Why are Kazakh children available for adoption?
As a former Soviet Republic, Kazakhstan suffered from the economic hardships of Soviet rule. Governmental corruption and inefficiencies, and a general breakdown of infrastructure, have left one of the largest and most populous countries in Central Asia with severe economic problems. This has created a large economic underclass. While they are now a republic, and the economy is improving, many families and single women simply don’t have the resources to take care of some children, and are forced to relinquish them to the care of the state. Parents convicted of crimes or who have been determined to be unfit parents can also have their parental rights terminated. In short, the children in Kazakh orphanages are very similar to the children available for adoption here in the United States. 

• You are allowed to select the child(ren) you will adopt during orphanage visits at the beginning of your adoption trip. This is a very empowering freedom for many families.
•  Kazakh officials are flexible in accepting a wide variety of families including single women. There are no fixed requirements for age of parent, income, number of children already in your family, your health, etc. Each family is considered on a case by case basis with most families being easily approved.
• Your adoption is normally completed in two trips to Kazakhstan. The first trip is normally about one month long, and you will select and adopt your child during this trip. The second trip, usually two weeks or less, occurs a month later and only one parent need travel.
• Many of the children have an Eastern European or Asian appearance and culture. There are some children with more Middle Eastern backgrounds. Russia borders Kazakhstan to the North and West, China to the east, with the Middle East and Turkey to the south and west. For many families it is very important that they adopt a child that looks like them. Kazakhstan provides families from a variety of cultures opportunities to adopt children with a similar visual aspect.
• Kazakh adoptions are generally ethical, and our international adoption partner, Americans Adopting Orphans ,strictly follows legal and ethical standards. Children are not pre-selected and offered on Web sites facilitating middlemen. This protects the adoptive family, child, and birth family.
• Orphanages in Kazakhstan vary in quality, with some providing very good care. As adopting families travel to orphanages, there has been in increase in the quality of care in the last few years.

How long does it take to complete an adoption from Kazakhstan?
It usually takes a little over a year to complete an adoption, with delays being more likely than opportunities to speed up the process. The first 4 - 6 months are spent completing your home study, gathering other documents, and preparing them for submission to the Kazakh government. These documents are compiled into a “dossier” and sent to our facilitation team in Kazakhstan. It then typically takes 4 – 6 months for your documents to be translated and reviewed in several steps. Your family then receives an invitation to come to Kazakhstan to complete your adoption. Families are required to take two trips to Kazakhstan over a period of 2 – 3 months. 

What happens once our dossier has been sent to Kazakhstan?
Your dossier is sent to our guides/interpreters in Kazakhstan. There they are translated, registered, and bound, and returned to the United States, usually in less than 1 month. Your documents are then sent to and reviewed by the Kazakhstan Embassy to the United States in Washington, D.C. Normally the embassy submits your documents to the government in Kazakhstan in less than two months. In Kazakhstan your documents are again reviewed; you are approved as an adoptive family in about a month. You will then receive an invitation to travel to Kazakhstan and begin your adoption trip. Travel usually takes place about a month after receiving your invitation.

Do we travel to Kazakhstan, or is our child brought to us?
Through the years we’ve observed that the vast majority of adoptive parents feel that their adoption trips significantly increased their understanding and appreciation of their child’s birth culture. Traveling to the child’s country to complete the adoption also offers the opportunity for early bonding and attachment between the child and parents and eases the child’s transition into their new family and new life. For these important reasons the Kazakhstan government requires that pre-adoptive families travel to the country and spend time with their children before completing an adoption. 

Both adoptive parents, or the single adoptive parent, travel to Kazakhstan to complete the adoption. Traveling families will be met by our in-country agency facilitation staff upon arrival. Our staff will accompany you during your stay in Kazakhstan and will help you with lodging, transportation, all in-country adoption meetings, and document processing during your stay. Your first trip normally lasts about a month. One parent may leave a few days early. Most families return to the United States at the end of the first trip, but this is not a requirement. At least one spouse then returns to Kazakhstan about a month after the first trip. The second trip normally takes 10 days to 2 weeks.

