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What do you need to know to adopt in these Latin American countries?

Juan Gabriel Bocanegra Valero April 12, 2019

675 4 minutes read

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Whether you do not want or cannot have biological children, adoption is always a possibility to welcome another family member

What do you need to know to adopt in these Latin American countries?

Starting a family is an option that many couples or singles take into account as they approach their 30s or 40s. However, not for all it is possible or desirable to conceive a biological child, because there are some who are infertile, others who do not want to pass the pregnancy process, and a few who decide to give the opportunity of a better future to children who are in the system.

Leer en español: ¿Qué necesitas saber para adoptar en 5 países de Latinoamérica?

Therefore, adoption opens as a possibility to satisfy the desire to have a family for those who choose to follow a non-traditional path.

Here, in LatinAmerican Post, we inform you about some requirements and processes that different Latin American countries require in order to adopt.

1. Argentina

According to the official website of the Argentine government, people who can adopt are those that make up a matrimonial, a coexistence union, or individual people as single, widowed or divorced. It is also important to note that same-sex couples can adopt if they wish.

The list of requirements that the government requests is the following:

"To be 25 years old, if your spouse or the person who lives with you is over 25 years old, you do not have to be that age either.
Be at least 16 years older than the adopted one. This age difference is not necessary when you adopt the child of your spouse or partner.
Be Argentine or naturalized.
If you are a foreigner, it is necessary that you reside in the country for 5 years.
You must be registered in the Sole Register of Guardians with Foster Care corresponding to your address.

Chile

According to the official website of the Sename (National Service for Minors), all marriages, divorced, widowed, and single are eligible to adopt or to regularize the situation of an existing bond with a child or adolescent.

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Likewise, the application process consists of several stages in which participation in an informative meeting is included, another in a sensitization workshop, plus two interviews with a professional from the Regional Adoption Unit and in a psychosocial formative evaluation process.

The requirements that Sename demands are these:

Be over 25 years old and under 60 years of age. These age limits can be reduced up to a maximum of 5 years, exceptionally and for well-founded reasons, by the judge before whom the adoption is processed. This requirement will not be required when one of the adoptive parents is ascendant by consanguinity of the adoptee.
There must be an age difference with the adopted one of at least 20 years, with the same previous exception and from the technical point of view, 45 years maximum.
In the case of marriages, they must have at least two years of marriage, which will not be required in case one or both spouses are infertile.
Have been evaluated as physically, mentally, psychologically, and morally suitable by the Sename or an accredited organism before the service to develop Adoption Programs.
If you are a foreigner resident in Chile, you must prove permanent residence in our country.

Mexico

According to the Guía Infantil portal, the agency that is in charge of the adoption processes in Mexico is the National System for the Integral Development of the Family. During the process, you will be asked, in addition to the expected identity and legal documents, photographs of the house where the child will live, certifications of the current jobs of the parents and approval of a psychological evaluation.

Likewise, when the bureaucratic stage is passed, parents must attend the School of Adoptive Parents for 6 or 8 months. Afterwards, they will have to pass a test of three months of coexistence with the adopted child to finally obtain the legal papers.

This portal specifies that the requirements are:

Be over 25 and have at least 17 years more than the child to adopt.
Have a good behavior proven.
Possess sufficient economic means to guarantee a good quality of life for the minor.
Enjoy good health that will be verified by medical certificate.
Priority is given to marriages without children in any adoption process.
It is not necessary to have a partner to be able to adopt a baby.
If the child to adopt is older than 12 years, his/her consent is needed.

Brazil

The agency that is responsible for adoptions in Brazil is the State Judicial Commission on Adoption (CEJA, in Spanish), according to the Children's Guide. As in Argentina, marriages with children or without children, single people, widows or divorcees can adopt, as well as same-sex couples. However, it is clarified that people of the same sex should request the process individually and not as a couple.

One of the peculiarities is that CEJA gives priority to the adoptions of disabled children, which speeds up the procedures in these cases.

The same portal provides a list of what are the requirements to take into account:

To be able to adopt a child in Brazil, you must be at least 21 years of age and there must be a difference compared to the adopted child of 16 years.
A psychological report of the adopting family in order to guarantee the emotional stability of the minor.
A declaration of the material goods, as well as a certificate of employment so that the family can cover the basic needs of the adopted child.
It also requires a criminal record certificate and a document certifying the good health of the applicant for the adoption, as in countries such as Spain, for example.
In the case of international adoptions, a Brazilian special adoption visa must be requested and remain in the country as long as the judge in charge of the adoption considers it necessary.