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Hague Adoption Convention - Guatemala

The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention) is a multilateral agreement that strengthens protections for all parties involved in adoption, including birthparents, prospective adoptive parent(s), and especially children.  The Convention encourages and regulates intercountry adoption by setting out internationally agreed-upon rules and procedures for adoptions between countries that have a treaty relationship. 

The Convention is unique in that it offers a framework for member-countries to work together to ensure that adoptions are based on what is best for the child and to prevent the abduction, sale of, or trafficking in children.  Each member country establishes a Central Authority to provide an authoritative point of contact for prospective adoptive parents to receive reliable and accurate information on the adoption process.  The Central Authority is also responsible for addressing complaints involving violations of Convention standards.  For these reasons, the U.S. government strongly supports the principles of the Convention.

To read more about this topic please visit the U.S. Department of State at travel.state.gov.