International adoption asks Nevada families to satisfy three distinct legal systems simultaneously: the laws of the country where the child lives, federal immigration requirements administered by USCIS, and Nevada’s own court process. Each system runs on its own timeline with its own sequence of steps that can’t be reordered without serious consequences. A misstep in one jurisdiction can undo progress in another. Sometimes permanently.
At Eric A. Stovall, Ltd., we’ve guided families through this process for decades. Led by Eric A. Stovall, who has practiced law since 1987 and served as Past President of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), we’ve assisted in over 2,000 adoptions and surrogacies. That volume matters here because international adoption cases have a way of surfacing complications no checklist fully anticipates, and experience across that many cases builds the kind of pattern recognition a family genuinely needs.
One thing the AAAA makes explicit (and most online resources skip entirely): consulting an adoption attorney should happen before you select an agency or a country. We can tell you which countries remain open to U.S. families, which treaty framework applies, and what the child’s immigration pathway can look like before you invest time and money in a process that may not fit your situation.
Why International Adoption Involves Three Legal Systems at Once
The three-jurisdiction reality isn’t just a complexity to manage. It creates a sequencing imperative. Federal immigration law requires USCIS approval before certain steps can occur. Completing or taking custody of a child before that approval is in place can disqualify the child from receiving a U.S. immigrant visa under the Hague process. That outcome isn’t a delay. It’s a dead end.
The sending country adds its own layer. Some countries require lengthy in-country stays; others impose age or marital status requirements on adoptive parents. The country’s legal process for terminating parental rights and finalizing the adoption must be completed correctly for U.S. immigration authorities to recognize the result. And once the child arrives in Nevada, there’s a state court step that many families don’t know exists until they’re already in the process. Legal counsel that understands all three systems (not just one) is what keeps these steps in the right order.
The Hague Process vs. the Orphan Process: Which Path Applies to You
The threshold question in any international adoption is which federal framework governs. The answer depends entirely on the child’s country of origin.
The Hague Adoption Convention, which the United States has applied to intercountry adoptions since April 1, 2008, governs adoptions from any of the more than 100 countries the U.S. recognizes as Hague countries. Nevada families adopting from a Hague country must work with a U.S.-accredited adoption service provider, which coordinates with a counterpart organization in the sending country. The child must be confirmed eligible for intercountry adoption before prospective parents can be matched, and the USCIS approval process uses Form I-800A followed by Form I-800.
For non-Hague countries, the Orphan Process applies. This pathway requires demonstrating that the child meets the U.S. legal definition of an orphan, and USCIS conducts its own independent investigation abroad. The petition begins with Form I-600A rather than I-800A, and the documentary and evidentiary requirements differ in important ways.
Countries Nevada families commonly adopt from include the Philippines and China under the Hague framework, and countries such as Ethiopia and Nigeria under the Orphan Process. Knowing which framework applies before choosing a country is one of the most consequential early decisions in the process.
The Federal Steps: From Home Study to Immigrant Visa
The Hague adoption process follows a fixed sequence that can’t be rearranged. Working through each step correctly is what produces a valid immigrant visa for the child.
The six steps in order:
- Select an accredited adoption service provider. Only providers accredited by the Hague-designated U.S. accrediting entities can handle Hague adoption cases.
- Complete the intercountry adoption home study. A licensed professional evaluates the prospective adoptive family’s home, background, and readiness. Nevada USCIS fingerprinting for this stage is available at the Reno Immigration Office and the Las Vegas Immigration Office.
- File Form I-800A. This petition asks USCIS to determine that the prospective parents are suitable and eligible to adopt under the Hague process.
- Receive a placement match. After I-800A approval, the adoption service provider works with the central authority in the sending country to identify a specific child.
- File Form I-800. This petition asks USCIS to confirm that the specific child is eligible to immigrate to the United States as a Hague adoptee.
- Travel, complete the adoption, and obtain the immigrant visa. Depending on the country, the adoption may be fully finalized abroad or custody may be transferred, with finalization completed in Nevada.
The immigrant visa the child receives at the end of this sequence has direct consequences for what happens next in Nevada. A child who enters on an IH-3 or IR-3 visa had a full adoption completed abroad. According to USCIS, the IR-3 requires that the parent (if unmarried) or at least one parent (if married) physically see and observe the child prior to or during the adoption proceedings. Under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (INA §320), that child generally acquires U.S. citizenship automatically upon admission, provided the other eligibility conditions are met. A child who enters on an IH-4 or IR-4 visa had custody transferred but no full adoption finalized abroad, which means the adoption must be completed through a Nevada court.
Nevada Readoption Under the 2025 Adoption Law Overhaul
Nevada Assembly Bill 227, signed into law in 2025 as part of the 83rd legislative session (Chapter 239), comprehensively rewrote the state’s adoption statutes. Among its most significant changes for international adoptive families is a clear, formal statutory framework for readoption, giving Nevada courts uniform guidance on how to handle these petitions. Under AB 227, a readoption petition must include the decree or certificate of adoption from the foreign country, the child’s birth certificate, and certified translations of any non-English documents. The new law also eliminates the home study requirement for readoption cases, removing a step that had previously added time and cost for families who’d already completed a full home study in the federal process.
Even when readoption isn’t legally required (as is the case for IH-3 and IR-3 visa holders who acquired citizenship automatically) completing it in Nevada is worth considering. A Nevada court order of adoption produces a Nevada-issued birth certificate, which carries practical weight in areas like school enrollment, inheritance rights, and future passport applications. Automatic citizenship acquisition and full legal recognition within Nevada aren’t the same thing.
We monitor changes to Nevada’s adoption statutes closely. AB 227’s 2025 overhaul is exactly the kind of development that changes what we advise families to do and when.
Nevada’s Legal Framework & What It Means for Your Family
Nevada’s family formation statutes are among the most progressive in the country. Single parents and LGBTQ+ families pursuing adoption face no state-level restrictions, and Nevada courts have a well-established record of recognizing diverse family structures. That matters when international adoption is on the table, because it separates what Nevada allows from what a specific sending country allows. Some sending countries require both adoptive parents to be married; others restrict or effectively prohibit single-parent adoptions. A Nevada family that’s fully eligible under state law may be ineligible in certain countries based on those countries’ own requirements.
Country selection, then, isn’t just a personal or cultural preference. It’s a legal strategy question. We assist single parents and LGBTQ+ families through international adoption regularly and can map out which countries are realistically accessible based on a family’s specific profile before any commitments are made.
Where Legal Counsel Actually Makes the Difference
Most international adoption guidance leaves a gap: where does an attorney’s role actually begin and end? It isn’t limited to Nevada court filings. An adoption attorney working across both the sending-country legal system and the Nevada finalization or readoption step is positioned to catch sequencing problems before they occur, review agency contracts against what the federal process requires, and ensure that documents returning from abroad are in the form Nevada courts can accept under AB 227.
Eric A. Stovall’s involvement in founding the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAARTA) reflects direct participation in shaping the legal standards that govern this field nationally. That background shapes how we approach each case: not as a series of forms to complete, but as a process that moves across jurisdictions that don’t wait for each other.
The decision of when to bring in legal counsel is itself consequential. Families who contact us before selecting a country or agency leave that conversation with a clearer picture of their actual options and the likely timeline, cost, and requirements for each. If you’re beginning to map an international adoption from Nevada, Eric A. Stovall, Ltd. offers complimentary initial consultations. Reach us at (775) 227-7221.