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Hague Convention Updates
New Opportunity for Filing Statements of Interest to Be Considered as a Candidate for Designation as an Accrediting Entity
In response to many requests from potential accreditors, especially state licensing authorities, for a second opportunity to send in a response to the Request for Statements of Interest (RSI) to become potential accreditors, the Department of State is opening up a second opportunity for interested potential accreditors, both private, nonprofit accreditors, and state licensing authorities, to file Statements of Interests in response to the reissued RSI. The department will accept Statements of Interest pursuant to this second opportunity until April 30, 2004. The department, however, will deal first with those potential accreditors who submitted responses to the RSI within the initial timeframe and not delay selecting qualified potential accreditors with whom to negotiate appropriate agreements.
During this second opportunity to submit a Statement of Interest in response to the RSI, the department will review the Statements of Interests in the order in which they are received. Please note that the department cannot guarantee that the submission of a Statement of Interest will permit a potential accrediting entity to be reviewed and/or designated at the same time as the initial applicants who applied by the November 17, 2003, deadline. The department encourages any interested potential accreditors to apply as soon as possible and is under no obligation to designate qualified accreditors who apply during this second opportunity period at the same time as other accreditors who applied by the initial deadline. At the same time, the Department wants to provide another opportunity for other potential accreditors to submit Statements of Interest, especially those state licensing authorities who had difficulty submitting a Statement of Interest by the initial deadline.
An electronic version of the RSI, and information on how to submit a formal reply to the RSI, can be viewed at: http://travel.state.gov.
Statements of Interest submitted during this second opportunity to apply to become an accrediting entity must be received on or before April 30, 2004. The department is under no obligation to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement and designate any particular accrediting entity that responds to the Request for Statements of Interest. An accrediting entity is not authorized to act as a designated accrediting entity or represent to others that it is a designated accrediting entity until the department and the accrediting entity have signed a Memorandum of Agreement.
If you have any questions, please contact me at the phone number or email listed below.
Gloria Laguna
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Overseas Citizens Services
Office of Children's Issues
International Adoption Unit
Department of State
Washington, DC 20006
202/736-9095
LagunaG@state.gov
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