Adoption Process in Russia

Where to begin?

The first thing to do is find the child you're going to adopt. To do this, you will need to register with us by filling out our Registration Application.

This application will be used to register you as prospective adoptive parents; with it we are allowed to provide you with available information about children. As soon as you have found the child that you are going to adopt in our photolisting and upon your request we'll send you the Adoption Agreement. Upon the signing of the adoption agreement between you, the adoptive family, and us, we: -- take the child out of all photolistings; -- inform other interested families that the child is not available any longer; -- request the coordinator in the region to inform the orphanage that we are working with a family on completing the dossier for the adoption of this particular child. You will begin gathering your international adoption dossier. You can find more detailed information about this aspect by clicking on the link Dossier

We will provide you with a list of required documents and a packet of forms and help you fill them out. As soon as your dossier is completed, notarized and apostilled, you will send it to us. We will review, translate, and send it to our Russian coordinator who will take over the documentation stage of the process and monitor your case in Russia.

Adoption from Russia is expected to require two trips. On the first trip, the parents meet and get acquainted with their adoptive child, giving their agreement to proceed with and complete the adoption of this particular child; with this information the family writes to court. The time of the first stay in Russia is ten to twelve days, depending on the region. Then a request is sent to the Federal Bank in the Ministry of Education in Moscow, which is required to give an official answer within ten week days, plus weekends and time for delivery - thus we receive the answer in approximately twenty days. After the answer is received, all the required documents are turned into court, and the family is appointed a court date. This way, the adoptive family takes their second trip approximately within one (1) month.

On the second trip, the family attends court, receives a passport and a birth certificate for their adoptive child, and visits the American Embassy in Moscow where they get an American visa for the child. The length of the second trip is approximately ten (10) days.

In-Country Process

Upon arrival in the Moscow airport, you'll be met by one of our representatives. He/she will be displaying a sign "Adopt With Love" for you to identify. He/she will assist you with accommodations / hotel reservation (if needed), travel plans including transportation, translation along with any other needs you may have. Our experience has proven these additional services to be most valuable and provide our clients with peace of mind. Our coordinator will also schedule the appointments with the American Medical Center and Embassy in Moscow during the second trip. The process continues within the region where your child(ren) is located. There you'll be met by our "regional" coordinator and be given further assistance. The regional coordinator will provide you with the same services that were available to you with our Moscow coordinator. This portion of the adoption process is very critical and it is important to follow all instructions given by our regional coordinator.

THE COURT DECISION IS THE MAIN DOCUMENT WHICH STATES THAT YOU HAVE ADOPTED A CHILD AND STARTING ON THE DATE OF THE COURT DECISION THE CHILD IS OFFICIALLY A PART OF YOUR FAMILY!

After receiving the court decision you have to fly to Moscow (with the child), where you'll spend two days getting a medical clearance and a visa for the child. Our coordinator will make two appointments for you, one with the American Medical Center and the second with the American Embassy Immigration Department. The Moscow segment of the adoption process is also very important. IMPORTANT, MAKE SURE TO BRING COPIES OF YOUR LAST THREE YEARS' TAX RETURNS (FORM 1040, TWO FRONT PAGES).

Note: On October 12, 2000, Congress passed an international adoption bill that would confer U.S. citizenship on foreign adoptee automatically when they enter the United States as lawful permanent residents in the legal and physical custody of at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen. The Delahunt Child Citizenship Act of 2000 is now a law, and went into effect on February 27, 2001