When do we learn about our child?
You learn about your child by visiting orphanages in Kazakhstan and selecting the child you wish to adopt. You will then spend at least two weeks bonding with your child before your adoption ceremony. Before traveling to Kazakhstan you complete a “profile” of the kind of child you would like to adopt. In this profile you state age, gender, health, and ethnic background preferences. That information is provided to your guides before you travel. When you arrive in Kazakhstan they will be aware of children who meet or are close to your preferred profile, and the orphanages where they live. They will tell you about the different children, and you travel to the orphanages to meet available children. The children can be anywhere in the country. Available children are at least a year of age (to give local families a chance to adopt the children). More boys are available than girls. Sibling groups are available. 

Note - There are some agencies and "facilitators" who claim to be able to identify available children in advance of travel to Kazakhstan, often placing Kazakh children in photo listing services; place a healthy child directly from a birth family or hospital to adoptive parents; or make available specific children traveling to the United States under the guise of “camps”. Each of these practices is a violation of Kazakhstan regulations and puts your adoption at risk. Both Kazakhstan and U.S. Immigration authorities work to prevent "adoptions" like this from taking place. Under these circumstances, it is possible to complete an adoption in a child's province only to be told by the U.S. Immigration that the child may not enter the United States. If your papers are not submitted through the normal adoption process or you are attempting to adopt a specific child identified to you in the United States, either through photolistings or a “summer camp," it is probably an unlawful adoption.

Why are more boys available to be adopted?
Because of culture and tradition, female children are frequently perceived as being easier to raise than boys. Girls often take care of their parents as they get older. Boys are more susceptible to childhood illness. When they are grown, they are at a greater risk to join a gang, or to enter into a life of substance abuse and/or crime. Women, particularly single women, frequently prefer to raise girls. Dealing with more aggressive male attitudes and the sexual challenges of adolescence can be issues. For all of these reasons, boys are more likely to be relinquished and available for adoption.

May we adopt a girl or a sibling group?
Absolutely! Families may choose the child or children they want to adopt. Boys are more common than girls. Adopting a sibling group may give you more flexibility in choosing gender. As many families want to adopt female children under 2 years of age with only minor medical conditions, there are fewer children available with this profile. Being more flexible with age, gender, or health will provide you with more adoption choices. Most families focused on adopting a girl under 3 years of age will be able to do so. This may entail a longer trip with visits to several orphanages in different parts of the country to find the perfect match for your family, and may result in higher overall costs.

What are conditions like in the orphanages?
Conditions in Central Asian orphanages can be difficult, but some orphanages in Kazakhstan provide very good care. This is particularly true for orphanages that place children internationally. The Kazakhstan government has established a system where adoptive parents can choose to adopt any available child. This means that orphanages that develop a reputation for having good facilities, and that provide healthy children and accurate medical reports, will place more of their children. There have been some negative reports in the popular media about bad conditions in Eastern European orphanages, but most families returning from Kazakhstan report good care from dedicated staff.

Despite the care the children receive, children can come from impoverished backgrounds, have medical conditions, or may not thrive in orphanage life. We always recommend that families consider a private medical examination of their child before their adoption, and to consult with an adoption medicine specialist in the United States. Lists of these providers are given to our families prior to their trip. You should use both care and an open heart when selecting the child(ren) you want to adopt. Generally healthy children are available, but families may need to spend additional time in Kazakhstan visiting many orphanages if their selection criteria are narrow. Families should educate themselves about medical conditions commonly found in internationally adopted children. Several recommended books may be found in our adoption book store. Please take particular note of The Handbook of International Adoption Medicine.

What is the first trip to Kazakhstan like?
You begin by flying to Astana, the capitol of Kazakhstan. You will be met by an English speaking member of our Kazakhstan staff at the airport. Usually the same day you arrive you will register with the Ministry of Education, and receive written permission to visit orphanages. In most cases families will choose to stay in a secure private apartment arranged by your guide. Most families stay in two bedroom apartments with kitchens, washer/dryers, and internet service for about $1,200 per month. One bedroom units are available for under $1,000. They can be rented for shorter periods of time. Families may also to choose to stay in hotels. A 3 star hotel usually costs around $100 per night.

On your second day in Kazakhstan you may normally begin visiting orphanages. Your guide will tell you about different children currently available, and you may choose which orphanage you wish to visit first. While many families prefer to adopt children in or around the capitol of Astana, more children may be available in other cities. Kazakhstan is a large country, and transportation is available by both rail and air.

