The Department of State strongly advises prospective adoptive parents to reconsider intercountry adoptions from Haiti – particularly those who have not yet selected a country from which to adopt and those who have not yet been matched with a child from Haiti. As a result of the latest crisis that began March 2, 2024, Haitian government offices and courts that process adoptions are closed or operating with limited capacity.

Even before the latest crisis began, intercountry adoptions from Haiti typically took an average of four years to complete, and in some cases, much longer. While some of the Haitian government entities responsible for the various aspects of the adoption process are functioning on a limited basis, there is no timeline for when they will resume full operations.

The Department of State’s Travel Advisory for Haiti has been at Level 4 – Do Not Travel since March 2020. U.S. citizens should not travel to Haiti, and those in Haiti should depart immediately using commercial or other private transportation options when available and safe to do so. 

The Department of State will continue providing updated information on http://adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. Email inquiries may be directed to Adoption@state.gov.