Ivory Coast

 

Les enfants sont notre avenir!

(Children are our future!)

Children performing a traditional dance at a festival in Akan.

Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, is located in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The primary language spoken is French.

Global Adoption Services received authorization from the Central Authority for Adoption in Cote d’Ivoire, Office for the Protection of Children (ACACI) in December 2022 as the first and currently the only US accredited agency with approval to facilitate adoptions from Côte d'Ivoire to the United States.

This is a brand-new adoption program under The Hague Convention. The Central Authority of Côte d'Ivoire has recently established all the requirements for international adoption and the country is now open to accept adoption dossiers from US families through Global Adoption Services.

Map of Ivory Coast courtesy of Ian Macky Portable ATlas

Flag of Ivory Coast

Market in Adjamé. Photo by Eva Blue on Unsplash

Côte d'Ivoire FAQs

WHAT KIND OF CHILDREN ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?

Children ages 1-16 are available for adoption, though the majority of children will be at least 2 years of age at referral. Healthy children and children with special needs are available for adoption..

CAN I SEE CHILDREN THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?

The Central Authority may, at their discretion, send information on specific children that are available for adoption to Global. Global does not match families with waiting children and only the Central Authority can do so. If a family contacts Global and wishes to submit an application for a waiting child in a country program that allows matching families, they must first be pre-screened to determine if they are appropriate candidates for adoption. If they have expressed an interest in a particular child or children, they must also be screened to determine if they could be considered a potentially appropriate match for the child by evaluating whether they meet the country requirements, income requirements, and have sufficient space for the adoption they are seeking. Families are then informed that in the best interest of the child, all application that are submitted for a child will be considered equally and the Central Authority will determine which family is best suited to be matched with the child. If you are a prospective adoptive parent who is interested in viewing the children we are currently representing, please request an invitation to our waiting children page: CLICK HERE.

CAN I REQUEST A SPECIFIC TYPE OF CHILD?

Yes. Families may submit a dossier specifying age range, gender and any medical/social history that they are willing to accept. The dossier is registered and a referral is received from the Central Authority.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE A REFERRAL FOR A HEALTHY CHILD?

The adoption process under Hague is brand new. It is impossible to accurate predict wait times for a referral at this time.

WHO CAN ADOPT FROM IVORY COAST?

  • Heterosexual married couples that have been married for at least 5 years (or can prove cohabitation for at least 5 years). Heterosexual couples in a domestic partnership who have been cohabitating for 5 years (not legally married) can elect to have one of the partners adopt as a single parent. Using this option, the other partner would be listed as an additional adult in the home and if the couple wishes for both parents to be listed as legal parents of the child, the 2nd partner would need to adopt the child once the child is in the US.

  • Single women and single men can adopt.

  • Applicants must be at least 30 years old if single. One applicant in a married couple must be at least 30 years old

  • Applicants must be at least 15 years older than the age of the child that they hope to adopt

  • One parent must be a US citizen

  • There are no family size restrictions and they do allow adoption out of birth order.

    • WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS?

    Côte d'Ivoire requires two trips of seven days each. The first trip is after the official referral is issued by the Central Authority. The adopting parents will spend one week visiting the child in Côte d'Ivoire. The second trip is after the adoption is finalized. The family will spend 7 days in Côte d'Ivoire to obtain the medical exam and visa required for the child to immigrate to the United States.

    HOW MUCH DOES AN ADOPTION FROM IVORY COAST COST?

    The estimated total cost to adopt from Côte d'Ivoire is $35,000-$40,000. There are several factors that influence the final cost of an adoption from Côte d'Ivoire, such as the fluctuation of airfare costs. Global provides a detailed fee schedule that includes all adoption related expenses to assist the family in financial preparation.

    Quality Assurance

    Our goal is to make your adoption experience as positive as possible and we constantly work to improve our process and service to make our goal a reality. Please let us know what we do right, and what we could do better.

    RESOURCES

    Grant and Funding Resources: CLICK HERE

    US State Dept Information: CLICK HERE

    Statistical Information: CLICK HERE

    Wikipedia: CLICK HERE

    Tourist information: CLICK HERE

    World Health Organization/Ivory Coast: CLICK HERE

    CDC/Traveler View/Ivory Coast: CLICK HERE

    Côte d'Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans.