Peru is South America’s third largest country, covering 1,285,220 sq. km. It is located along the west coast of South America and borders Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia. Peru is a beautiful country with a rich history. It is well-known for Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city ruins, and the Amazon rainforest. Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas, whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533.
Economic hardship, with half of the population below the poverty line, and high birth rates have led to a large number of street children, orphans, and children that have been abandoned or neglected in Peru. There are an estimated 570,000 orphans in the country of Peru.
The Adoption Process
- Peru processes adoptions through National Department of Adoptions (SNA – Secretaría Nacional de Adopciones), the adoption branch of the larger Ministry for Women and Social Development (MIMDES – Ministerio de la Mujer y Desarollo Social).
- Peru adoptions can take, on average, 24-30 months to complete.
- Children reside in the care of an orp-hanage while awaiting adoption.
Requirements for Adopting from Peru
- Applicants must be between the ages of 25 and 55 and at least 18 years older than the child they are adopting. Exceptions can be made for couples older than 55, if the couple is open to adopting older children or children with greater medical needs.
- Applicants must be married for at least two years.
- Both married and single applicants may adopt from Peru.
- There are no restrictions for having other children in the home.
- Peru requires a licensed social worker to submit post-adoption reports to MIMDES every 6 months for the first 4 years after the adoption is finalized.
The Children
- Lifeline works exclusively with Peru’s Priority Adoption (Waiting Angels) Program. Children from all over Peru can be registered with this program once they have been legally determined eligible for adoption. This program seeks to find homes for 1) older children (over the age of 5 or 6), 2) sibling groups (where the youngest sibling will be at least 3 years old or older), and 3) children under the age of 5 or 6 that have one or more medical special needs.
- Both boys and girls are available for adoption.
- Children as young as two years old and as old as sixteen are available for adoption.
Travel Information
- Both adoptive parents are required to travel to Peru to adopt their child. However, one parent is able to return to the United States if necessary after the first part of the family’s time in country (approximately 2-3 weeks).
- The average length of stay in Peru is one month.
- Adoptive families will be accompanied by a translator/guide while in Peru.
- Once the adopted child enters the U.S., he or she automatically becomes a U.S. citizen.
