy in Lima. The approved petition is then forwarded to the Consular Section''s Immigrant Visa (IV) unit for visa processing (please note that a petition is not a visa). The IV unit will work with adoptive parents to schedule visa interviews. Please see below under "U.S. Immigration Requirements."

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Credits: U.S. Department of State