Overview
Liberia is an attractive adoption program to may potential parents due to the overall good health of the children awaiting adoption. Most of the referrals we receive are for healthy children between 1 – 8 years old. There is also an increased need for families, since recent epidemics have orphaned many children.
The adoption process in Liberia
Small World walks with you through the entire process of your adoption. From application to submitting paperwork to the foreign government, to travel, to post adoption support, Small World professionals ensure that your adoption is completed legally and as smoothly as possible.
Once your home study has been approved, you will submit a dossier to Liberia and wait for a referral of a child. Once you are matched with a child, you will be responsible for his/her monthly support while living in the Small World Transition Home. Once you receive a court date and travel approval, you will travel to Liberia to meet your child. After all requirements have been satisfied, your child will receive an immigrant visa and travel home with you.
Conflicting information is often heard about the process in Liberia. Small World suggests you check out the US Department of State official information at the following link. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information/Liberia.html
Small World, Inc. prohibits its employees and agents from giving money or other consideration, directly or indirectly, to a child’s parent(s), other individual(s), or an entity as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child. Any attempt to do so is grounds for immediate termination and report to all authorities necessary.
If permitted or required by the child’s country of origin, Small World may remit reasonable payments for activities related to the adoption proceedings, pre-birth and birth medical costs, the care of the child, the care of the birth mother while pregnant and immediately following birth of the child, or the provision of child welfare and child protection services generally.
Under no circumstances shall permitted or required contributions be remitted as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child. For any further questions concerning our Liberia program please contact the Liberia Program Director Jimbo Savley at jimbo@smallworldadoption.com.
Requirements
Age
Small World has a general requirement of a minimum age requirement of 25 however, we do consider prospective Adoptive Parents 21 – 25 on a case by case basis. Liberia has a law that establishes the minimum age at 21 and a guideline that each applicant must be at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted and generally not more than 55 years older than the child. Age limit is also subject to a case by case review by Small World and the Liberian Ministry of Gender.
Finances
Small World requires sufficient income and resources on the part of every applicant to support the addition of a child.
Children
Liberia does not limit the number of children per family, but it is subject to a case by case review by Small World and the Ministry of Gender in Liberia. Liberia refers children 1 – 15 years of age.
Marital Status
Married heterosexual couples who have been married for at least 2 years, and single heterosexual women, may apply to adopt from Small World’s Liberia program.
Faith
In accordance with Small World’s mission statement, our Liberia program is open to Christian families only.
Post Adoption
Liberia is intensely interested in the development of children placed for adoption. They require reports at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, by a social worker approved by Small World.
For further information, please contact Kerri Tracy, Director of Post Placement Services.
Fees
Fees for Liberia adoption paid to Small World:
| Application | $300 | |
| Pre-Identified Child Investigation (when applicable & per child) | $500 | |
| US State Dept. Monitoring Fee (per child) | $900 | |
| Home Study | $2,250 | |
| Home Study Review Fee (for families living outside of TN & MO) | $225 | |
| Agency Fee | $7,500 | |
| Dossier Fee (Includes shipping all documents, Authentication, Registration, and Translation of all documents throughout the adoption process) | $3,800 | |
| Letter of Intent (per child) | $2,700 | |
| Child Care ($250/month, based on 6 months) | $1,500 | |
| Foreign Program Fee (per child unless indicated) | $13,000 | |
| Post Placement/Post Adoption Services* (per child) | $1,350 |
US Estimated expenses associated with Liberia adoption not paid to Small World:
| Document procurement | $500 | |
| USCIS Application | $775 | |
| FBI Fingerprints ($85 per adult living in the home) | $170 |
Travel and in country estimated expenses associated with Liberia adoption not paid to Small World:
| Travel Visa – per person | $160 | |
| Immigration Visa – per child, traveling to the US | $325 | |
| Passport size photos for US Immigration Visa | $25 | |
| Visa medical exam – per child | $175 | |
| Vaccine – Yellow Fever (if applicable) | $150 – $350 | |
| Airfare from US (2 adults) | $6,000 – $8,000 | |
| Airfare from country (2 adults & 1 adopted child) | $2,200 – $2,500 | |
| Hotel/Lodging | $4,000 – $5,500 | |
| Ground Transportation | N/A |
Total Adoption Cost:
| Total Adoption Cost | $48,505 – $52,505 |
Payment Schedule
| Application Fee | Payment must accompany submission of application. | |
| Pre-Identified Child Investigation | In cases where there is a pre-identified child, payment must be submitted upon submission of the Application, and in addition to the Application Fee. This fee is per child. | |
