Countries with adoption suspensions or restrictions
Some Canadian provinces and territories have suspended adoption from certain countries. There are also countries that don’t allow international adoption. Make sure you know which countries you can and can’t adopt from.
Don’t adopt during a crisis
A crisis (such as a war or natural disaster) often separates children from their families. In these situations, you shouldn’t adopt a child because
- reuniting the child with their parents or family must take priority
- it’s difficult to confirm if a child is actually available for adoption
For more information, check the statement from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).
Countries with a suspension on adoptions
Some Canadian provinces and territories (PTs) have suspended adoptions from these countries:
- Cambodia (all PTs except Quebec)
- Georgia (all PTs)
- Guatemala (all PTs)
- Liberia (all PTs)
- Nepal (all PTs)
- Ukraine (all PTs) Temporary
Countries that restrict international adoptions
These include:
- Argentina
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of Congo (except adoption by relatives or family members)
- Ethiopia
- Eswatini
- Grenada
- Iran
- Iraq
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Maldives
- Mozambique
- Pakistan
- Paraguay
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
Other countries you can’t adopt from
There are also some countries that you can’t adopt from because they don’t follow these Hague Convention requirements:
- the child must be legally available for adoption
- the child must have no legal ties to their birth parents once the adoption is complete
- the adoption will form a legal parent-child relationship between the child and adoptive parents
To check if you can adopt a child from a specific country, contact
- the adoption central authority in your province or territory (if you’re in Canada)
- the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate of the country where you want to adopt
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