Overview of Dominican Adoptions

[Robert]

An excellent overview in English supplied by Fabio Guzman.

* Word document: http://dr1.com/legal/family/Adoption.doc

* PDF document: http://dr1.com/legal/family/Adoption.pdf

Guzman Ariza & Asociados - The Dominican Republic Law Firm: Guzman Ariza, Attorneys at Law.

 

[priji]

DOMINICAN ADOPTION AUTHORITY: Consejo Nacional para la Ni?ez y la Adolescencia (CONANI), the Dominican child welfare agency, is the country’s adoption authority. Contact information for CONANI:

Consejo Nacional para la Ni?ez y la Adolescencia (CONANI)
Edificio Gubermental, Bloque D
30 de Marzo esq. M?xico
Santo Domingo, Rep?blica Dominicana
Phone: 809-685-9161 (Office of Adoptions, ext. 1182)
Web site: CONANI
E-mail address of Adoption Coordinator: nuris.gomez@conani.gov.do

 

[MikeFisher]

Robert or Fabio,
on this ole and always actual thread i have a Q:
when the law states "country of residence", does that mean the country of original of the adopting person/couple or the country of residence like 'permanent resident in the DR'?
i ask b/c i am in the process of "maybe" doing an adoption, i am German, permanent residence in the DR since 14 years, wife is dominican, we do want to adopt a specific child, not "any child which is next on a list", that child is 12 years old and of course say's yes to the adoption, including the mother, father is dead since a long time.
so would i need to show those asked papers as a DR resident from the dominican authorities or also from german authorities?
the time period of living together with that child is not a problem to proof, we are living together since a long while a a family.
thanks for the always accurate help
Mike

 

[Fabio J. Guzman]

If you are a permanent residency, it means the DR.

 

[MikeFisher]

thank you very much.
closer to the end of the year i will get in touch with you for that process.
your top info is appreciated like always.
Mike

 

[trina]

Any thoughts on this one?

It's a little confusing, so I'll try to explain it best as I can without going into too many details.

I married a man from the Dominican Republic, and we brought his biological son (also a Dominican citizen) here to Canada to live with us. The child has been living with us since he was 7. The mother has had no contact with her biological son, who is now 14.

My soon-to-be ex-husband violently abused his child and myself, and was criminally charged and convicted for this abuse. We separated, and now are working through quite a messy divorce. I went to court here in Canada and was granted full guardianship and parental rights of all three children (including step-son), based on the fact that my stepson has a voice in court and I have been the only mother he has known for over 7 years.

Now I would like to adopt him, so that he can become a Canadian citizen and reap the benefits of this citizenship. He could rightfully apply when he is 18, but I would like to save him going through this process. I cannot sponsor him to be a Canadian citizen unless I adopt him.

The father would never grant permission for this adoption, and the mother - God only knows how I'd even find her.?.

Any thoughts on where I would even start this process? Being that he has lived here for the past 7 years, would I need to go through Dominican law, or would it be based on his current residence, in Canada.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[MikeFisher]

wow Trina,
that sounds like a complicated situation for the Law professionals.
for the dominican side of it Sr Guzman will bring you up his part soon.

for the Canadian part,
you received from a canadian court full guardianship and parental rights, i don't know how such is handled by the dominican law. the abusing and for that convicted father should be out of this game, but there's a mother which 'may be' show up and cry for her rights as the biological mother after the angry ex'husband may convince her to do so just out of anger.

will be interesting to hear what the pros say on such case.

i wish you all the best
and that your stepson can stay where he is, in the only family he knows with his brothers.
Mike

 

[trina]

Thank you Mike. I don't think I will have any problems with him staying with me, as he does have a voice in court and is at the age where he can decide where he lives. He has refused to see his father since the abuse, and I have been successful in protecting him. I don't think the mother is a worry, as she hasn't tried to contact him since he left the DR in 2001; she hadn't seen him in the 8 months prior, being that the son lived with her parents.

I have contacted my divorce/family lawyers here in Canada, but they haven't responded, I think this whole case might be a little overwhelming for them. I guess I'll do what I can and maybe just go directly through the courts here to see what they suggest.

