Adoption

A single act of adoption touches many hearts and souls. It is not only the adopting family and the newly adopted member. Adoption is one of the most beautiful acts of which a creature is capable. In addition to humans, some animals will also adopt a needful creature and care for it as its own. Adoption, when it is a voluntary act of love, blesses the giver as it blesses the receiver.

Adoption is a slow, bureaucratic process in Puerto Rico. The adopter must have resided in Puerto Rico without interruption for at least six months prior to the date of adoption.Recent attempts towards new legislation that may expedite the adoption process have not been successful. As a result, many potential adopters become discouraged and search for other locations where the adoption process is not as complex as that prevailing in Puerto Rico.

All the bureaucratic process of adoption in Puerto Rico is transacted through Programa de Familias con Niños de la Administración de Familias y Niños (formerly titled Departamento de la Familia). The main office for Programa de Familias con Niños is located in Santurce, (787) 724-8585. Regional offices are located at:

Aguadilla: (787) 891-5570
Arecibo: (787) 878-2985
Bayamón: (787) 269-2222
Caguas: (787) 743-7117
Carolina: (787) 752-6860
Guayama: (787) 864-4373
Humacao: (787) 850-2265
Mayaguez: (787) 832-8050
Ponce: (787) 848-4520

The adopter must have resided in Puerto Rico without interruption for at least six months prior to the date of adoption.

A process of adoption may take from several months to several years. Each case of adoption is essentially different from all others. In general terms:
1) the person(s) requesting to adopt a child must provide all the documents and information required by the evaluation officer and be approved;
2) the government must have the legal right to permit the child(ren) to be adopted;
3) a court of law must examine the adoption request documents where a judge decides whether or not to allow the adoption;
4) the adoptive parents must file an adoption certificate at the demographic registrar's office (Registro Demográfico)

Asociación Puertorriqueña de Padres Adoptivos (APPA) is a not-for-profit organization created in August 2003 to promote child adoption in Puerto Rico. The association provides information and support before, after and throughout the process of adoption. They may be reached at (787) 293-0091.

A full list of well-known adopted persons would be lengthy, indeed. Following is a short list of adopted people that most readers will recognize: