Latin American Countries
In the early 1980s, Bal Jagat had helped place many children from Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Brazil for adoption in loving families.
Bal Jagat - Children's World Inc. has current partnerships with agencies who are Primary Providers for these and other available Latin American countries. We are not the Primary Provider, but can work in partnership with other Hague Accredited agencies to complete the homestudy and progress reporting for all of these countries.
In the early 1980s, Bal Jagat had helped place many children from Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Brazil for adoption in loving families.
Bal Jagat - Children's World Inc. has current partnerships with agencies who are Primary Providers for these and other available Latin American countries. We are not the Primary Provider, but can work in partnership with other Hague Accredited agencies to complete the homestudy and progress reporting for all of these countries.
Mexico- Both Orphanage and Relative Adoptions!
Mexico needs families for special needs, older, and sibling sets of two and more children* (*will be on a case by case basis). US families may request children age 7 and older, and children with special needs may be of any age. All referrals of children to adoptive families are made through the DIF. Families adopting related children (nieces, nephews, siblings) are obliged to follow the same procedures as those adopting unrelated children.
Family Eligibility to Adopt: Married couples, and single men and women may adopt. LGBT applicants are also able to adopt in certain states in Mexico only. Parents must be at least 25 years old and at least 17 years older than the child.
Overall Timeframe, Referral, and Travel: Adopting from Mexico will generally take a minimum of one year. The time the DIF takes to offer a referral varies, depending upon the request of the adoptive family and whether children that suit the request are legally free for adoption.
After the family receives a referral then they travel to Mexico to spend time with the child. The time requirement varies with the age of the child. Generally families will need to plan on 3+ weeks of visitations.
Post Adoption Reports:Progress reports are required, completed by a social worker, until the child is age 16.
Please see the US State Department's Website for more information on Mexico:
Colombia:
Colombia is a very popular country of adoption.
Children's Information:
Age of children: Range from infant to 15 years old
Healthy or SN: Children with mild/correctable to lifelong needs, older children with no medical
concerns, children of all ages with histories of abuse/neglect
Gender: Both males and females are waiting to be adopted.
Wait Time: No wait to match with children in the Waiting Child Program.
Wait times for the traditional track vary depending on country program and child desired.
Requirements for applicants: All Latin American programs are open to single women and heterosexual couples married at least 2-3 years. Colombia is also open to single men.
Other eligibility requirements vary by country program, please contact us for more information!
Please check the US State Department's website for more information:
Colombia: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/colombia13-07-01.html
Costa Rica: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/colombia.html
Honduras: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/honduras.html
Ecuador: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/ecuador.html
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is not a Hague Convention Country. Children are of Hispanic ancestry. Infants and older children are waiting to be adopted. Siblings* (on a case by case basis) and children with special needs are available. Single women and married couples may apply. The age of parents must be between 25-55 years old. The referral time is 12-18 months. There is one trip required for 12-20 weeks.
Other eligibility requirements vary by country program, please contact us for more information!
Please check the US State Department's website for more information:
Nicaragua: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/nicaragua.html
Dominican Republic
The DR is a Hague Convention Country. Preference is given to those families with Christian backgrounds. The Dominican Republic adoption program is only available to married heterosexual couples that have been married for at least five years and are between the ages of 30 and 60. The married couple must also be at least 15 years older than the child they wish to adopt.
Children from the Dominican Republic that are available for adoption are usually 3 years of age or older – the average age of eligible adoptive children is between 2 and 4 years of age. Siblings and special needs children are also available for adoption.
Dominican children are of Hispanic descent and some are of a biracial Haitian mix. Most children have dark eyes, light to dark brown skin, and black to brown hair. Some children may be of pure African descent.
Please check the US State Department's website for more information:
Dominican Republic: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/dominican-republic.html
Brazil
Brazil is a Hague Convention Country and this program is open to singles and same sex LGBT families. It is also open to married couples. The following types of children are most commonly available to U.S. citizens without Brazilian citizenship:
Bal Jagat has a strong partnership with an agency that is a Primary Provider for Brazil. We can complete the homestudy and progress reporting as an Exempt Provider. Contact us today.
- Generally older children between the ages of 9 to 12.
- Sibling groups of any number and of all ages.
- Special needs children of all ages.
- In addition to the U.S. requirements for prospective adoptive parents, Brazil also has the following eligibility requirements for prospective adoptive parents:
- Brazilian citizens living abroad will have priority to adopt over foreign citizens from other countries.
- RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: Brazilian law requires foreign prospective adoptive parents to live in Brazil with the prospective adoptive child for 30 days prior to the adoption.
- AGE REQUIREMENTS: Persons over the age of 18 may adopt, regardless of marital status. The adopting party must be at least 16 years older than the potential adoptee.
- Please check the US State Department's website for more information: http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/learn-about-a-country/brazil.html
Please contact us for a personal Orientation appointment to learn more and see which country in Latin America will be a suitable match for you!
"Adoption is a gift of life." Hemlata Momaya, MSW, Founder
2016 Congressional "Angels in Adoption" Award Recipient
"These to ladies are absolute angels! We have been going through the adoption process with them as our home study agency and I can not imagine how hard it would be without them. They go above and beyond with everything they do, they take the time to explain each step, and work so well with our adoption agency. They are advocates not only for the children but for the parents as well. They truly want the best for each family they work with."- Vanessa M & Daniel V (Adoptive parents in process for a son from Colombia). Posted on Yelp.
"It is my pleasure to recommend Bal Jagat adoption agency to you. Both Hemlata & Mausami were instrumental in helping me create the family I dreamed of. I chose Bal Jagat to help me adopt my son from Guatemala in 2001. When I decided to adopt another child in 2005, the Bal Jagat agency was a natural choice. Hemlata and Mausami's devotion to children is truly exemplary. They are warm and caring individuals. For both of my adoptions, Mausami Momaya, completed my home studies in a timely and responsible manner. It is particularly noteworthy that both Hemlata and Mausami are always willing to answer questions and calm anxieties. Hemlata Momaya is a remarkable resource; her ability to answer a large variety of adoption questions is extra ordinary. With the utmost integrity and professionalism they are a true blessing to the adoption community. I wholeheartedly recommend the Bal Jagat adoption agency to you." - Avery G. (Adoptive Mother of a son and daughter from Guatemala)
"Although I'm still in the process, and their part of the adoption process is complete, I can honestly say they have gone above and beyond to help us with anything we need. We are going through an international adoption, even though they have no real responsibility with us anymore they continue to keep tabs on us. I can't say enough about the labor of love they provide. They genuinely care, and you can tell they do this because they feel passionate about their work. I truly admire their commitment to helping families successfully adopt a child. They are very honest, and upfront about the whole process. Specifically, they stayed after hours, arranged meetings with us at odd hours to accommodate our schedule. They helped find ways for us to save money, considering how expensive the whole process is. They made phone calls and helped us arrange the appointments we needed. Guided us through the process of smoothly. I am eternally grateful for all their help. 7 months later, they are still emailing us with reminders to ensure our home study doesn't expire. It's details like this, I'm sure, would escape me and had they not reminded us we would forget and could cause a major delay in the adoption process. I love their attention to detail. Mausami and Hemlata, thank you so very much for all your help. And Ana, our social worker, thank you so much for arranging your schedule to accommodate our hectic schedule. We really appreciate it."- Daniel C. (Adoptive father of a sibling set from Mexico)
"I am grateful everyday for the two children I adopted. We love being a family. Bal Jagat will always be part of our family. " - Shelley H. (Adoptive Mother of two children- Guatemala and China).
"This agency is amazing. A friend of mine asked me along to the annual agency picnic, and it was the most extraordinary environment. There were children from all over the world that have been adopted into such loving families. These families return to the picnic year after year to give thanks to the two agency Directors-Hemlata and Mausami. After attending the picnic, I was very curious about the adoption process, and, at a later date, decided to visit the agency. It is truly spectacular to see the pictures on the walls of some of the thousands of children that this agency has helped find a loving home. When they explained their process of adoption to me, it was clear that it is their passion to place children in homes best suited for them." - Anna P. (Member of the Community)
"My adoption experience was flawless from start to finish. The guidance I received throughout the process was so complete and detailed that I actually received a compliment on my dossier from the Diplomat at the American Embassy in Guatemala! My beautiful son is so happy, well- adjusted, loving, and healthy. And, the gratitude I received from people in Guatemala added to my joy in adopting my son." - Kim F. (Adoptive Mother of a son from Guatemala)
"Mausami and Hemlata are both experienced and caring professionals. They are highly dedicated to their work and thorough in their efforts to create good and appropriate matches. I highly recommend Bal Jagat."- Lindsey (Adoptive Mother of a child from Colombia. Posted on Yelp
"It was very nice to meet your mom and you yesterday. We got to learn a lot about orphanages and the system in general. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see your family's dedication to a great cause- giving children a home and parents a child."- Rendy (Adoptive applicant)