# Philippine Domestic Adoption



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

My wife and I are in the process of a Philippine domestic adoption of a five year old girl that we have been caring for since she was an infant. We filed the adoption petition in April. Has anyone out there gone through the Philippine domestic adoption process? If so, can you give us a general timeline? Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I went through it and wish I'd never messed with Lawyers, Judges professionals here, have you already paid money? I can't give you a time line because we were still both working abroad and traveling back and forth from Manila, I think the wife made a couple trips and then the lawyer needed to see me for the final signature, after that he said he wanted to see if we could afford to take care of these kids and asked us to take him to lunch..... 8.000 peso's later, wife mentioned we were sitting next to a movie star. Cost for the adoption was 100,000 peso's two kids, 1994 and that didn't include back and forth costs also play money to wine and dine these professionals in Manila.


----------



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

mcalleyboy,

I'd be happy to pay only 100000 pesos! To do a Hague convention inter-country adoption from the US it costs about 35000 to 40000 dollars. These people really exploit the children for financial gain. I understand that the officials need to look out for the best interests of the children but I think that they take it too far. The primary reason I am now living here in the Philippines is to go the Philippine domestic adoption route as it is much cheaper, albeit, more time consuming. Even after the adoption is finalized I have to wait two years according to US immigration law before I can file a petition to get her a visa to enter the US. My wife is an ex city counsellor with relatives who are lawyers and judges so I don't think that I will get rake over the coals too badly financially during the process. It really ticks me off that US immigration law is going to have me wait 2 years after she is legally my daughter before I can even file a petition to get her into the US when Obama just granted amnesty to 4 million illegal aliens, go figure.


----------



## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

mrbobo said:


> mcalleyboy,
> 
> I'd be happy to pay only 100000 pesos! To do a Hague convention inter-country adoption from the US it costs about 35000 to 40000 dollars. These people really exploit the children for financial gain. I understand that the officials need to look out for the best interests of the children but I think that they take it too far. The primary reason I am now living here in the Philippines is to go the Philippine domestic adoption route as it is much cheaper, albeit, more time consuming. Even after the adoption is finalized I have to wait two years according to US immigration law before I can file a petition to get her a visa to enter the US. M*y wife is an ex city counsellor with relatives who are lawyers and judges so I don't think that I will get rake over the coals too badly financially during the process.* It really ticks me off that US immigration law is going to have me wait 2 years after she is legally my daughter before I can even file a petition to get her into the US when Obama just granted amnesty to 4 million illegal aliens, go figure.


Just assume that at every turn you will be and act accordingly.


----------



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

Gary,

They can't rake me over the coal financially any more then my wife of 14 years already does! :=)


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Home study in the US*



mrbobo said:


> mcalleyboy,
> 
> I'd be happy to pay only 100000 pesos! To do a Hague convention inter-country adoption from the US it costs about 35000 to 40000 dollars. These people really exploit the children for financial gain. I understand that the officials need to look out for the best interests of the children but I think that they take it too far. The primary reason I am now living here in the Philippines is to go the Philippine domestic adoption route as it is much cheaper, albeit, more time consuming. Even after the adoption is finalized I have to wait two years according to US immigration law before I can file a petition to get her a visa to enter the US. My wife is an ex city counsellor with relatives who are lawyers and judges so I don't think that I will get rake over the coals too badly financially during the process. It really ticks me off that US immigration law is going to have me wait 2 years after she is legally my daughter before I can even file a petition to get her into the US when Obama just granted amnesty to 4 million illegal aliens, go figure.


I had very few problems here (Philippines) but the problems I encountered were with US immigration, getting my kids out of the Philippines, the US requires a home study and completed within the US, cost in 1995 was about $25,000 US, no home study completion my kids were not recognized by the US embassy, even though I legally adopted them. 

I didn't have that kind of money, so I gave up on getting them out of the Philippines and switched the game plan to getting "Me" into the Philippines, worked out fine.


----------



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

mcalleyboy,

I think that the US immigration requirements have changed since 1995. Here a direct link to the US embassy in Manila where they list the US immigration requirements for a child who was adopted here in the Philippine courts vs a Hague Convention inter country adoption. There is no mention of a any US home study requirement:

Adoption | Embassy of the United States Manila, Philippines


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Requirement for home study still current*



mrbobo said:


> mcalleyboy,
> 
> I think that the US immigration requirements have changed since 1995. Here a direct link to the US embassy in Manila where they list the US immigration requirements for a child who was adopted here in the Philippine courts vs a Hague Convention inter country adoption. There is no mention of a any US home study requirement:
> 
> Adoption | Embassy of the United States Manila, Philippines


The short cut you sent me..... Federally accredited adoption service providers (ASP) and they have a short cut that goes no where from my location, I'm blocked from searching for the adoption services located in the US? 

Home study is not only a requirement but some states are required to review the home study, they have the states listed, some are territories. Here's a quick look at some of the paragraphs I found from the short cut you provided:

*The following procedures for inter-country adoptions now apply to any citizen or couples residing in the United States who wish to adopt a child in the Philippines:
*
Adoption cases must be handled by federally accredited adoption service providers (ASP). For a list of accredited service providers, click here.

If the adoptive parents consent for USCIS to disclose information about their case to their Adoption Service Provider (ASP), they should complete Form I-800A, Supplement 2, Consent to Disclose Information. The adoptive parents may also arrange for the ASP to submit the approval notice, the accompanying home study, and other supporting evidence to the Central Authority in the Convention country in which the parents plan to adopt.

