Here are the steps involved for the last process which we are waiting to bring the girls home. It was written by Vera another adoptive mom that personally went to Haiti and has helped get files moving again.

Office #1 is the Unit Juritique. This is the "original office" where all finished adoption files went through prior to the other offices being added in January 2007. In this office, there are one or two lawyers who review the files for accuracy. The lawyer makes sure that all Haitian documents, from birth certificate to adoption decree do not have any mistakes. Once that review is done, the file used to get signed out and was ready for passports. Now, once the lawyer has reviewed the file, a letter is typed by the secretary and the file plus unsigned letter goes to Office #2.

Office # 2 is the Director of Political Affairs (DOPA) Office. This is where the letter is signed by the DOPA. According to a conversation with him, the file goes to yet another office, but I only saw three offices involved as I followed the files. Once the DOPA has signed the letter, the dossier file and letter go to Office # 3.

Office # 3 is an upstairs office in MOI. I do not know the name of that office. The director of that office goes to the DOPA (office #2) and gets files that have the signed DOPA letter. He takes the files back upstairs and then interviews one of the orphanage workers/lawyer/representative about the adoptive parents. The orphanage worker brings copies of dossier documents, passports, driver's license, employment verficiation, homestudy report, letter from pastor, etc. for this interview. The interview is guided by a form questionaire that has to be filled out. Instead of allowing orphanages to take a form with them to fill it out, it has to be done with that director. It takes about 60 minutes to fill out one form. Once the form is filled out, the file is signed out to the orphanage and is ready to go to passports.

From my personal experience, once the file comes out of MOI, all the original documents come back to the orphanage. The orphanage then prepared two sets of papers, one set of copies of the adoption documents for the child which included copy of birth certificate, IBESR paper, adoption decree, etc. with the original MOI letter attached to the top and one set that includes all the original papers. To my understanding, both sets of papers are taken to the Immigration Office where the passport is applied for.

However, I have been told by two adoptive families that their orphanage stated that MOI sends papers to Immigration for passports. Mind you, I personally helped put passport documents together when I was in Haiti just now...

Once the papers are submitted, the child has to go to get fingerprinted at the Office of Immigration for his/her passport. Depending if an orphanage pays for an expedited passport or not, getting the passport takes between one to four weeks.

Once the child has the passport, for a U.S. adoption, she/he can get the visa physical and once the sealed envelope with the physical is received, the application for the visa is ready and can be submitted. A child can have his/her visa phsyical started prior to the passport being issued, but has to return a second time with the actual passport to verify the identity.

Fundraising!!!
We are collecting empty ink jet cartridges in an effort to raise extra money for the trip to pick up Tamar and Tessa. This may be a month or two away so please email or call me if you have any empty cartridges laying around!!
jacain12@bellsouth.net