Adopting a Bolivian family member

by Alejandra Antelo Novotny
(Houston, TX)

Hi there. My husband and I are wanting to adopt a family member that lives in Bolivia. I am from Santa Cruz and he is American, and we live in the US. The little girl we want to adopt is my first cousin on my mom's side of the family. Also, her parents have agreed to the adoption. Can you give me information on how this process would work?

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Apr 25, 2022
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We are finding this process impossible
by: Anonymous

My husband and I are looking to adopt my little sister since the conditions we can provide are better in the U.S. I am a resident and he is a citizen. We found out that adoption in the U.S. is fairly easy and it gives you the option of adopting a relative. However, we haven't figured out how to get the minor into the U.S. to finalize the process. If anyone has any suggestions on how to proceed we'll appreciate it. We tried getting the minor a B1/B2 visa but got denied since we are not the parents of the minor. Hope we get some sunshine at the end of the tunnel and won't give up on the process. Thank you for this site and if someone wants to share info comment on the post.

Nov 24, 2011
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Codigo del nino/nina
by: Chilena

I'd be interested if anyone else has experience of this, as we are looking into doing something similar. However, from our understanding of Bolivian and international (Hague) law, the system is heavily stacked against any foreign - let alone US -resident attempting adoption in Bolivia. Whether or not you are adopting a family member seems to make no difference according to the Codigo del Nino. A Juez de Ninez must find the child to have been irrevocably abandoned by their birth family. The child is then generally made a ward of the state and all national options for adoption are explored before international adoption can be considered. Adoption cannot take place by means of one party agreeing to 'give' a child to a second party, and in cases of international adoption a Bolivian-approved agency in the foreign country must submit a full report with all the usual details. There is currently no such approved agency in the US. So it's a pretty hairy process and that's even before you start the US adoption paperwork. You could explore a national adoption, if you're prepared to live in Bolivia for 2 years. At this stage, we're just thinking of getting our kid over on a B1 or B2 and worrying about the rest later (-;

Aug 31, 2011
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Information
by: Anonymous

Did you ever find out how to adopt a family member?

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