Adoption Alert—Suspension of Adoptions from Ethiopia

Publication date: 2 May 2017

This updates our April 21, 2017 Adoption Alert to provide additional information on the Government of Ethiopia’s recent suspension of adoptions.

On April 21, the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s Office declared an immediate suspension of intercountry adoptions. The U.S. Department of State does not yet know how long this suspension will last. The Office of Children’s Issues and the Embassy are working with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWA) and the Prime Minister’s Office to seek more information on the terms of the suspension. We are urging the Ethiopian government to allow continued processing of cases that were in progress prior to this suspension.

If you have questions about your pending case, please contact your Adoption Service Provider. You may also write to ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov if you have questions about an adoption-related visa application or immigrant petition. You may copy the Office of Children’s Issues at Adoption@state.gov on your email to the Embassy if you wish.

Please continue to monitor travel.state.gov for updated information on intercountry adoption in Ethiopia.

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Countries: Ethiopia