What is PGN???

For all those who don't know what PGN is and want to know----here is the info!! I copied it from our agency resources. It kind of spells out the last stages that we have to go through before actually bringing Taylor home with us!!!


All paperwork goes to PGN..... The PGN is the government body representing all minors in Guatemala. PGN stands for Procuraduria General de la Nacion -- roughly equivalent to the national Attorney General's office.
The range of time that cases are in PGN is generally from 2 weeks to 16+ weeks. Two months is typical but there are many cases that go longer. There are huge variations on approval times, even on apparently similar cases, depending on which attorney in the PGN is assigned to them.
PGN plays an important role in the adoption process. Their attorneys review the case, verify that all the documents are in order, and issue the final adoption decree. Unfortunately, they don't do it on a consistent timeline or in a predictable way.

***PGN has nothing to do with the CIS which is a US governmental agency.

Once the PGN reviews and agrees to the adoption, it issues the orders or declarations that terminate the birth family's rights, make the child legally yours and change the child's last name to a version of yours.
Around that point there's the final birthmother sign-off and the issuance of a new Birth Register (Birth Certificate). Then the lawyer can apply for a passport

All the documents are then submitted to the civil entity in the place where the child was born (Partida Civil de Nacimiento del Niño). At this time the original birth certificate is cancelled and a new birth certificate showing the adoptive parents' names is issued.The time to do this varies, depending upon the child's place of birth. (Taylor was born in Quetzeltanango--am sure the spelling is wrong b/c I'm doing it from memory!!)

All documents, including the new birth certificate, are submitted to Guatemala Immigration, and the child's Guatemalan passport is issued.

All final Guatemalan court documents will now be translated into English before submitted to the U.S. Embassy for final review.

The attorney then will take the documents to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City for final processing. Documents are reviewed and permission is given for the child's final medical exam and an appointment for the adoptive parents to come to the Embassy to obtain the visa. This permission is also referred to as a “pink ship”.

Once pink slip is received, family will be notified to make travel plans, and the baby will be taken to a US Embassy-approved Physician for their visa physical.

After arriving in Guatemala, you visit the embassy get the visa. Visas are issued the following day after 3:30...you are then free to come home to the US!!!! This trip should only be about 4 or 5 days depending on when the embassy appointment is scheduled!!

Hope this helps you understand the process a bit better!!!