Note: Some states require a review of the home study by state authorities prior to submission to USCIS (e.g., Alabama, Colorado, Guam, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). In such cases, the adoptive parents may file the Form I-800A without the home study, which can be forwarded to USCIS later.



Is there a different procedure if your residing in the Philippines, I think it all comes down to an exit Visa for the child and it's really hard and expensive and time consuming, been there done that and it wasn't fun. The trouble I came across was that the US will not and would not let my child out of the Philippines even though I legally adopted them and got them their passports, they wouldn't issue a Visa, reason being.... I had to perform a home study, I'm reaching back trying to remember how frustrating this was for me and my wife and how expensive it got. These Philippine lawyers know this and drag this stuff out, play stupid while collecting fee's and bull crap, eventually they end up .... after fleecing you of your money that you'll need to do a home study, it's real lucrative and keeps that brand new car payment (lawyers all have brand new cars) going, extra business on the side.


----------



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

mcalleyboy,

Yes, the process is different if you are living in the Philippines. I can only image the hurdles that you and your wife had to jump through to adopt from the US. My wife and I are well into the process. We have already had a home study conducted here at our home in the Philippines and DSDW (Department of Social Welfare and Development) has been to my house a couple of times to interview my wife and I. Here is the blurb on Philippine domestic adoptions posted on the US Embassy in Manila website:

Domestic Adoptions (Not for Immigration Purposes)

U.S. citizens residing in the Philippines who are interested in adopting a Filipino child through the Philippine Courts must meet the following conditions pursuant to Philippine adoption law:


•Be resident in the Philippines for at least three years prior to the filing of the adoption petition and maintain such residence until the adoption decree is entered by the Philippine court.
•Possess a certification of legal capacity to adopt issued by the appropriate government agency from your state of residence.

The Philippines government may waive these requirements in the following cases:


•A former Filipino citizen who seeks to adopt a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity, as defined under Philippines law; or
•A person who seeks to adopt the legitimate son/daughter of his/her Filipino spouse

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PARENTS ABOUT DOMESTIC ADOPTIONS 

U.S immigration law has clear and specific provisions regarding qualifications for immigration. If you are attempting to bring someone who is not your child by birth, the following conditions must be met before that child can be eligible for an immigrant visa:

•The child must have been legally adopted before the age of 16 (or be the sibling of a child who was adopted by the same parents while under the age of 18). The adoption must be legal and final. Simply providing financially for the child does not satisfy the legal adoption requirement. To satisfy U.S. visa requirements, the child must have been legally adopted pursuant to a final decree issued by a court having jurisdiction over the matter.
•In addition to the adoption decree, there are two additional requirements:
•The adoptive parents must have had legal custody of the child for at least two years. “Legal custody” must be awarded by order of a court or recognized government entity. The start of legal custody begins the date the adoptive parents were granted legal custody of the child, or the date the adoption was finalized, which ever comes first. An informal custodial or guardianship document, such as a sworn affidavit signed before a notary public, is insufficient for this purpose.
•The child must have physically resided with the adoptive parents for at least two years prior to immigration. During this time, the adoptive parents must exercise primary parental control. Evidence must be presented to establish that the child and the adoptive parents had a bona fide parent-child relationship during any periods they resided separately.

Finally, the child must satisfy all primary documentary requirements for an immigrant visa, and provide the following documents to establish their legal status as a child of the petitioner:


•A certified copy of the adoption decree,
•A certified copy of the Certificate of Finality of the adoption,
•A certified copy of the child’s original birth certificate before the adoption,
•A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate amended after the adoption,
•The legal custody decree (if custody was awarded before the adoption),

•Evidence that the child resided with the adoptive parents for at least two years, during which time they exercised primary parental control, and
•If the child was adopted at age 16 or 17 years, evidence that the child was adopted together with, or subsequent to, the adoption of a natural sibling who was under age 16 by the same adoptive parent(s).


----------



## WAS (Jun 22, 2016)

Hello. In your case, I'm just wondering if it is possible to get an approval for a US student visa or even just a US tourist visa for the adopted child. Will the Philippines allow the child to leave the country and will the US allow the child to enter their teritory with this temporary visas if child is travelling with the parent adoptee. Have you tried such with you daughter?


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Tourist Visa*



WAS said:


> Hello. In your case, I'm just wondering if it is possible to get an approval for a US student visa or even just a US tourist visa for the adopted child. Will the Philippines allow the child to leave the country and will the US allow the child to enter their teritory with this temporary visas if child is travelling with the parent adoptee. Have you tried such with you daughter?


It'll never happen, been there done that.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Adoption*



mrbobo said:


> mcalleyboy,
> 
> Yes, the process is different if you are living in the Philippines. I can only image the hurdles that you and your wife had to jump through to adopt from the US. My wife and I are well into the process. We have already had a home study conducted here at our home in the Philippines and DSDW (Department of Social Welfare and Development) has been to my house a couple of times to interview my wife and I. Here is the blurb on Philippine domestic adoptions posted on the US Embassy in Manila website:
> 
> ...


Actually at the time I was stationed in Guam, wife spent most of her time in the Philippines, so it wasn't that hard and our adopted kids had been with us a couple years, same home we are currently living in. The only way at the time I could adopt and bring a child out was with an abandoned child but our kids were adopted from the in-laws. I gave up and now live here.


----------

