What the State Department Can Do:

• Provide information about international adoption in countries around the world
  
• Provide general information about U.S. visa requirements for international adoption
  
• Make inquiries of the U.S. consular section abroad regarding the status of a specific adoption case and clarify documentation or other requirements
  
• Ensure that U.S. citizens are not discriminated against by foreign authorities or courts in accordance with local law on adoptions

What the State Department Cannot Do:

• Become directly involved in the adoption process in another country
  
• Act as an attorney or represent adoptive parents in court
  
• Order that an adoption take place or that a visa be issued

Read the full text of the U.S. Department of State's International Adoption booklet.