INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION TUNISIA October 1999 DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IN THIS CIRCULAR RELATING TO THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN COUNTRIES IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO FOREIGN COUNSEL. General Adoption Information The adoption of a Tunisian child by United States citizens who wish to raise the child in the United States is a complex project, largely because it involves satisfying the requirements of several government agencies, both in the U.S. and in Tunisia. We suggest that U.S. citizens wishing to adopt begin by contacting the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (BCIS) District Office for their area. BCIS can provide you with detailed information concerning the requirements and procedures involved in adopting a child from overseas. At the same time, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the adoption laws in your state. Once it is clear to you that your family can meet the requirements of both BCIS and your state of residence, you may begin the process of identifying a child you would like to adopt. *********** LEGAL "ADOPTION" IN TUNISIA The U.S. Embassy in Tunis has been informed that Law No. 58-27, Articles 8 to 16 covers Tunisian adoptions. The law contains no nationality or religious requirements but Tunisian judges have held that prospective adoptive parents must be Muslim. PLEASE NOTE: A foreign country’s determination that the child is an orphan does not guarantee that the child will be considered an orphan under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. For more specific information on adoption in Tunisia, please contact an attorney familiar with Tunisia laws or the Embassy of Tunisia. Specific questions regarding adoptions in Tunisia may be addressed to: Embassy of Tunisia
1515 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 862-1850 U.S. Embassy Tunis
144 Avenue de la Liberte
1002 Tunis-Belvedere
Tunis, Tunisia Phone: (216) (1) 7782-566, ext. 4280
Fax (216) (1) 789-719 or 788-928
Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, except during July & August when hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. For further information on international inter-country adoption, contact the Office of Children's Issues at 202-736-7000, visit our home page on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov, or send a nine-by-twelve-inch, self-addressed envelope to: Office of Children's Issues
2401 E Street, N.W.
Room L127
Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: (202) 736-7000
Fax: (202) 312-9743 In addition, the State Department publishes Consular Information Sheets for every country in the world, providing information such as location of the U.S. Embassy, health conditions, political situations, and crime reports. When situations in a country are sufficiently serious, the State Department issues Travel Warnings which recommend U.S. citizens avoid traveling to a country. These documents are available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov or by calling the State Department’s Office of Overseas Citizen Services at (202) 647-5225. Information on immigrant visas is available from the State Department's Visa Office, at (202) 663-1225. This 24 hour automated system includes options to speak with consular officers during business hours for questions not answered in the recorded material. Application forms and petitions for immigrant visas are available from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security, the nearest office of which is listed in the federal pages of your telephone book, under U.S. Department of Justice.
| 
