The Council on Accreditation reports that on January 14, 2018, the Hague Approval for Africa Adoption Services expired. Africa Adoption Services will not seek to renew their approval.

Agencies that are not accredited or approved may not act as a primary provider but may perform services for intercountry adoption under the supervision of an accredited or approved adoption service provider so long as they meet the requirements of 96.35(a). When an agency or person’s accreditation or approval expires, the agency or person is responsible for executing their plan for transferring cases and records as required by 22 CFR 96.33(e) and 96.42(d).

Families working with Africa Adoption Services should contact the agency directly with questions about case or record transfer. We also encourage families to review the information published by the Council on Accreditation about selecting a primary provider/adoption service provider and the accreditation/approval requirements. 

The Department of State does not review or approve case transfer plans and has a limited role in their execution. The Department does, however, communicate with foreign Central Authorities and competent adoption authorities about the accreditation status of agencies and persons and case transfer plans, as needed.