 

[MikeFisher]

yes,
that would be from my unprofessional viewpoint also the way to go.
nice to hear that he has in Canada the right to make decisions on such case himself.
all those laws always show up those complicated and confusing corners.

by my simple logic, a child for which you as a canadian citizen have by canadian court order/decision the full guardianship and parental rights, it would be the most clear thingy of the planet that you are 'allowed' to do the sponsorship for citizenship of that child of yours.
i guess once the request for adaption presented to a judge with all the background of the case such adaption should not be any problem and the sponsorship for the citizenship on it's way right away after that decision.
good luck
Mike

 

[trina]

by my simple logic, a child for which you as a canadian citizen have by canadian court order/decision the full guardianship and parental rights, it would be the most clear thingy of the planet that you are 'allowed' to do the sponsorship for citizenship of that child of yours.
i guess once the request for adaption presented to a judge with all the background of the case such adaption should not be any problem and the sponsorship for the citizenship on it's way right away after that decision.
good luck
Mike

I couldn't agree more, Mike...wouldn't that be too simple though ;-)
I already tried to argue that, of course, to no avail. The child must be adopted. I am fine with the adoption, of course, that would be a blessing. I just don't know where to start...

Thanks again for your help and kind words.

 

[daoudruben]

Adoption 2009

Hi, we are looking forward to adopt a child from Dom Rep. We are researching right now the legal process, but as well we would like to get in contact with families in the adoption process - or better, with families who already successfully adopted. We are a german family with two bio childs ... and we do speak spanish.

Feel free to contact us here or: franzluis@web.de

Thank you, IRis & family

 

[JoWahi5116]

daoudruben,

I was adopted from Santiago, Dominican Republic as a child by a wonderful American family here in New York. My biological mother in DR was the maid of a family friend in Santiago for many years. With me in poor health, she told our friend she was hoping someone would adopt me and take me to the States for better care---that's where my adoptive parents came in.

I have spent the majority of my life living, studying, and working in New York. I have kept in contact with my adoptive family growing up (sending photos, letters, etc) My adoptive parents have also been supportive of me and I am forever grateful for them---we have an amazing relationship. With their support, I have been traveling to Santiago the past few years to spend time with my family and friends in the Dominican Republic. I love the culture and wanted to be more a part of it. I thank god everyday that I was given the opportunity to be raised in a happy, loving home where I received the care I needed at the time. I'm happy, 100% healthy, and love the relationships I have with both families now.

I hope that when you adopt a child from the Dominican Republic, you care for him/her as your own. Speak spanish to them, (my adoptive parents did this for me), help them be proud of their background and the country they came from. Show them love and support and be open about everything (I've heard of families who keep the adoption a secret, that is terrible).


There are many mothers in the Dominican Republic who need to give up their children for adoption for health reasons, financial problems, etc. Decide immediately whether you want an open or closed adoption and be firm on this. Work with a reputable agency, do NOT simply go down there and speak to locals. Unfortunately in the most poverty stricken areas mothers have been forced to try to sell their children for money---please do not support this. Do your research, look online for reviews of agencies, get your paperwork together as soon as possible, and be mentally prepared for a rollercoaster ride. Be thorough on your request for medical records, etc and if you're willing...try to get a little information about the family you are adopting from. In the case of a closed adoption, some kids just simply want to know where they came from and nothing more. Being able to give them this information will only make them feel more accepted by your family and understanding of who they are as an individual.

I wish you and your family the best of luck. Adopting children is a wonderful way to give back to the world. I love hearing these stories. Your children will be lucky to have a new addition to the family!

 

[SJSantos]

Hi Trina:

I was reading the process for children under 18 applying for Canadian Citizenship. It appears to me, you can apply for citizenship as a person who is a legal guardian to the child. If you look under the document check list or the application form it asks "who is applying for the child, parent OR Guardian. " Also a big pat on the back for having the strength to walk away.
Take care,
Sandy

 

[CanWest66]

Familial Adoptions

I am Canadian and my wife is Dominican and we live in Canada. Is it possible to adopt a specific child that is related to her?
Thanks in advance for any information on this topic.

 

[jmsunlinenet]

There probably isn't any easy answer to this, and I am just starting to research the issue.

I am a dual citizen of US and UK. My wife is Haitian. We married in the DR. We have an eight-month-old baby daughter who was born in the DR as a stateless person, but has been registered as a UK birth.

No problems so far, but my wife also has a 4-year-old daughter whose father is Dominican, who was born in the DR and has Dominican status and has a Dominican passport.

My wife wants me to adopt the 4-year old so that she can be done with the non-contributing Dominican father, who probably would not object. However I am concerned that the child might lose her Dominican citizenship if I adopted her, and I am not too sure that the adoption would be recognized by either of my countries--in fact I think not.

Anyone any experience of anything like this?

 

[MikeFisher]

a dominican born child gets it's dominican citizenship by birth and does not loose that citizenship when achieving a 2nd citizenship.
our youngest girlie is dominican born, has her dominican Birthcertificate, birth been declared here in the DR, and she also received her German Citizenship, as her father(myself) is a German Citizen. since then she has both full citizenships.

Mike

 

[CristoRey]

Based on what I've read, the child would first need to be put up
for adoption. Good luck.