Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

(Hague Adoption Convention)

Recent changes in U.S. law affect the adoption process for U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S. in El Salvador. 
The Hague Adoption Convention between the U.S. and El Salvador entered into force on April 1, 2008. As of April 1, 2008 each country has a designated office to handle the adoption cases. 

For the United States, adoption issues are the responsibility of the Office of Children’s Issues, in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.  Click here for information about this office.

For El Salvador, adoption issues are the responsibility of the Office for Adoptions (Oficina para Adopciones).  Click here for information about this office.

Persons interested in adoptions in El Salvador should contact the Office of Children’s Issues (if a resident in the U.S.) or the Office for Adoptions (if a resident in El Salvador) for information on the adoption process in El Salvador. 

The Office of Children’s Issues and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador have published an “Adoption Flyer” containing information on the process in El Salvador, including Salvadoran the requirements, and U.S. immigration procedures.

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention.)

The Hague Abduction Convention entered into effect between the U.S. and El Salvador on June 1, 2007.  The treaty is designed to resolve cases of international child abduction, specifically parental kidnapping. 

For the United States, abduction issues are the responsibility of the Office of Children’s Issues, in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. Click here for information about this office.

For El Salvador, abduction issues are the responsibility of both the Public Defender’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República-PGR , and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Children and Adolescents (Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia-ISNA. 

Left-behind parents should immediately contact one of these offices if a child has been abducted to, or from, either country.  Parents should also contact one of these offices if they suspect that a child is at risk of being abducted.  Representatives can provide advice on protecting against improper removal of children from the country.

Child Citizenship Act of 2000

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 amends Section 320 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to facilitate the automatic acquisition of U.S. citizenship for both biological and adopted children of U.S. citizens who are born abroad and who do not acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.  For more information click here.

Child Support

The United States of America and El Salvador have a Bilateral Child Support Agreement for the Enforcement of Maintenance Obligations (Child Support Agreement).  Although the agreement entered into effect in 2007, legislation and operational procedures are still in process to implement the agreement.  For cases originating in El Salvador, applicants should contact the Public Defender’s Office (Procuraduría General de la República-PGR.  In the U.S. applicants should contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.