Preface
Our family is in the process of adopting from Russia. When we first started thinking about adopting from this county, we had no idea where to start.
As of today, we are still in the early stages of our adoption journey. However, we have spent many months doing research into the process, and we'd like to share what we've learned so far with other people who might be interested in adopting from Russia.
Since we have not yet completed our adoption journey, it should go without saying that the information in this document may not be %100 complete or accurate. As we continue on our adoption journey, we will update and add to this article as we have more information to share.
Before you Start
If you've made the decision to adopt, and you're considering Russia, there are some things that you need to know in advance. As you have probably learned by now, adoption is not easy or cheap. Russia, it would seem, is one of the more difficult and expensive countries to adopt from.
Russian adoptions are difficult because of the government red-tape involved in the process, and because there is still a lot of distrust between Russia and the United States. There have been some sad, unfortunate incidents lately involving Russian orphans who were placed in American familes, only to become the victims of abuse or neglect. This has served to sour public and government opinion toward American adoption of Russian children.
Russian adoption authorities, in an attempt to prevent abuse and neglect, have tightly regulated the adoption process. Adoption agencies must be accredited by the government to work in country, and there are strict guidelines that must be followed by the agencies when handling an adoption, especially in the area of post-placement reports following the finalization of the adoption.
All of this tends to drive up the cost, and as a result Russia is one of the most expensive countries for an American to adopt from. Be advised that you will have to work through an adoption agency, and that all agencies accredited to work in Russia charge between $18,000 and $27,000 for their services. Additionally, you will have to pay between $15,000 and $25,000 for travel expenses and other expenses related to the adoption process. In total, a start to finish adoption from Russia will cost between $33,000 and $52,000.
Getting Started
Naturally, Adoption Agencies will tell you that the first step in the process is to apply to an agency, and for most people, this will be the first step. Choosing an adoption agency is critically important to the overall adoption process.
You may choose an agency that is accredited by the Russian government, or your may choose to work with
an agency that is not accredited, but is working under the umbrella of another agency that is.
Most of our research seems to indicate that it is better to work with an accredited agency directly,
rather than an umbrella agency. For an up to date list of agencies accredited to place children from
Russia, visit the website of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
http://www.russianembassy.org
As a part of your decision making process, you should make a list of questions for your prospective adoption agency. These questions should be thorough and should address any concerns you may have about the Russian adoption process. Contact multiple agencies with your list of questions. We did this by e-mail, but you may choose to make phone calls. Record and review the responses and compare agencies based on their responses. It is also advisable to ask for references from each agency you are considering and get in touch with other adoptive parents who have used these agencies in the past.
Unfortunately, not all agencies are as reputable as others, and there are many stories of people who have spent thousands of dollars with agencies who did little or nothing on their behalf. Therefore, it is of upmost importance that you take the time to do your research and choose the right agency the first time.
In our case, we proceeded with the homestudy before choosing an agency because we wanted to have more time to make our decision, while still moving forward with the adoption process. If you choose to go this route, make sure that any agencies you are considering will work with your homestudy provider.
Homestudy Specifics
The adoption homestudy process is perhaps the most critical component of the whole adoption process. It is a very comprehensive, and a very personal look at your home and family. During this process, the homestudy social worker and/or homestudy agency will determine whether or not you are qualified to adopt. Their decision and report will determine whether or not you can proceed with your adoption, and how many children you can adopt. The homestudy report will follow you throughout the entire adoption process, so this part of your adoption journey should be handled with care.
The first step of the homestudy process is to select a homestudy agency and make arrangements to use their services. Once this is done, they will provide you several forms to complete and assignments to do. Based on our experience, here is what you may expect.
All adults living in your home may be expected to submit to a police background check. Be sure to disclose to your social worker any arrests or criminal complaints in advance.
You will most likely be asked to provide a detailed list of all of the places you have lived and your job history, dating back ten years. You may find it difficult to remember this information, but take your time and provide as much information as possible.
You will need to provide detailed information about your income, assets, and your financial situation in general. If you do not have significant assets, you may be asked if family could assist you financially in an emergency.
You may be given a form to take to your doctor stating that you are in good physical health, that you do not have any contageous diseases, and that you will likely live long enough to raise your adopted child to adulthood. If you already have children, they will have to have a form completed by a doctor, as well. In short, plan on a doctor visit to have physicals completed for you, your spouse, and any children you already have. We were able to get this done for $58/person at a local walk in clinic.
You and your spouse will be asked to write a short autobiography. You may be given an outline to follow, and you will be expected to write about your childhood, your parents, your siblings, your experiences during your teen years, and your approach to discipline, among other things. You may be told not to share or consult with your spouse while writing the autobiography.
You will be asked to complete 10 hours of Haugue approved adoption training, and provide a certificate of
completion to your social worker. Here are two websites that administer the required training:
http://www.haguetraining.com/
http://www.adoptionlearningpartners.org
The most important part of the homestudy is the home visit, where the social worker conducting the study will come to your home and interview you and your family. In Texas, every person living in the home who is three or older will need to be interviewed.
To prepare for the homestudy, we cleaned our home thoroughly and straightened up the yard. While it is probably not necessary to do a "deep" cleaning, our home was overdue for this, and we took advantage of this opportunity to get it done. First impressions are important, so go the extra mile to make your house look nice.
More importantly, make sure your home is equipped with smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers. Make sure it is free of anything that might be dangerous to a child. Our social worker asked if we had any guns in the home. We do not, but if you are a gun owner you will probably want to make sure that your weapons are locked up and could not be obtained by a child under any circumstances.
The social worker will interview you and your family. Together, first, and separately afterwords. This is to make sure that everyone is on the same page about the adoption and that everyone is telling the truth.
The term "interview" is very appropriate. The interview with the social worker will remind you of a job interview, except that in addition to questions about your job history and work ethic, you will also face many hard questions about your personal life, your marriage, your relationship with your parents and siblings, your relationship with your current children (if applicable), your approach to discipline, and your ability to handle the unexpected. Our interviews lasted a total of two hours and covered all of these subjects and more.
After the completion of your home visit and the submission of all of the required paperwork, it may take two to four weeks for a rough draft of your homestudy to be completed. The homestudy will cost between $900-1700 to complete, depending on your adoption agency and the homestudy provider you choose.
Dossier Preparation
From this point forward this document will be based on our research rather than personal experience, because we are currently in the Dossier Preparation stage of our own adoption journey. Please check back frequently, as we plan on updating this page as we learn more about the process.
The dossier is a collection of documents about you and your family, with the most important of those being the completed homestudy. Different regions in Russia require different documentation.
Your agency will guide you through the process of preparing your paperwork and assembling your dossier. Many documents will have to be notarized and apostilled. Apostilling is a process whereby the Secretary of State in your state will validate the authority of the notarization on your document. Some agencies take care of notarization and apostilling for you, while others require you to do all of this work on your own.
Once completed, your agency will send your dossier to Russia, where their staff will translate all of the documents into the Russian language. Finally, they will submit your completed dossier to the Ministry of Education, the arm of the Russian government responsible for overseeing orphanages, children's homes, and adoption.
Waiting for a Referral
After your dossier has been received by the Ministry of Education in Russia, you enter the first waiting stage of your adoption journey. During the wait, you may be asked to provide additional documentation if it is requested by the Russian government or adoption agency workers in Russia.
The length of your wait will depend on many factors, including the age and gender of the child you requested, whether or not you want to adopt one child, or a sibling group, and your willingness to consider a child with special needs. Other factors may include the political situation in Russia, and the number of other families waiting on referrals. Different agencies place children from different regions in Russia, and each region has specific rules and requirements regarding adoption. Therefore wait times may vary from one agency to the next. These are all important questions to ask before choosing an agency.
It is the policy of the Russian government not to consider a child for International adoption until they have been made available for adoption by Russian citizens for at least 7 months. Therefore, it is not possible to adopt newborns from Russia, and on average children are at least 9 months old before they are available for international adoption.
There are more boys available for adoption than girls, and there are more older children available than younger. For this reason, if you are open to an older boy, your wait time may be much shorter than someone who has requested a baby girl.
The wait time can vary from a few weeks (unusual) to a few months (typical) to a year or more for those with very specific criteria. Once the Russian Ministy of Eduation has identified a child for you, you will be contacted by your agency with your official referral.
The Referral
The nature of the referral varies widely depending on the agency you choose and the region of Russia that you adopt from, as well as the orphanage where your child is residing. The information you receive from the agency can consist of little more than "We found a child for you", or it can include detailed information including name, age, pictures, videos, and medical records. This is an important consideration, and you should ask your prospective agency what you can expect from their referral process.
You should review your referral information carefully, and whenever possible you should submit any medical records and photographs to a doctor who specializes in international adoption cases. Sadly, many children in Russian orphanages are affected by fetal-alchol-syndrome and other serious, non-correctible conditions that may not be immediately apparent. It is vitally important that you take every resonable precation to make sure that your referral is as healthy as possible, unless you are prepared to take on the responsibility of a permanently disabled child.
