According to Guatemala Adoption Overview, the time frame for adopting out of Guatemala is as follows:Child referral usually happens about three to six months after your dossier is received. The adoption is completed an average of eight months after you accept your child referral.I spoke with “emmasmom,” an adoptive mother from the United States who adopted her daughter from Guatemala, and asked her about her experiences. Here were her responses:

• Q: When did you adopt from Guatemala?
  •  
    • A: We started all the paperwork in July of 2004. Our home study was started at the end of August 2004, and we received our INS clearance on Nov. 3, 2004. Then we started waiting for a referral.
• Q: How long did the process take from the time you decided to adopt from Guatemala until you legally adopted your child?
  • A: From the time we decided to adopt and started the “paper chase,” it took us 17 months.
• Q: How long did it take to get a referral?
• A: We were very fortunate that once we received our INS clearance on Nov. 3, 2004, we received our referral on Nov. 15, 2004, the evening after our daughter was born.
• Q: How long did it take to meet your child after getting the referral?
• A: I first met our daughter on August 17, 2005. A friend of mine, who was also in the process of adopting from Guatemala, traveled with me to visit her son while I visited with our daughter.
• Q: How long did it take to bring your child home after getting the referral?
• A: It took 14 months from the time we accepted our referral to bring her home.
• Q: How long did it take to finalize the adoption after bringing your child home?
• A: I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but we haven’t finalized or “domesticated” our adoption here in Georgia yet. However, I am currently looking for an attorney to handle the domestication for us, or I’m even toying with the idea of typing up all the papers myself and taking it to the Clerk’s Office myself.

Related Topic:New Time Frames for Pre-Approval and Pink Slips from the American Embassy