Quote:
Originally Posted by Shark01
What Craig Creek says, in Russia you could hire attorneys instead of an agency. We just liked having contacts on both sides of the process.
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Alas, American citizens are presently banned from adopting from Russia, Putin's vengeful response to the Magnitsky Act. Ukraine is still open, however, and most of the country is quite safe - just keep out of Crimea and far eastern Ukraine, where Putin's goons are still making life both miserable and dangerous (most of the orphanages in eastern Ukraine were evacuated four years ago and the children relocated to safer areas).
Adoption from Ukraine requires two trips. The first trip can range from a week or two to many weeks, depending on whether the parents hope to adopt a known child or children or are doing a "blind adoption", which involves going through reams of records at the central adoption headquarters in Kyiv, then traveling to meet the child to see if he or she is as described (many are not) and if the fit is right. Most families are authorized to adopt children of a certain age range and a certain number of children, so making both as broad as possible is recommended, in case a previously unknown sibling turns up.
All this must be done by appointment, which can again slow things down. Most families rent a furnished apartment in Kyiv for a week rather than get a more costly hotel room. In country, it can vary, depending on what's available. Flexibility is key. Most travel of any distance is done by train (Ukraine is the largest country in Europe and distances can be vast).
If all goes well and the adoption proceeds and is successful, it is followed by a ten-day waiting period following an adoption court, to see if anyone objects to the adoption. Most parents come home during the ten days to better prepare for the child or children's arrival, while the child or children remain in the orphanage.
Most orphanages allow new parents to give the children toys or clothing, etc. during this time, but both may disappear...given away or stolen by corrupt staff for their own purposes. Or if the staff is honest and caring, the child may have considerably more - small toys, keepsakes, baptismal certificates, etc.
Be prepared to dress a newly adopted child from the skin out, including underwear, shoes and socks, coats and hats and scarves and gloves if it's winter, and provide several changes of clothing as well, including pajamas, etc., plus toiletries and small toys to help occupy the many hours of waiting which remain - everything they wore in the orphanage will be recycled for other children. My young relatives left with small tote bags of personal possessions they were allowed to take with them - most of which had just been given to them by their new parents. I think one of the children was allowed to take their toothbrush...
Upon returning to Ukraine after the ten days are up, there are lots of legal hoops still remaining to jump through, most of them Ukrainian but also a doctor check-up for the child in order to qualify for admission to the United States, plus other American regulations which require adoptive families and their new kids to spend a few days in Kyiv. Fortunately, there's usually enough time between appointments to do some sight-seeing and Kyiv is a beautiful city, with lots of interest for families and children to see and do.
With all these requirements plus a language barrier, cultural differences, etc., a good facilitator can be worth his or her weight in gold. Not only do they handle appointments, accommodations, travel, and translate, but they also travel with the family much of the time. My relatives remain in contact with their facilitator, twelve years later.
Eventually all the requirements are completed, and the new family can fly home. The children become American citizens as soon as their feet touch American soil, but most families, particularly these days, also confirm their citizenship by going through an American adoption court and also by obtaining Social Security cards for the children as soon as possible.
This sounds like a lot, but the results make it so worth it. Good luck with your adoption plans.
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