Samoa Adoptions

• Prospective adoptive parents may be married but single parents are also allowed to adopt from Samoa.
• Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old
• There are no restrictions on the current number of children living in the prospective adoptive family’s home
• Prospective parents must be able to demonstrate a sufficient income to provide for an adopted child
• Adopting families must complete a home study and obtain USCIS approval before completing the adoption
• Travel to Samoa is required for at one least one of the adopting parents.
  • You should plan to stay in Samoa for the adoption process to be completed
• The child must be a relative
  • You will be asked to prove relationship
• The child being adopted must be under 16 years of age.
  • USCIS must determine if the child meets orphan status.
• The Samoan Attorney General must certify the following:
  • The child has no suitable family members in Samoa who are willing and able to care for the child
  • There is no other suitable arrangement available in Samoa
  • A relinquishment form confirming the relinquishment of the rights of the natural parents over the child is included in the court adoption application.

• We strongly suggest you contact our office to talk to our Samoan Program Coordinator to discuss the process of adoption and to ensure the child you wish to adopt meets USCIS standards before applying to adopt. 

  Submit a completed application to our office along with the application fee.  The application can be sent at your request.

  When the signed contracts and associated fees are received, you can then begin working with our Samoa Program Coordinator.  She will help you throughout the entire adoption process. 

In order to adopt, you must have a home study completed.  If you live in the State of Utah, we will do this for you.  If you live outside the State of Utah, we will be able to assist you in finding an agency that can complete a home study.  A home study review fee is required if your home study was completed by an agency other than WIA. There are usually 2 to 4 face-to-face visits in your home with the social worker in order to complete your home study.  A list of supporting documents will be included in the home study application.  

When your home study is completed, you must complete the USCIS form I-600A.  You must first have all the supporting documents gathered up before you can submit your I-600a to USCIS.  Once the I-600A documents are submitted, it may take up to 3 months for USCIS to approve.  When you have the approval from USCIS, you can begin the adoption process in Samoa.

To begin the adoption process, families must hire an attorney in Samoa to represent them in court. The law firm with which you work with must be approved by the Samoan government.  WIA has worked with several law firms and can assist you with locating an attorney that can help you. The U.S. Consulate also maintains a list of attorneys who can represent you for your adoption.  You can find this list at Legal Assistance – U.S. Embassy in Samoa (usembassy.gov) 

As with any international adoption, there are documents that must be gathered and submitted.  WIA’s Samoan Program Coordinator can provide information and assistance to you to help you gather the documents needed by the attorney.  The list of documents needed is as follows:

• Original Birth Certificate for adoptive parents
• Original Marriage License for adoptive parents
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship – Naturalization Certificate or Passports
• Original Birth Certificate for the child you wish to adopt
• Proof of adequate space in the home to accommodate an additional household member

There may be additional documents required and if so your WIA Program Coordinator can assist you with acquiring the additional documents needed.

After the Adoption is Finalized

Once the adoption has been finalized in the Samoan court, you must apply for several documents for your child before he or she can enter the United States. At this time, when completing the Form I-600, your last agency fees are due. 

There are also other things that must be done after the adoption is finalized:

• You must obtain a post adoption letter from the Samoan Birth Registry.
• You must apply for a Samoan passport for your child to travel with you.
• Your WIA Program Coordinator will assist you with submitting your I-600 packet. When the Form I-600 and the supporting documents are filed, the USCIS office in the U.S. will review the I-600. The approval will be cabled to Consulate in Auckland which in turn reviews the I-600 form. When the I-600 has been approved, a Consular Officer must travel to Samoa in order to conduct an interview with the adopted child’s biological parent.  The Consular Officer travels to Apia, Samoa four times each year to conduct these interviews.  In order to enter the U.S. Consulate in Apia, the biological parent or family member must have a photo ID and a Samoan passport. 
• When the interview is completed and the I-600 approved, the adoptive family will be notified of the approval of the I-600 and an appointment will be set for the adoptive family to travel to New Zealand with their adopted child in order to obtain the child’s U.S. visa.
• When in New Zealand, the child must have a medical exam completed by a physician approved by the U.S. Consulate before the child’s U.S. visa can be issued.

Schedule of Fees, Expenses, Financial Obligations and Refund Policy | Wasatch International Adoption (wiaa.org)

Get Sample Contracts | Wasatch International Adoption (wiaa.org)

*These fees are required by the agency, Wasatch International Adoptions.
**These fees are required by the foreign country.
***These fees may vary from dossier to dossier depending on the number of documents (for example a single person’s dossier will be smaller than a married couple’s dossier). Expenses also may vary depending on when you travel, where you travel in country, and where you stay.  Country Fees are never to be considered a stable or set fee as it is not determined nor in the control of WIA.  WIA makes every effort to stay current as to fees but third party and country fees may change without notice or reason.

**Note: Upon request, WIA will disclose the following: Service policy Contracts, the number of adoption placements per year for the prior 3 calendar years, the number of placements that remain intact, the number of families who apply to adopt each year, and the number of waiting children eligible for adoption. To obtain this information please call our office.