Rwanda Adoption Process

Rwanda Adoption Process

1. Application and Approval
To adopt a child(ren) from Rwanda, please complete our agency application. For your convenience, you may access the application here. We will review your eligibility to adopt from Rwanda based on the guidelines of Rwanda’s adoption eligibility requirements once we have received your application. If approved, we will provide you with our agency contract that outlines our fees, services and important information regarding the international adoption process. Upon receipt of your signed contract, CAN will start to provide you placement services for children from Rwanda.

2. The Paper Chase
Once your agency contract is in place, it is time to get started on your dossier. This will include a home study to assess your readiness for international adoption from Rwanda and help prepare you for adoptive parenthood, filing with USCIS for international adoption approval, and gathering your dossier documents. These dossier documents must go through the appropriate notarization and certification, as well as authentication by the Rwandan Embassy in the U.S. Your dossier will be reviewed and assembled at our headquarters in Austin, TX before being sent to the Rwanda adoption authorities for approval. CAN offers a complete Dossier Preparation Service to ease your international adoption process and give you peace of mind.

To ensure that prospective adoptive parents are prepared for their international adoption journey, our agency requires that parents complete 10 hours of adoption training as mandated by the Hague Convention. To satisfy these hours, we have developed an online parent training program that we are proud to include in CAN’s service plan.  For an overview of the program, please click here. Please contact your Adoption Consultant at CAN for more information about international adoption from Rwanda.

3. Identifying a Child(ren)
Once your dossier is approved by the Rwandan government, a child(ren) is identified based on your preferences for gender, age and health status.  You will receive a description of the child(ren), including the child(ren)’s history, medical test results and photos with your referral.

4. Picking up Your Child(ren)
You can expect to travel to Rwanda in less than three months from the time you receive your referral.  Only one trip is required. The duration of your stay in Rwanda can range from 10 days to three weeks. Once your international adoption is finalized by the court, you will travel to Rwanda to pick up your child, then travel to Nairobi, Kenya to complete the U.S. visa process for your child(ren). CAN will assist you with your travel preparations, schedule your flights and arrange all accommodations. We will also ensure that while you are in Rwanda, an experienced CAN Guide will be with you every step of the way of your Rwanda adoption process.  For more information about Rwanda and travel tips, click here.

5. Post Adoption Requirements
Post adoption reports must be submitted six months and 12 months after your international adoption from Rwanda is complete. As this is a new program, these reports demonstrate to the Rwandan government the benefits of international adoption for their children.

Children Available for Rwanda Adoption     Rwanda Adoption Requirements

Rwanda Adoption Timeline    Rwanda Adoption Cost Overview     Rwanda Adoption Resources