If there are enough members in the Guatemalan Congress on December 11th for a special session, the New Adoption Law will have its third and final vote. The way it stands today, this law will not truly grandfather in all the pending cases because of the proposed system. Article 56 would require all the pending cases to be registered within thirty days, an impossibility since a new Central Authority has yet to be created and there are over 5,000 adoptions to be registered.

I would like to get into the mind of the person who came up with this absurd idea. They are either naïve,... more

Well we finally have the official statement regarding the implementation of a second DNA test for children to be adopted from Guatemala. The State Department announced it earlier today in a conference call with representatives of US adoption agencies.

The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Maura Harty says this new requirement is to increase the scrutiny of the unregulated adoption process in Guatemala.

All adoptions finalized on or after August 6th will be required to do this second DNA test. Unlike the first one that verified that the mother giving the child for adoption was the actual birth mother, this DNA test verifies that it is indeed the same child... more

A reliable source for information on Guatemalan adoptions posted that there is a strong possibility that the US Embassy in Guatemala City will implement a second DNA test that will occur at the end of the adoption process.

The reason for this is to prevent child switching. With the first DNA test often being done on young infants, the photograph is not always a reliable way to verify that the child you ultimately bring home is the same child as the one in the photo. Personally, when I look at the... more

New Requirements For PGN

According to the Center for Adoption Policy and the newspaper Prensa Libre, there will be some additional requirements in PGN, effective May 2nd.

“Prensa Libre reports that in accordance with the Manual of Good Practice a new "Adoption Registrar" will be established on May 2. Every adoption will require filings with this office disclosing... more

I received an email from a concerned adoptive parent that I met in Guatemala in February 2006. It seems that the USCIS has decided to make international adoption even more expensive. The following adoption related services will see a substantial rise in fees: Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, Application for Replacement of Certificate of Citizenship (used for name changes), Application for Certificate of Citizenship, Biometric Services (fingerprints)

From the Arizona... more

Even though our adoption was completed in May of 2006, our adoption agency still sends us Guatemalan adoption updates. I appreciate being kept in the loop, and their information is reliable. One of the criteria of a good adoption agency is how well they keep up with the changes in Guatemala, and how quickly they transfer that information to their clients. Too often I see people on forums in a panic about something they've heard, but not from their agency.

So here is the latest on time frame changes at the US Embassy in Guatemala:

1. In the past, the Pink Sheet (appointment letter) was issued the same day as the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship & Immigration Services.... more

A good "e-pal" whose blog I read daily, posted some important information yesterday. I forwarded it to my agency, and they got onto it right away and thanked me. (I love my agency). I strongly suggest that you contact your agency if this applies to you

If you are ADOPTING FROM GUATEMALA and you are with an agency or facilitator that is not HAPS or For This Child, PLEASE EMAIL THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO YOUR AGENCY. If you are NOT ADOPTING but you have a blog, please POST THIS REQUEST ON YOUR BLOG.

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Dear [agency-name], If your agency has a case in process that contains a Guatemala City cedula or birth-certificate that is... more