• Apply (online) to Holt International
  • Holt staff carefully reviews the information in your application to determine that you meet U.S. and Ethiopian adoption requirements before you begin the adoption process.
  • Approval takes 3 – 4 days.
  
  
• Complete a homestudy and parent education
  • Once your application is approved, Holt will assign one of our social workers to conduct your homestudy assessment if you live in a state where Holt has a branch office. If you live in a state where Holt does not have a branch office, you can select a co-operating local service agency from a list we provide. The homestudy process will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about adoption, help you determine your ability to parent an adopted child, and allow your social worker to learn more about you. After your homestudy report is complete, it will be sent to the Ethiopia program for review and approval.
  
  • Holt’s adoptive parent preparation courses introduce topics for you to consider that are known to be significant to the intercountry adoption experience. The courses cover topics such as what it means to become an inter-racial family, dealing with multiple losses, bonding and attachment, and more. After completing the courses, you will have a deeper understanding and be better prepared for what it means to be an adoptive family.
  
  
• File for USCIS approval
  Approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is required in order to bring a child from another country into the U.S. as an immediate relative. Holt staff will assist and guide you through the steps of obtaining USCIS approval.
  
  
• Prepare a dossier
  A dossier is a compilation of documents you prepare in a specific fashion for submission to the Ethiopian government. In the on-line Adoption Guidebook, Holt provides detailed instructions for how to complete each document.
  
  
• Holt sends dossier for authentication and translation.
  
• Your dossier will be translated into Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
  
• Holt refers a child to a family
  • Families receive a photo of the child, all medical information received by Holt, a child study explaining how the child came into care, why inter-country adoption is necessary for the child, and information on the child's development since coming into care. Families are encouraged to review the referral information with a medical professional before making the formal decision to accept the referral.
  • Families typically receive a referral 6 - 9 months after Holt receives a family’s dossier.
  
  
• Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs approves the adoption.
  The Ministry of Women’s Affairs reviews the translated dossier, child information, and referral acceptance information and approves the adoption.
  
  
• Family makes first trip to Ethiopia to meet child and finalize adoption with the Ethiopian Court.
  • In March 2010 the Ethiopian court began requiring adoptive families to appear, in person, for the court hearing in order to confirm their desire to proceed with the adoption. Families will travel twice to Ethiopia, first to finalize the adoption with the Ethiopian court and second to process the child’s U.S. Visa and bring the child home. Each trip lasts approximately 5-10 days. Holt assists families with all adoption related transportation, translation, and appointments while in country. On the first trip, both parents travel to meet the child and begin the bonding process. During your first stay in Addis Ababa, you will also have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with your child’s routine and ask medical and developmental questions. Families appear in court to finalize the adoption according to the laws of Ethiopia.
  • After the court process is completed, families return to the U.S., and Holt staff in Ethiopia work diligently to secure the child’s birth certificate and passport. They also set up an appointment for a final medical checkup and embassy appointment, in order for you to return to Ethiopia to bring your child home. This can take approximately 6-12 weeks.
  
  
• Family makes second trip to Ethiopia to receive child and obtain child’s exit Visa.
  Holt staff notifies families when they’ve been invited to travel to Ethiopia to process the child’s U.S. Visa and bring their child home. One or both parents will return to Ethiopia to complete this final step. Once again, Holt assists families with all adoption related transportation, translation, and appointments while in country. If the child you are adopting was relinquished by his birth family, you may have the opportunity to meet the birth family at this time. Travel lasts approximately 5-10 days.
  
  
• Family returns home and completes a post-placement report 1, 3, and 6 months after child’s arrival date. Continue to submit post-placement reports annually until child turns 18 years of age.
  
• Finalize the adoption in the U.S. according to state law where you reside.