San Marino is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Hague countries is done in accordance with the requirements of the Convention; the U.S. implementing legislation, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA); and the IAA’s implementing regulations, as well as the implementing legislation and regulations of the child’s country of origin.
Below is the limited adoption information that the Department has obtained from the adoption authority in San Marino. U.S. citizens interested in adopting children from San Marino should contact the Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs of San Marino, which is the Central Authority for adoption in San Marino, to inquire about applicable laws and procedures. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents living in San Marino who would like to adopt a child from the United States or from a third country should also contact San Marino’s Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs. See contact information below.
Please visit the Department’s Country Specific Information for more information on travelling to San Marino, and the website of the U.S. Consulate General in Florence, Italy for information on consular services.
WARNING: The consular officer will send a letter (referred to as an “Article 5 Letter”) to San Marino’s Central Authority in any intercountry adoption involving U.S. citizen parents and a child from San Marino where all Convention requirements are met and the consular officer determines that the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States. This letter will inform the Central Authority that the parents are eligible and suited to adopt, that all indications are that the child may enter and reside permanently in the United States, and that the U.S. Central Authority agrees that the adoption may proceed.
Do not attempt to adopt or obtain custody of a child in San Marino before a U.S. consular officer issues the Article 5 Letter in any adoption case.
Remember: The consular officer will make a final decision about a child’s eligibility for an immigrant visa later in the adoption process.
