U.S. Embassy & Consulate
in Spain and Andorra

The Office of Children’s Issues of the U.S. Department of State plays an active role in the intercountry adoption processes. In addition to serving as the U.S. Central Authority for The Hague Adoption Convention, some of its primary functions include:

• Responding to inquiries about the intercountry adoption process.
• Producing and maintaining country specific adoption Information.
• Issuing Adoption Alerts in crisis situations.
• Working with U.S. Embassies on diplomatic efforts with host governments about adoption laws and procedures.
• For more information, please visit the official Department of State Intercountry Adoption homepage.

In order to start an adoption process in Spain or Andorra, prospective parents must be legal residents of Spain or Andorra and must remain in Spain or Andorra throughout the adoption proceeding.

Each of the 17 Autonomous Communities in Spain is the Central Authority for its territory.  The national-level Central Authority for transmission of communications, the Dirección General del Menor y Familia in Madrid, is the office responsible for transmitting requests from prospective adoptive parents to the Central Authority in the appropriate Autonomous Community.