Thanks to Dean, a reader of this blog, I have gotten much more precise and reliable information to hand down to you! He has obtained documents that detail the actual requirements to adopt in Sri Lanka from another country. We knew we were eligible, but some people asked me if I thought they were and I couldn’t tell for their specific situation... So here it is:
- You must be legally married. There is nothing about same sex couples in the document, but I doubt they would be elligible.
- Both parents must be over 25 years old, and at least 21 years older than the child they wish to adopt.
- A Home Study done by an organization that is recognized by the country of residence must be sent with the Dossier.
- Both parents are required to attend the Court hearing in Sri Lanka. There is an exception to this: If one of the parents is too ill to attend and obtains a Medical Certificate issued by a practitioner recognized by the government of their country of residence.
- There is a 4 to 6 weeks stay in Sri Lanka. The applicants are expected to travel only after they have received the Letter of Allocation from the Commissioner.
- The Dossier has to be sent to the Sri Lanka diplomatic mission in the country of origin for authentication. They will then send it to the authorities in SL.
That’s it! No minimal marriage time, no maximum age or specific financial requirements! Thank you Dean!
Hi Gen:)
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled upon your blog by accident and wanted to say good luck.
I love the term 'cinnamon baby' - so cute! I also love it because I am one hehe. I am Australian, but was adopted basically one month after I was born and have lived in Australia my whole life.I hope that your cinnamon baby arrives healthy, happy and very SOON! Sometimes there can be nay sayers when it comes to adoption - so I wanted to post and say hi, and also say a few words about how great it has been to be adopted. My (adoptive) parents, are to me, my only parents, family is more than genetics, and whilst one day it would be nice to be genetically related to someone, it is a small thing in the scheme of many great things, which is having a loving, awesome family, no matter whether we look alike or not. Being adopted is the best thing that happened to me and I am very close to my mum. It sounds cliched, but she is my best friend. I hope you and your cinnamon baby can also enjoy the same happiness we have.
Take care and good luck! :) Brooke
Brooke,
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful comment! It's nice to read such encouraging words from someone who really knows what it feels like to be adopted!
Thank you for the wishes, too.
Gen
Gen :) You are very welcome! I have been checking in to see how things are going for you guys. I noticed one of your posts about birth mothers. I think there is a nice poem that you might like, I will get a copy from my Mum and post for you.
DeleteI have been wondering a bit about how you have found the adoption process. There is a movement in Australia at the moment to reform the adoption process. I think it's changed a lot to when I was adopted, in the eighties. I am actually really happy, as although I am not involved in the movement in particular, I read something about it and wrote to a politician here, who is very interested in the cause and she invited me to come to Parliament House to meet her, which was a great experience and great to know that there are actually elected members in Parliament who care about making adoption easier for all involved:) Happy New Year! Brooke
Hi Brooke,
DeleteHappy new year to you as well!
The process is long and painful, of course. But that's expected... I really believe in making the children's best interest the priority when adopting. And I believe the heavy process is there to protect them.
I am not against a change that would make it easier to adopt and have the children spend less time in orphanages, but only if they are fully protected against trafficking!
How exactly is Australia looking at changing the process? It's great that you are involved in this movement! I hope it brings good changes for future adoptive families and waiting kids!
I'd love to read that poem about birth mothers! I'm very sensitive to the difficult decisions they are making to offer their babies the best life possible... I think there are myths and misunderstanding around birth mothers and I want this to change.
Gen