Cameroon to Congo (DRC)

Cameroon: Adoption is possible in Cameroon, although there is a minimum three month residency requirement with the child, before finalization can occur. Prospective adoptive parents should expect that a minimum of three months will pass between the date they submit their adoption application to the Ministry of Social Affairs and the date the High Court’s Public Prosecutor completes his/her review of the file. Only when the review is completed will a first hearing date be scheduled. In addition, a Cameroonian adoption is likely to be affected by administrative and judicial delays, insufficient or misplaced paperwork, and other factors. Some parents have found that hiring a local attorney to monitor the case and keep pressure on the High Court has helped expedite its processing. Once all of the Cameroonian procedures have been completed and an adoption decree has been issued, the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé requires a minimum of two weeks to complete the immigrant visa process. Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to Cameroonian orphans:

Fiscal Year Number of Immigrant Visas Issued
FY 2005 6
FY 2004 6
FY 2003 7
FY 2002 2
FY 2001 1

There are no US agencies placing children from Cameroon at this time.

Cape Verde: No information found.

Central African Rep. Seven adoptions to French families were done in 2005. No other information was found.

Chad: No information found.

Comoros: No information found.

Congo (Brazzaville): No information found.

Congo (DRC, Zaire): Adopting parents may be married, single, widowed or divorced. Persons in these last three groups may not adopt a child of the opposite sex unless the court grants an exemption. Couples should have been married for at least five years and be at least 15 years older than the intended adoptee. This “15-year rule” may be waived if the adoptee is a biological child of one of the parents. Any person who has a prior history of child abuse is not permitted to adopt. There is no age limit for adopting parents. No couple may adopt more than three children unless a subsequent prospective adoptee is the biological child of one of the parents. Parents may not already have more than two children when they adopt. No adoptive parent may marry the adopted child. There is no medical ineligibility for adoptive parents. Prospective adoptive parents do not need be permanent or long-term residents of the DRC. It can take from a minimum of three months to a maximum of one year to complete the adoption process from child placement to visa issuance. Although the Ministry of Justice has jurisdiction over adoptions, individual cases are handled by the Tribunal de Paix in the region where a prospective adoptive child resides. Mailing addresses do not exist as there is no mail service. Attorneys have current contacts at appropriate courts.

Recent U.S. immigrant visa statistics reflect the following pattern for visa issuance to Congolese orphans:
Fiscal Year Number of Immigrant Visas Issued
FY 2005 11
FY 2004 1
FY 2003 0
FY 2002 6
FY 2001 6

There are no US agencies working in DRC. There are also serious safety concerns for travel in this area.

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