Friday, April 11, 2008

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?? HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN OUR PROCESS TO BRING HOME FLORA.


ADOPTION DECREE. The attorney prepares the final adoption Protocolo or deed, and meets with the birth mother for her to sign her final consent to the child's adoption. The executed Protocolo is filed with the Archivo de Protocolo. At this point, the child is legally the child of the adoptive parent(s) under Guatemalan law.


CIVIL REGISTRY AND PASSPORT. The attorney presents the required documents to record the adoption at the Civil Registry where the child's birth was recorded, and requests that a new birth certificate be issued to reflect the adoption, and to change the child's last name to that of the adoptive family. The attorney then takes all documents including the new birth certificate and applies for the child's Guatemalan passport. The child is again fingerprinted to affirm his/her identity.

SECOND DNA TEST. A DNA test is performed on the child. The DNA sample is sent to a lab in the United States for testing. The results are compared to the results of the first DNA test that was taken early in the process. This test is necessary to determine that the child that the United States is issuing a VISA for is the same child that was tested earlier. The earlier test determined that the child really was the child of the mother that relinquished him or her. During the first test both the mother and the child are tested. With this second test, only the child is tested as they are just determining that it is the same child. The results are sent by Fed Ex from the United States lab to the US Embassy in Guatemala.


US EMBASSY - FINAL APPROVAL AND VISA. The attorney presents the case file with the child's passport and new birth certificate to the US Embassy. The Embassy again evaluates the file and, if all documentation is in order, issues a Final Document Approval or pink slip. (Note: Guatemalan passport is NOT required to submit the REQUEST for the pink slip, it is however required to PICK UP the pink slip from the US Embassy.) After the attorney receives this approval, the adoptive parents and child appear at the US Embassy for final verification, and an embassy official then issues a visa for the child's entry into the US.