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Adoption Information
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The Colombian Institute of Family
Welfare (Instituto de Bienestar Familiar or ICBF), located in the
capital of Bogotá, processes the international adoptions and
oversees the licensing of private orphanages.
Colombian law allows children to be adopted only through the ICBF.
Every adopted child must have a final adoption decree in
order to leave Colombia. Colombian law requires that both adopting
parents be physically present when the adoption is presented to a
Family Judge in Colombia. There are no exceptions to this
requirement, and the process usually takes about one to two weeks.
After both parents have appeared before the court, one of the
parents may return to the United States while the other parent
remains in Colombia until the adoption/immigrant visa process is
completed. At least one parent should plan to stay in Colombia for
two to six weeks.
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ADOPTION AUTHORITY IN COLOMBIA:
The government office responsible for adoptions in Colombia is the
Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF).
BIENESTAR FAMILIAR (ICBF)
Grupo Nacional de Adopciones
Avenida 68 # 64-01
Bogotá, Colombia
Telephone: 011-57-1-437 7630 - Ext. 3158 – 3157
Email:
atencionalciudadano@icbf.gov.co
Internet:
www.icbf.gov.co (Spanish)
http://www.icbf.gov.co/Quienes_somos/english_version.html
(English version) |
| About Colombia |
Bordering the Caribbean Sea between
Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean between
Ecuador and Panama, Colombia is situated in the northernmost part of
the continent of South America. Today, almost 40 million people call
Colombia home. The population of Colombia is descended from three
racial groups – Indian, blacks, and whites – that have mingled
throughout the past 500 years. Recognizing the impossibility of
objective racial classification and not wishing to emphasize ethnic
or racial differences, the national census of Colombia dropped
references to race after 1918 – an achievement decades ahead of most
other nations. |
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