Adoption Service - Notice

August 1, 2005

The Embassy is pleased to announce that the Government of Vietnam and the Government of the United States of America have completed the steps necessary to bring into force the Agreement Between the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Regarding Cooperation on the Adoption of Children that was signed by representatives of both governments in Washington, D.C. on June 22, 2005.   

The Agreement will enter into force on September 1, at which time the Vietnam Ministry of Justice’s Department of International Adoptions will begin to accept license applications from adoption service providers to operate in Vietnam.  The Embassy understands that the process for approval of such licenses will take a minimum of two months, and that the first adoptions processed by licensed adoption service providers and approved under the above-mentioned Agreement will not occur before November 1.

All immigrant visa applications for children adopted under this Agreement will be adjudicated at the United States Embassy in Hanoi.  All other immigrant visa applications will continue to be processed at the United States Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.  Future announcements, notices and information on adoption-related immigrant visa processing will be posted on the Embassy’s website at: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/wwwhcons.html.