One Family's Journey: To-Do Before You Leave

Okay you made it! Time to say goodbye to your Colombian friends and family, eat your last empanadas and wonder if the flight home is going to be smooth or bumpy? We had less then 8 hours from the time we got our visa till the time we got on our flight, but we still managed to do something which I highly suggest to other parents.

1) Get a copy of your child's entire file. This requires you to leave a written request and a notarized copy of your Sentencia with Bienestar. You can do this any time after the Sentencia is final. The file we got contained some very interesting information that was not included in the Referral. I highly suggest it for your child's benefit. When he gets older and starts to ask questions we can tell him "Here it is, we got everything for you."

2) Likewise, you can go to the hospital where your child was born and request a full copy of his medical records. We didn't do this, but I think it would've been a good idea if we had the time. [Colombian Mommy Note: I spoke with Hospital San Blas in Bogota about doing this. They require 1) a written, notarized request in Spanish, 2) a notarized/authenticated copy of the Sentencia, 3) if you don't plan to stick around a few days, you will also need a power of attorney that allows someone else permission to pick up the file when they are finished copying it.]

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey!

So, I've stumbled upon your blog after googling the orphanage I myself was adopted from, Ayudame in Bogota, Colombia.

Any chance you know what the policy is towards retrieving information on birth parents or family history etc? At this point all I know is the name I was born with. I was adopted in 1988 and I am 21 now, for so long it never crossed my mind that this would be something I'd be interested in, but I now am. Just thought you may be a good person to ask. You seem to know your stuff!
MaryandBarry said…
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting these details on the process. I'm printing out to take with us. You are much appreciated!
Anonymous said…
It's no problem! We would've loved to have known what would happen next in the process beforehand so I'm happy to share.
Anonymous said…
Hi Sam - Unfortunately I personally only know that as an adoptive parent that I was allowed to get my child's information from Bienestar. I know someone that was adopted through Pisingos and she found it difficult to information about her birth family so it might be that Casa Privadas have different rules?
Anonymous said…
I'm from Northern Ireland and would love some help to locate an international lawyer who would come recommended to help with my Colombian adoption
Mary

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