Delays in Processing Intercountry Adoptions From South Africa

On June 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of State advised prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers of potential delays in the processing time to complete intercountry adoptions from South Africa [PDF version]. The cause for delay is the South African Department of Home Affairs' changing its process on how Hague Convention adoptions are noted on birth certificates.

The DOS advises prospective adoptive parents of children from South Africa to keep their travel plans flexible while waiting for the South African Department of Home Affairs to issue birth certificates and passports. The DOS states that while the previous processing time was approximately six weeks, it has now received reports from prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers of waits of one year or more in some cases.

The DOS states that both the Consulate General in Johannesburg and the South African Central Authority are aware of the delays in processing birth certificates and South African passports for children adopted under the Hague Convention and are monitoring the situation.

Those facing adoption delays should continue working with their adoption service providers. An experienced immigration attorney may be able to assist with the immigration aspects of intercountry adoptions. To learn more about intercountry adoption generally, please see our growing selection of articles on site [see category].