On July 1, 2013 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for the Kingdom of Swaziland. However, the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland verbally notified the U.S. Embassy in Mbabane that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will remain in effect until the country has fully implemented the Convention. The Embassy was not provided with a definitive timeframe for implementation.
We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that intercountry adoption procedures from Swaziland must comply with the Convention before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Swaziland resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Swaziland until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of the Kingdom Swaziland has lifted its suspension on intercountry adoptions and that Swaziland’s procedures meet the requirements of the Convention.
The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
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