Factsheet, Page 4
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AUTHENTICATION PROCESS: All U.S. documents submitted to the Moldovan government, such as birth, death, and marriage certificates, must be authenticated. The authentication process begins by obtaining the seal of a U.S. notary public or the appropriate document issuing office. The seal is authenticated by the clerk of court in the county where the notary is licensed or by a similar authority. The document must then be authenticated by your state''s Secretary of State, and then by the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office (518 23rd Street, NW, State Annex 1, Washington, D.C., tel. (202) 647-5002, or 1-800-688-9889, choose item 6. Walk-in service is available from 7:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. any weekday except holidays and is limited to 15 documents per person per day (documents can be multiple pages). The fee is $6.00 per document. Processing time for authentication requests sent by mail is 5 working days or less.
After the Department of State has authenticated the documents, the Moldovan Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the region where you live must authenticate the documents. Contact the nearest Moldovan Embassy or Consulate for specific information about Moldovan authentication of U.S. documents.
For additional information about authentication procedures, see the "Judicial Assistance" page of the Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site at http://travel.state.gov.
MOLDOVAN EMBASSY IN THE UNITED STATES:
2101 S. Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 667-1130, (202) 667-1131, or (202) 667-1137,
Fax: (202) 667-1204
E-mail: moldova@dgs.dgsys.com.
U.S. IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
A child adopted by a U.S. citizen must obtain an immigrant visa before he or she can enter the U.S.. The child must be an orphan, as defined by U.S. immigration regulations. There are two distinct categories of immigrant visas available to orphans adopted by U.S. citizens. The two categories are Immediate Relative-3 (IR-3) and IR-4. An IR-3 is issued when a child is adopted under the laws of a foreign country. An IR-4 is issued when a child will be adopted in the United States (American parents have custody of a child to take him or her to the United States to be adopted in the United States). An IR-4 is also issued when state pre-adoption requirements require that a child be adopted in that state or if both parents have not seen the child. The Department of State encourages U.S. citizens to verify that a particular child is an orphan according to U.S. immigration law and regulations before proceeding with an adoption.
An Orphan. If an adopted child has not resided with and been in the legal custody of the adoptive parent for at least two years (or if the child has not yet even been adopted) the child must qualify under section 101(b)(1)(F) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act in order to apply for an immigrant visa. The main requirements of this section are as follows:
- The child must be under the age of 16 at the time an I-600 Petition is filed with the DHS on his or her behalf;
- The child meets the U.S. immigration law definition of “orphan” either because:
(a) The child has no parents because of the death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation from or loss of both parents**; or
(b) The sole or surviving parent is incapable of providing proper care and has, in writing, irrevocably released the child for emigration and adoption; - The adopting parents must have completed a full and final adoption of the child (for IR-3) or must have legal custody of the child to take the child to the United States for emigration and adoption (for IR-4).
**Prospective adopting parents should note that the terms “disappearance of both parents,” “abandonment by both parents,” “desertion by both parents,” “separation from both parents,” “loss from both parents,” “sole” and “surviving” parent all have specific legal meanings defined in section 204.3(b) of Title 8 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Whether a child qualifies as an orphan under any of these categories is determined by reference to the U.S. regulatory definitions and not by any local (foreign) law designations that may be used to identify a child as orphaned.
The adopting parent(s) must meet the following DHS requirements in order to file the I-600 petition for the immigrant visa for an adopted child:
- If the adoptive or prospective adoptive parent is married, his or her spouse must also be a party to the adoption;
- If the adoptive or prospective adoptive parent is single, he or she must be at least 25 years of age; and
- The adoptive or prospective adoptive parent must be a U.S. citizen.
Credits: U.S. Department of State
