The Government of Nepal approves local agencies to place children internationally.  Crossroads has a contract with an agency in Kathmandu which is approved to refer and place children in other countries.

OVERVIEW:  Boys are the children who are typically abandoned in the hospital or near a police station or busy intersection.  They are then transferred to the facility in Kathmandu.  The children can be as young a 6 months at referral and may be as old as 10 years old.  Couples who have been married for a minimum of 4 years, are infertile, and between 30 and 55 years old as well as single women who are between 35 and 55 years old  are welcome to adopt from Nepal.  Nepal views the ideal family as a son and a daughter and families who fit this view are welcomed.

At present, an adoptive family will travel to Kathmandu twice to complete the adoption.  Please click through the tabs across the top of this page for further information.

The handsome boys who are available for adoption are usually infants 8 - 36 months of age and are generally in good health. Girls, 3 years and older are available more readily than younger girls.  Nepal law does not allow siblings to be adopted unless it is a sister and brother.  Children are abandoned in the hospital or near a police station or busy intersection.  The public and private child-care facilities are responsible to care for the children and to try to reunite the children with their birth families.  When this fails, the facilities search for an adoptive home for the children.  Referrals (the child assigned to each family) come to the Crossroads office by e-mail or fax.  It is one page in length and give basic information about the child.  The adoptive families are called immediately. 

The adoptive family travels within 1 month of receiving the referral.  After meeting the child, paperwork is completed and submitted to the government of Nepal.  This is accomplished in 1 week.  The family returns home to wait for notice that the adoption has been completed (2 – 4 months).  The family returns to Kathmandu, receives custody of their child and completes the U.S. immigration visa procedure for their child.  The length of the second trip is 10-14 days.

Photos and descriptions of older children (ages 3 – 9) are sent to the Crossroads office.  Interested families can ask to have a child’s information e-mailed.

Nepal welcomes both married and single women as adoptive parents and has specific requirements as follows:

• Married couples must be married a minimum of 4 years and be infertile.
• The adopting mother of a married couple must be a minimum of 30 years older than the child to be adopted
• Single women must be between 35 years older than the child to be adopted
• One previous divorce is acceptable
• Parent(s) less than 45 years of age may adopt an infant

Parent(s) must be less than 56 years of age at the time they adopt a child.

The prospective adoptive family prepares a dossier which needs only to be notarized.  The dossier is submitted to the local agency in Nepal with which Crossroads has a working relationship.  Dossiers are kept in a chronological order and according the type of child requested by the adoptive family.  As a child becomes available, that child is referred to the next family available family. A referral is a one-page description of the child and a photo of the child.  Usually, the referral comes via e-mail. It will take 12 to 18 months to receive the referral of a child under the age of one. Families who wish to adopt a girl can expect to wait several months longer.

Upon acceptance of a child, the family will travel to Kathmandu for the first trip which is one week in length.  They will meet their child, obtain a No Objection Letter from the U.S. Embassy, and file their paperwork with the local government.  The family then returns home while the government processes the paperwork.  The return trip two months later is scheduled when the adoption has been granted .   Government delays can and do happen which can extend this period.

The second trip is 10 – 14 days in duration.  During this time, the family collects the adoption decree from the government and obtains the child’s passport.  A medical exam is required by the U.S. government.  As part of this exam, a Mantoux test is administered which is read three days later.  When these steps are completed and the child’s paperwork is in order, the family and child go to the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu where the U.S. visa is obtain.  The family and child return home.  Because this adoption is considered to be a full adoption by the U.S. government, the child is a citizen upon entering the country.

Enjoy the spectacular dawn as the sky lightens and the red dot of sun peeks through the crux of the Himalayan Mountains, getting bigger and bigger until it is too bright for the naked eye - another day in Nepal. Crossroads families fly into the capitol city of Kathmandu which is nestled among the mountains. Nepal is 13 hours ahead of CST. 

There are a limited number of ways to get to Nepal.  For families in the Midwestern states, flying to Bangkok, Thailand on an American carrier, spending the evening in Thailand, and flying to to Kathmandu on the Thai carrier works very well.  Thailand requires no visa for the United States traveler and the Nepal visa can be purchased at the airport upon entering the country.  Some families choose to fly to Delhi, India on an American carrier, stay overnight and fly on to Kathmandu on Indian Airlines.  A Indian visa is needed to leave the international airport.  There are direct flights from various European cities into Kathmandu and the adoptive families have been very creative in finding a flight pattern that is appealing.  Flying to Kathmandu takes approximately 1 ½ days.

A hotel car will be waiting to meet you to take you to a charming hotel where breakfast is included in your room rate and each room has all of the amenities including a refrigerator.  During your stay, a car and driver will be made available to you as needed and someone who is bilingual will be with you to make your stay productive and enjoyable.  Most often, there will be other Crossroads families in Nepal at the same time and families treasure the support they feel with others who are completing the adoption process.

Citizens of Nepal need no visa to enter India.  However, a visa is needed to enter Bangkok.  This visa takes several days to obtain after the U.S. visa is given.  Adoptive families traveling through Bangkok usually opt to stay in the international airport in Bangkok where rooms are available for a small fee on a first-come basis.  Families have usually had no problem obtaining one of these rooms.

The government of Nepal requests that adoptive parents send annual reports and photos until their child reaches the age of 18.  Crossroads assist each family by sending them an annual reminder, collecting the reports and photos and sending them to the child facility.

Your adoption counselor will visit you within the first few weeks after you return home.  Your adoption counselor will gather a copy of your child’s legal documents which include a copy of her Nepalese passport showing the photo page and the US visa page. You will also be given instructions on how to proceed with obtaining a Minnesota birth certificate or, if you live in Wisconsin, instructions on how to proceed with re-finalization.  If you live in a different state, Crossroads will assist your agency as needed in this area.  Hearing about your travel experience and the happy moments when your child was first placed in your arms is always a priority.   Your adoption counselor will also help you with the adjustment and bonding of your newly adopted child.

Submitting the reports, and photos is very important.  Fulfilling these requirements in a timely manner is important to Crossroads and confirms to the government of Nepal our satisfaction with their program and respect for their rules and requirements.