Hague Convention Updates: A series of bulletins on the status of U.S. accession to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.

December 20, 2007. No contact provisions. Section 29 of the Hague Convention provides that: "There shall be no contact between the prospective adoptive parents and the child's parents or any other person who has care of the child until the requirements of Article 4, sub-paragraphs a) to c), and Article 5, sub-paragraph a), have been met, unless the adoption takes place within a family or unless the contact is in compliance with the conditions established by the competent authority of the State of origin." Among other things, agencies and prospective parents should be aware that this section would appear to preclude up-date services for potential adoptive parents from China which allow PAPs to receive information and/or pictures about the child they plan to adopt from China independent from official information generated by the China Center of Adoption Affairs.

December 12, 2007. Deposit of Hague Treaty. On December 12, 2007, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty deposited the U.S. instrument of ratification for the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption at the Hague, Netherlands. This action is a major step on the road to U.S. accession to the Hague which is scheduled for April 2008. After that time the Hague Convention will govern Intercountry Adoption between the United States and other Hague nations. China is a Hague country. More Information.

December 1, 2007. List of Hague Convention Signatory Countries. An up-to-date status table of countries to which the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption applies may be found here.

December 1, 2007. Text of Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The full text of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption may be found here.