*Program Pending*

Children:

The children in Guatemala are generally relinquished from their biological parents at an early age; so many infants are available for adoption.  The youngest children are 2-3 months old at the time of their referral to a prospective family and 9-10 months old at the time of their adoption.  In some cases, older children are also available.  There are more boys available for adoption and the process for adoption them is generally quicker than that for girls.  All children receive testing for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and are regularly examined by physicians.  Guatemala has good medical facilities and modern diagnostic technology.  Children, usually relinquished due to economic instability, are placed into foster homes or orphanages prior to their adoption.  The majority of Guatemalan children are of indigenous or Mestizo descent.

Family Requirements:
Prospective adoptive parents may be either single or married and must be between the ages of 25 and 50.

Length of adoption process:

From start to finish, the adoption process will take about eight months. After you complete your dossier, an attorney representing Stork in Guatemala will complete certain steps there. It takes about four months for the Guatemalan court to issue a child referral. Once it is issued, you will receive some information and photographs of the referred child. You may consider an unlimited number of referrals before choosing your child. Once you have made this decision, you may make a three to five day trip to Guatemala to meet and take home their child. An alternate option is to have the child escorted to the states.

Travel:
Traveling to Guatemala is not mandatory. The child can be escorted to the United States. If you do choose to travel, the trip will take three to five days. One or both parents may make the trip. Flights to Guatemala are short and frequent.