Rwanda Lifts Temporary Suspension of Intercountry Adoptions

On November 13, 2017, the Department of State published a notice on the decision of the Government of Rwanda to lift its long-standing temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions [PDF version]. The Rwandan Government made the announcement that it would lift the temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions on September 12, 2017 [PDF version]. The temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions in Rwanda had been in place since August 31, 2010.

Rwanda is a party to the Hague Convention, which came into force in Rwanda on July 1, 2012. However, notwithstanding its entry into the Hague Convention, the temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions remained in place while Rwanda worked to establish “a fully functional [Hague] Convention process.”

Despite the good news, the DOS noted that “[t]he Government of Rwanda reports it is in the early stages of implementing the procedures and policies that will govern intercountry adoptions.” The Rwandan Government has not yet committed to a time table for releasing information on its new adoption procedures. The DOS added that while the Rwandan Government is in the process of establishing a list of adoptable children under the Hague Convention, there are not yet any adoptable children. The DOS explained that the Rwandan Government plans to update the list of adoptable children biannually.

The DOS stated that it will provide updates on the situation as it becomes available.

The news release represents promising news for prospective adoptive parents and children in Rwanda in need of new homes. We will update the website with more information as it becomes available.