Adoption Checklist
Dear Prospective Adoptive Parent(s):
Legal adoption, as defined by U.S. immigration law, does not exist in Pakistan. Therefore, you (the petitioner) must secure permanent legal custody of the prospective adoptive child under Pakistani law and that custody must be sufficient to allow the child to be taken from Pakistan and adopted in the United States. The adoption of the child must be completed in the United States. A child who enters the United States on an IR-4 visa will acquire American citizenship when the adoption is full and final in the United States.
In order to initiate the IR-4 visa process, you will need to submit the following documents to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on behalf of the prospective adoptive child:
- Notice of approval of I-600A
- Power of attorney from Petitioner authorizing the spouse to act on his/her behalf
- I-600 petition
- Two visa photos – Petitioner
- Two visa photos – Spouse
- Two visa photos – Child
- Proof of citizenship – Petitioner
- Proof of citizenship - Spouse
- Marriage certificate
- Valid fingerprint clearance – Petitioner
- Valid fingerprint clearance – Spouse
- Valid fingerprint clearance – Household member, if applicable
- Home Study with original signature (valid for 12 months)
- Home study extension, if applicable (valid for 6 months)
- Child’s birth certificate
- Proof child is an orphan
- Hospital records, if available
- Written statements from biological parents relinquishing parental rights
- Document’s supporting child’s identity and status (i.e., from adoption center, orphanage, police, etc.)
- Court proceedings including application. (Certified copies from court if originals are not available.
- Order from a competent authority granting guardianship/ permanent legal custody to prospective adoptive parent(s). Order should specifically state that child is allowed to be taken outside the jurisdiction of the competent authority for the purpose of adoption.
- Guardianship court order in name of petitioner and Spouse
- Evidence State adoption requirements have been met
- Newspaper ad requesting information on birth parents, if required by competent authority
All documents need to be presented in the original. If a document is not in English, then a certified English translation with photocopy is also required. In the absence of original documentation, only certified U.S. notarized copies will be accepted. Please bring photocopies of these documents with you at the time of submission of application.
Please schedule an appointment to submit documents. Parents may now bring their documents to the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on the scheduled date. If the documents are complete, we will accept the I-600 petition. Immigration visa unit will then schedule the visa interview and provide you with the interview confirmation letter.
At the visa interview, a consular officer will review the documents and determine if the child is eligible for a visa. Minimum visa processing time is two weeks. If all is in order, the consular officer will issue the child’s immigrant visa. Please note that there is a $404 processing fee for each visa.
If you have additional questions about adopting a child from Pakistan, please contact the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad at +92-(0)51-262-3677 or via email at ACSIslamabad@state.gov. Additional information on inter-country adoption may be found at http://adoption.state.gov/.
For IR4 visa related questions, please contact the Immigration Visa Unit at 051-208-2700 between 1230-1530 or via email at pakivinfo@state.gov.
Due to the high volume of calls and emails we receive on a daily basis, it may take us a few days to respond to your inquiry. However, we endeavor to respond to all calls and emails as quickly as possible.