History of Adoption
History of adoption in Guatemala
Around 50,000 children were adopted from Guatemala before international adoption closed in 2008.
There were around 50,000 children adopted from Guatemala before international adoption closed in 2008. These children were adopted by families in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Israel, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland.
Adoption from Guatemala was at its peak in 2007, and in 2007 the adoption system was greatly reformed to comply with the Hague Convention.
Children adopted from Guatemala are citizens of Guatemala by birth, which makes us eligible for Guatemalan passports and DPIs (Guatemalan national ID cards). We also hold citizenship in our adoptive countries.
Those of us who were adopted come from all across Guatemala and from all of its diverse ethnic groups: the 23 Mayan communities, Xinca, Ladino, Garífuna, and those primarily of European descent.