This notice is a reminder that, as discussed in the Office of Children’s Issues’ January 11, 2018 notice, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa has confirmed the Ethiopian Parliament passed new legislation banning adoptions by foreigners on January 9, 2018. As a result of this change to Ethiopian law, intercountry adoptions are not currently possible between Ethiopia and the United States. Therefore, adoption service providers (ASPs) should not be referring children in Ethiopia to U.S. families.

Ethiopian officials have informed the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa that only intercountry adoption cases filed with a Federal First Instance Court of Ethiopia prior to February 14, 2018, will be considered by the court. For information about how to proceed if your case was in process with a Federal First Instance Court prior to February 14, 2018, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at [email protected] or the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa at [email protected]. If your case is pending with the USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC), please contact the NBC directly at [email protected]. If your case is in process, please work closely with your adoption service provider.

It is unclear at this time whether a U.S. citizen of Ethiopian origin may adopt a child in Ethiopia under the new provisions. Therefore, prospective adoptive parents who fall into this category may wish to seek legal advice in Ethiopia before attempting to pursue an intercountry adoption.   

For the latest information on Ethiopia, please monitor our Adoption Notices page and the Country Information for Ethiopia.