Step 1
The adoption process from Ukraine is broken into four parts. First you must gather and prepare all of the documents needed for your adoption. This includes obtaining criminal and child abuse clearances, spending time with a Social Worker as a part of a Home Study, obtaining reference letters, employment verification, birth certificates, approval from U.S. Immigration, etc. Once you have gathered your documents, you must prove that the signatures and seals on the documents are authentic. In most cases it takes at least 3 - 4 months to get through this part of the paperwork. Our agency will provide you step-by-step assistance through this process, with unlimited consultation and review.

Step 2
Next, your documents are sent to Ukraine where our staff translates your documents. They are then taken to the State Department of Adoptions (SDA) in Kiev (the capitol of Ukraine), an official part of the Ukraine government, to be processed and reviewed. As a part of this review, officials will read a letter from your family that describes the profile of the child you wish to adopt. Most profiles are very simple: "We would like to adopt a healthy child who is as young as possible." You may also request an older child, a child with specific special needs, etc. While processing times vary, it normally takes the Ukraine government 2 - 4 months to approve your family for an adoption. Our staff will receive a letter from the SDA inviting your family to come to Ukraine and complete your adoption. Ukraine changes its document submission procedures annually. dditionally, Ukraine limits the number of intercountry adoptions they allow each year, and can stop accepting applications for months at a time. This can lead to delays in having your dossier submitted to Ukraine, or a need to re-gather and legalize documents on multiple occasions.

Step 3
Our staff in Ukraine then asks for an appointment date for your family to come to Ukraine and adopt a child. In most cases you can travel to Ukraine 2 - 3 months after receiving your adoption approval letter from the SDA. Families normally have at least a month’s notice to plan their trip.

Step 4
The last stage is traveling to adopt your child. Your trip to Ukraine is normally about 4 - 6 weeks long, but you should be prepared to stay longer. 

Your first stop is a visit to the SDA. This usually takes a few days. There you will be interviewed by a staff psychologist and presented with profiles of available children. Profiles of both individual children and sibling groups are generally available. These profiles usually include several pictures, results of a basic physical examination (usually including Hepatitis and HIV tests), birth family information (when available), and information about the child’s development and daily routine. More boys are available than girls. Families wishing to adopt a younger child should also be prepared to consider a sibling group. Most children will have a special needs diagnosis of some kind, but many are essentially healthy. Our staff will help you interpret the information in the children’s profiles. 

After selecting a child or sibling group, you travel to the child’s orphanage where you spend a week or so with the child(ren). If you are comfortable with the placement, you proceed with adopting the child. This process usually takes about two weeks. uring this time, our agency can usually arrange for your child to receive an independent medical examination. If you are uncomfortable with the placement, you can return to the SDA and look for a different child or sibling group. 

After completing the adoption you return to Kiev to register your paperwork and to work with the U.S. Embassy to prepare documents to allow your child to enter the U.S. This takes a few days. 

Once you are home, our agency will help you integrate your child into the United States and to comply with post-adoption requirements. Ukraine asks for reports on the progress of adopted children periodically until the child is 18 years of age.

 

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