This suspension is due to an ongoing investigation of an adoption that may not have complied with Congolese law.
The suspension of exit permits for adopted Congolese children applies to all intercountry adoptions and is not limited to adoptions by U.S. citizens. These exit permits are required in addition to U.S. immigrant visas in order for children to travel to the United States.
The DGM does not expect to issue exit permits to any adoptees during the investigation.
However, we can guarantee our clients that although the investigation is still going on, the Immigration department continues to grant exit permits on a case by case basis if the international adoption has been correctly done. Our Law Firm YAV & ASSOCIATES can still assist with this.
But it is important to note that since February 2013, the General Directorate of Migration, DGM informed the public as part of the fight against trafficking in human beings, especially trafficking of minors, that the journey/ travel of these minors from border posts and border of the Democratic Republic Congo is now subject to prior authorization of exit from its services.
To this end, the following provisions shall be observed concerning the Congolese minor children adopted:
The letter requesting an Authorization for Release the adopted minor child, to the Director General of the General Directorate of Migration, with photocopies of the following documents:
- Birth certificate of the child;
- Adoption order;
- Minutes of child abandonment (for wards of the state) or the certificate of indigence by the biological parents;
- A consent to the adoption of the child issued by the Guardianship and by biological parents duly legalized;
- Adoption certificate;
- Adoption Slip of the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children referred by the DRC Embassy in the country of the adoptive parents;
- Passport of an adopted child with countries destination visa and passports of adoptive parents.
It should be noted that in the case of adoption, the minimum processing time for applications is 7 days;
But this announcement does not apply to foreign residents in the Democratic Republic of Congo who would like to leave with the adoptive children.
