Once prospective families are ready to start their Ethiopia International Adoption Process with Gladney, they will complete their adoption paperwork:

• Gladney Application
• Pathways Training if adopting a child over the age of 2
• Adoption Home Study
• Dossier

Once your dossier has been authenticated by the U.S. State Department and the Ethiopia Embassy in Washington, D.C., it will be sent to our in-country staff in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our in-country staff will then have your dossier translated and prepared to submit to court after you accept a child referral. 

Our in-country staff will match a child or children to your family and prepare a full referral report on the child.  Included in the child referral are the child's social and medical history, lab reports, a current assessment of the child's health and development, and photographs. Once you have accepted the referral and the child's orphanage has the child's file ready, your dossier and the child's file will be submitted to the federal courts in Addis Ababa to request a court date for your adoption hearing.

You will be required to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to meet your child and appear in court to affirm your desire to adopt your child before the judge.  Once your adoption is finalized in court, you will make travel plans to return to Ethiopia for an interview at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa to obtain your child's US visa and escort your child home to the United States.

To learn more about adopting from Ethiopia, please request one of Gladney's free, comprehensive Adoption Information Packets. Make your request on-line or by calling 1-800-INT-ADOP.