CHILE ADOPTION PROCESS
STEPS
1. Applicants are approved as suitable to adopt by Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children or the accredited assessment agency "Adoption First Steps" after attending courses, preparing a detailed Personal Profile and a Home Study Report is prepared. Final approval is granted by the New Zealand Central Authority.
2. Applicants can approach ‘Compassion for Orphans’ to facilitate the adoption.
3. Attend ‘Compassion for Orphans’ Education and Preparation Day followed by the compilation of a Dossier of Documents.
4. The New Zealand Central Authority sends the documents to Chile followed by Chilean Central Authority (Mejor Niñez) approval of applicants.
5. Mejor Niñez matches a child with the applicants.
Mejor Niñez uses a register system and an evaluation team to accomplish the task of matching. This system involves a centralised list of all adoptable children and all prospective adoptive families. The regional office where the child resides will be involved in the matching as they best know the child.
It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the matching decision is perhaps one of the most important decisions made within the adoption process, and that it will be performed most effectively by competent persons with appropriate expertise and experience. It is one of the important measures to support the principle of ‘best interests of the child’.
6. Mejor Niñez sends a Child Study Assessment Report and other reports to New Zealand Central Authority for its approval. The reports are translated at the cost of the applicants. The reports are very detailed and can be 80 to 100 pages of information.
7. The New Zealand Central Authority sends the information to Compassion for Orphans to forward to the applicants to enable them to decide whether to accept the child.
8. Applicants advise of their decision.
9. New Zealand Central Authority advise Mejor Niñez of the decision.
10. If applicants accept the child, they can make arrangements to travel to Chile and liaise with ‘Compassion for Orphans’ overseas representatives regarding accommodation preferences, chaperoning to meetings and translation services (travel to Chile is usually around one month of acceptance of the matching proposal).
11. Applicants can start exchanging information with the child (e.g. photos, information about each other).
12. Applicants travel first to Santiago, Chile and are met by ‘Compassion for Orphans’ overseas representatives.
13. Applicants meet with Mejor Niñez straight away. Mejor Niñez will provide background information and details of the process.
14. Applicants travel to the region that the child is from to meet the child.
15. Applicants will then be required to attend a tribunal/court hearing 20 days after first meeting the child.
16. The adoption approval is granted by the court.
17. Adoptive parents and the child return to Santiago to obtain a passport for the child.
18. Application is made to Immigration New Zealand in Washington DC for a temporary visa for the child to enter New Zealand.
19. Return to New Zealand.
20. Make application for New Zealand citizenship by descent, if one or both of the adoptive parents are New Zealand citizens. If neither parents is a New Zealand citizen then they will need to apply to Immigration New Zealand for New Zealand residency for the child.
21. Apply for full New Zealand citizenship.
22. Provision of Post Placement Reports.
23. Post Adoption Support.
Click here to view a detailed information pack
