PGN – Procuraduría General de la Nación

The PGN is almost the equivalent to the Solicitor General’s office here in the United States. Literally translated, Procuraduría General de la Nación means “General office of the judge advocate general of the Nation” (Babelfish translation)

This view of the PGN was found on at For This Child
The PGN is responsible for reviewing each adoption case individually when all of the paperwork has been completed by the adopting parents, the agency, and the lawyer. A PGN officer determines whether a case is ready to be signed off or needs additional information or corrections. The US Department of State describe the process the following way.

The PGN scrutinizes the adoption case for signs of fraud or irregularities before providing its approval of the adoption. Upon receiving PGN approval, the adoptive parents in the U.S. are legally responsible for their child(ren). The attorney obtains final approval from the Guatemalan birth mother and then requests a birth certificate listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the adopted child.

If the PGN reviewer sees and irregularities in the file, they will stop reviewing the file and return it to the representing attorney for corrections. In discussions with other adopting parent’s this is referred to as being “kicked out” of the PGN. While it is a frustrating development in the process, it is a common one among all cases. Very few cases go through the PGN review without having to make some corrections.

If the case is complete, the officer will send it to the PGN director’s office to be signed. After the PGN signs off, the “Escritura final de Adoption” is issued and placed with the file. The adoption is now completed from the standpoint of the Guatemalan government. This is the event that people refer to as being “OUT!” on Guatemalan adoption forums.

Once a case has been approved by the PGN, there are a few more smaller steps before the file is then submitted to the US Embassy for final approval. However, the PGN review is most important step in the process. Once this step has been completed, most adopting parents begin to celebrate as they know the end of the adoption process is near.

Each case is just as unique as the people involved in every step of the adoption process. However, the average PGN review can take about 3-6 weeks. Some finish very early and some cases take much longer. A great way to get a “feel” for the PGN processing time is to be involved with the Guatemalan Adoption Forum on adoption.com. There they usually keep a timeline showing members and their current wait times.

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