Once you have selected the child(ren) you wish to adopt you begin a 21 day bonding period with the child(ren). (Note – in some cities only a 14 day period is required. Your guide will let you know.) During those 21 days you may obtain a private medical examination. In rare cases families will decide that their first choice was not right for their family, and the family may again visit different orphanages. Their 21 or 14 day bonding period starts over with the selection of a different child. Once you have completed your bonding time you may go before a judge to complete your adoption. Your guide will work to schedule your adoption ceremony as closely as possible to the end of the bonding period. In some cases it may be up to 10 days before your adoption can be scheduled with the judge. When your adoption ceremony is complete, one spouse may immediately return to the United States. At least one spouse will need to stay for an extra few days to file some required paperwork.

Once the judge signs your adoption decree at the adoption ceremony, the adoption becomes permanent in 15 days. During this period most families return to the United States.

Do we travel in a group?
Probably not. Due to the nature of the process in Kazakhstan, each adoptive family is likely to choose a child from a different orphanage in a different city. This makes it impractical to have families travel and go through the adoption process together. 

What is the second trip to Kazakhstan like?
At least one spouse returns to Kazakhstan for a 10 day to 2 week stay about a month after their adoption ceremony. When the family returns our staff is able to begin the process of having formal adoption decrees printed, and the child(ren)’s passport issued. This usually takes a few days.

Once you have completed the final adoption processes and paperwork, you must then apply at the U.S. Embassy in Astana to receive an immigration visa for your child(ren) to enter the U.S. Your child is still a native of Kazakhstan, traveling under a passport from that country, and needs a visa to enter the U.S. Adoption by United States citizens automatically makes your child(ren) a citizen of the United States as soon as you enter the United States, but not before.  As a part of this process your child(ren) must undergo a physical examination for the embassy. There are several approved clinics and hospitals in the area. This examination is normally very brief and non-invasive. It takes less than an hour (depending on the lines), no blood is drawn and no specimens are required.

A sealed copy of the physical examination report, photos of your child, proof of your adoption, and all other required documents are then taken to the embassy. All of the documents are reviewed, and there may be an interview with a consular official. If all of the documents are found to be in order, your child is issued a visa to enter the United States.This process can normally be completed in a few days. Only one spouse needs to be present for this part of the process.

When is our adoption final?
When you adopt a child from Kazakhstan, the adoption is normally complete and final in that country, before you return to the U.S. with your child. 

What happens when we arrive in the United States?
Any time you enter a country, you must stop at a customs station. Here they ask if you have anything to declare. Every country has rules about what you may and may not bring on to their soil. The United States is no exception. Anyone who has traveled outside the United States is familiar with this procedure. When returning with an adopted child, you must also stop at the U.S. Immigration station at the (air)port of entry before you go to customs. Here, you surrender the sealed Visa envelope to the U.S. Immigration officer. The documents within are then sent to your local U.S. Immigration office. This office should then issue a Certificate of Citizenship for your child within a few months. 

How much does it cost to adopt from Kazakhstan?
Adoption expenses vary country to country. Your agency fees may include court and legal fees, translation fees, country taxes, ministry fees and other items such as humanitarian aid to the orphanages. Additionally, all travel expenses you incur travelling to Kazakhstan are not included. By completing most of the paperwork, travel and educational process on your own, you can greatly reduce the cost of your adoption.

Do we need to take a lot of cash with us to Kazakhstan?
Not usually. Most of the fees due in Kazakhstan are wired in advance of your travel. Most families will still need to take several thousand dollars with them in cash to pay for variable fees and expenses. Total adoption costs can vary by two or three thousand dollars depending on region. You will not know before your trip if your child’s orphanage is in an area with higher costs. It is possible you will be able to return to the United States with a significant amount of cash. For families nervous about traveling with cash, it is sometimes possible to use ATM cards and credit cards to obtain cash advances at banks. Money can be wired by Western Union or through American Express to banks within Kazakhstan.

Will our child be able to search for her or his birth parents?
Very possibly. It is rare for children to be anonymously abandoned in Kazakhstan. More typically, they are relinquished to the orphanage by destitute birth parents, often a single mother, or the birth parents have had their parental rights terminated by the local courts. This means that you may be given identifying information and a genetic history about the birth family, or even get to meet them during your adoption trip. Many adoptees do have a very natural desire to search for their birth parents as they grow and mature. This is an issue that adoptive parents should treat with respect and understanding.