| US State Dept. Monitoring Fee | In compliance with the mandate issued by the US State Department, this fee is collected by Small World and paid to the agency appointed by the US State Department for Monitoring and Oversight. The US State Department requires that the $900 (per child) fee be remitted following the finalized contract for services with your adoption agency. The payment will not be refunded by the Monitoring agency under any circumstance. | |
| Services Agreement | The signed services agreement must be returned to Small World along with the US Dept of State Monitoring Fee (See Estimated Expenses) as the next step after the client’s application review. Transfer clients submit $1,250 of the agency fee at this time. | |
| Home Study Fee | Payment must be submitted at the initiation of Home Study services. The Home Study packet will not be sent, and work will not begin until the Home Study fee is paid. Payments for updates are due at the time services are requested. For families living outside TN or MO, case worker travel is billed separately and in advance of travel. If additional copies are required or requested, beyond the 2 provided in the Home Study fee, and additional fee of $50 per copy, will be applied, plus shipping cost. | |
| Home Study Review Fee | All Home Studies are reviewed by our professional reviewers. If your Home Study is prepared by an agency other than Small World, a Home Study review fee of $225 is due at the time Small World enters into an exempt provider contract agreement with your home study agency. | |
| Agency Fee | Payment must be submitted at the time of the completed home study. No further work may be performed toward the adoption until the agency fee is received by Small World. The agency fee for each additional child adopted simultaneously with the first child for most programs is eligible for a 50% discount. Transfer Clients Only: $1,250 is due upon contracting with SW, and the balance is due upon dossier transfer completion | |
| Dossier Fee | Includes applicable translation fees. Payment must accompany the first, original documents submitted to Small World for processing. Approved dossier documents will not be sent for authentication/apostille until the Dossier Fee is paid in full. | |
| Letter of Intent | Includes applicable translation fees. Payment to Small World must accompany the document packet indicating that you intend to pursue a specific child for adoption. Submission of the intent to pursue a particular child for adoption does not guarantee approval by the foreign country. | |
| Child Care | Upon accepting a referral from Liberia, families assume the cost of caring for the child through a child sponsorship of $250 per child/per month until the adoption is complete. Sponsorship payments are due by the 25th of the preceding month. (For example, April would be due March 25th) | |
| Foreign Program Fee | The foreign program fee includes funds required by the foreign supervised provider, exit documents, applicable translation fees, and program development. Due to exchange rates and external costs, foreign program fees are subject to change. Half of the Foreign Program Fee is due at the time of I800 approval, and the balance is due prior to travel. | |
| Post Placement/Post Adoption Services | $900 in Post Placement/Post Adoption Services, per child, must be submitted wit the Home Study fee. The post adoption services balance, per child, is due prior to travel and includes applicable translation fees. For families residing outside of TN or MO, post placement reports should be arranged with your home study provider. The number of reports per child vary by country. Please consult the program director for PAR Schedules. PAR’s completed by agencies other than Small World require a $100 processing fee, per report. |
NOTE: ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE ONCE INVOICED AND PAID. DOSSIER, REFERRAL, FOREIGN FEES, AND POST ADOPTION SERVICES ARE BASED ON FEES SET BY THE FOREIGN PROVIDER AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ACCORDINGLY.
Country And Culture
For information on Liberia’s country and culture please click here.
Travel
Travel time in Liberia can vary. When you travel to Liberia you will spend time at the Transition Home with the child, appear at the Montserado County Probate Court for adoption hearing (if married, both parents are requested to attend this hearing), file I600 with the US Embassy for adjudication, apply for new Birth Certificate for the adopted child/children, apply for Liberian Passport for the adopted child/children, file DS260 Immigrant Visa Application with the US Embassy and apply for Exit Clearance for the child/children from the Liberia government. Small World English speaking representatives will guide and accompany you through every step of the process. Adoptive parents should expect to be in Liberia at least 1 month. Time in Liberia can vary dependent upon the time each step takes to complete. Most families are experiencing 1 to 2 months in Liberia, but the US Embassy reserves the right to investigate each case as they see fit, which can increase your time in Liberia. This can take days or weeks or months. However, our experience in “most” cases thus far is days. For more information on the process of the US Embassy please visit these websites.
Adoptive families may choose to rent an apartment for their time in Liberia or stay in a hotel. For all adoption related appointments Small World will arrange ground transportation.
For information on Liberia’s country and culture please click here.
More information on the statistics of Small World’s program is available upon request, including the number of adoption placements per year, number of applicants per year, and where possible, the number of children eligible for adoption. Please contact the Program Director via the info form to the right of this page if you wish to receive to discuss this information.