Adoption Agencies and Information for Jamaica

There are two types of adoption in Jamaica: Adoption Licenses and Adoption Orders (explained below).  Prospective adoptive parents seeking an Adoption License have no residency requirements to meet. However, the prospective adoptive parents will likely have to travel to Jamaica at least twice (once to meet with the CDA and again to apply for a visa). Prospective adoptive parents seeking an Adoption Order must reside in Jamaica during the pre-adoption placement and until the case appears before a Jamaican court. This typically takes at least four months. The court may waive the pre-adoption placement requirement if the adoptive parents are Jamaican nationals adopting a relative.

The Child Development Agency is the only agency legally authorized to provide adoption services in Jamaica. There are one or two private adoption agencies operating in Jamaica, but they do so without government sanction or authorization.

ADOPTION AUTHORITY IN JAMAICA: The government office responsible for adoptions in Jamaica is the Child Development Agency, or CDA, which may be reached via its web site at http://www.cda.gov.jm, or by mail or phone at:
2-4 King Street
Kingston 5, Jamaica
Tel: 876-948-6678

JAMAICA EMBASSY AND CONSULATES IN THE UNITED STATES:
Embassy of Jamaica
1520 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-452-0660

For more information about adoption from this country and about adoption agencies that can assist you, please visit the websites below.  Prospective adoptive parents are advised to fully research any of the adoption agencies they plan to use for adoption services.

The U.S. Department of State: Jamaica Adoption and Adoption Agencies
The U.S. Department of State: Authentications Office
Child Citizenship Act of 2000
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Foreign travel registration
U.S. Government Consular Information Sheets

*Footnote: The Joint Council for International Children’s Services (JCICS) is one of the oldest and largest membership associations of licensed non-profit international adoption agencies.  All of the above adoption agencies are listed as members of JCICS.

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This site is intended as a very general guide to assist adopting persons who are considering the adoption of a child from a foreign country.  External links should not be construed as an endorsement of the site, the adoption agencies listed, or of the information contained within the sites.