Philippines Adoption Process

Adopting a child from the Philippines takes 30 to 36 months from application to placement, involving the steps outlined below.

Apply Online to Holt International
If you live in a state where Holt has a branch, we’ll work with you directly through our local staff. If not, we ask you to select one of our approved Cooperating Agencies listed on this Holt website. We’ll review your application to verify that you meet U.S. and Philippine adoption requirements before you begin the process. This takes 3–4 days. We’ll create a file for your family and send more documents for you to complete. Our Philippines Program will take your file and our program director will call and give you a password for Holt’s Online Philippines Adoption Guidebook.

Prepare a Dossier
A dossier is a compilation of documents you prepare for submission to the Philippines government. Holt provides detailed instructions for how to complete each document in the dossier section of our Guidebook. We are always available to answer any questions you might have as you prepare your dossier. You will work on your dossier and homestudy simultaneously.

Complete Your Homestudy
Holt will refer you to the appropriate homestudy agency. Once your preliminary documents are in and the homestudy fee is paid, a social worker will interview you at your home and at an office. The homestudy will provide an opportunity for you 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 we receive your homestudy report (HSR) and review it, the final notarized homestudy is one of many required documents that make up your dossier.

Parent Preparation Training
Holt’s “Parents-in-Process” (PIP) training introduces significant in intercountry adoption topics. The course covers what it means to be an interracial family, dealing with multiple losses, bonding and attachment, and more. After completing the course, you will have a deeper understanding and be better prepared for international adoption. Some agencies have their own Hague-approved training.

Apply for I-800A Approval with USCIS
Approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is required to bring a child from another country into the United States. Holt staff will guide you through applying for USCIS approval.

Dossier Transmitted to the Philippines
Upon completion we’ll send your dossier to the Philippines. Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), Holt’s partner agency there, then submits it to the Intercountry Adoption Board (ICAB). ICAB is the Philippines’ Central Authority. Once ICAB has reviewed and approved your dossier, you will be put on the “Roster of Approved Applicants”. ICAB takes an average of 2–4 months to formally approve your dossier.

ICAB Refers a Child to Your Family
Once on ICAB’s roster, it takes an estimated two years to receive your referral of a child. This timeframe varies depending on the child profile you are open to adopting, and the profile of children who need families. ICAB is very professional and takes the matching of children with adoptive families very seriously. Families will receive photos of the child and a Child Study Report explaining how the child came into care, family history, why intercountry adoption is necessary for the child, information on the child's development, and a Health & Medical Profile, containing all known medical information. Families can review the referral information with a medical professional before making the formal decision to accept the child.

Legal Processing Through ICAB and U.S. Immigration
After you accept your child, Holt requests the child’s Legal Documents from ICAB, which include birth certificate, relinquishment/abandonment document, and the placement authority (permission for placement with family). It typically takes 3–5 weeks to receive these from ICAB. You will then file the legal documents and your I-800 with the U.S. National Benefits Center (NBC). Once NBC approves your I-800 application, they will forward the approval to the National Visa Center that in turn forwards it to the U.S. Consulate in Manila, Philippines. The U.S. Consulate notifies KBF staff, and the visa medical and interview dates are set. Visas are usually ready 4–5 days after the visa interview, and then travel dates can be set as early as one week later. The time frame from filing the child’s I-800 to travel approval is 3–4 months.

Travel to the Philippines and Bring Your Child Home
Once the child’s visa and passport are ready, you will make a 5- to 7-day trip to bring your child home. While there you will spend time getting to know your child, visit the child’s orphanage/agency that cared for them, and make a courtesy visit to ICAB. There, you will receive your child’s Philippines passport, sealed visa packet, and ICAB travel authorization. All of these documents are ready prior to your family traveling, so you do not have to worry about any adoption processing while in country.

Arrive Home / Post-Placement Report Period
Your social worker will visit your family and complete a Post-Placement Report 2, 4, and 6 months after child’s arrival date, or as required by your state. During this period, your family has “Guardianship” of the child, but the adoption is not final, and ICAB retains legal custody. Upon receipt of the 6-month post-placement report, ICAB will issue and the “Affidavit of Consent to Adoption.” U.S. courts require this permission to finalize the adoption of a foreign guardianship.

Finalize the adoption in the U.S.
The adoption finalization process varies in each state. Your social worker will be a good resource for you during this time, and we highly recommend seeking the assistance of an attorney for completion of court paperwork. Some families are able to complete their own documents, depending on the requirements of the local court.