After you have reviewed your referral you may choose to decline the referral, at which point you will return to the waiting phase until another child can be located. If you choose to accept the referral, you will be invited to take your first trip to Russia to meet the child.
The First Trip to Russia
Travelling to Russia (or anywhere outside the United States) requires a passport, so if you
do not have a passport, you and your spouse should obtain one prior to beginning the adoption process.
You can apply for a passport at most Post Offices. Be advised that you will need a birth certificate
that carries the official seal of the Secretrary of State in the state where you were born. If you
do not have your birth certificate, there are several websites where you can order an official copy,
or you can request a copy by mail from the Secretary of State where you were born.
http://travel.state.gov/passport - Passport Application
As you prepare for your first trip to Russia, you will need to get a Russian Visa. This is an official document from the Russian governement allowing you to enter their country. In order to get a visa you must receive an invitation letter from a business or an organization in Russia, and this invitation must be approved by the Russian government. Once you receive your invitation letter, you will need to send it, along with your passport and a Russian Visa application to the nearest Russian Embassy in the United States. The Russian embassy will examine your documentation, and will return your passport to you with a Visa installed. Your adoption agency will give you detailed instructions on how to complete this process. Some agencies may sponsor your invitation letter, while others may direct you to a website where you can arrange for your own invitation to be sent.
After you arrive in Russia, you will be met at the airport by a pre-arranged driver who will pick you up and carry you to your hotel. In general, most agencies do not include any travel expenses, including hotels, meals, drivers and other amenities in the cost of their services. You will be expected to pay for these items "as you go" and the cost will be substantial. Do make sure that your agency gives you a detailed itemization of the expenses you may incur above and beyond the fees paid directly to the them.
Your agency will assign a Russian facilitator to you who will assist you while you are in the country. The level and extent of this assistance varies widely depending on the agency you choose. Once you are in the country, you will be taken to the region of Russia where your child lives in an orphanage or children's home. You will be taken to meet the child and to spend time with him or her in the orphanage. It is customary to bring a small gift for the child.
As you visit with your child, you MAY or MAY NOT be asked to participate in his/her daily routine; feeding, potty, etc. You will probably have the opportunity to take pictures and video and spend enough time to start laying the groundwork for a relationship with the child, should you desire to do so. It is recommended that you submit pictures and video again to a US doctor specializing in international adoption, in case anything was missed in the medical examinations.
Your first visit to Russia will be about one week in length, including travel to and from Moscow to your child's region, time spent with your child, and some sightseeing. Your visits to the orphange will likely be on a schedule and for a set period of time, so expect some idle time spent in the country.
At the end of the week, you may be asked to make a commitment to adopt the child, or you may be allowed to return home to make the decision. This depends on how your agency operates. At this point, if you choose to proceed with the adoption, the agency will apply with the Russian court for a court date to finalize the adoption. You will return home and wait for the court date to be set.
The Second Trip to Russia
The wait time between the first and second trip can vary widely depending on a number of factors. On average, you may expect a wait time of at least six weeks. In some regions, the wait for a court date can extend to as much as one year. Check with your agency for more specific details.
Your agency will contact you once a court date has been assigned. You will need to repeat the process to obtain a new Russian Visa, good for your new travel dates. If your court date was assigned quickly, you may need to pay additional fees to expedite the processing of your Visa.
During your second visit to Russia, you will be given the opportunity to visit with your child again. You may be observed closely by the child's caretakers to see how you interact with him/her, and how the child interacts with you.
On your court date you will appear in court with your spouse, and your translator/facilitator. The adoption agency will instruct you in advance as to how you should dress and behave in the Russian courtroom. They will advise you as to the kind of questions you should expect and how you should respond. You will be questioned by the judge, who will also speak with a prosecutor who represents the Russian government, and a representative from the oprhanage who will give testimony of how you interacted with the child. You may expect questions on how you plan to parent the child, and why you wanted to adopt from Russia.
At the end of the court appearance, the judge will issue his decision, and if all goes well, you will be declared the parents of your adopted child. During the court hearing, you may be given the opportunity to give a new legal name to the child. Although the adoption will be finalized with the judges decision, Russian law requires a 10 day waiting period before the child can be taken out of the country. During the court hearing, you may ask the judge to waive this requirement, however this is not typically granted. Your agency will explain these matters to you in more detail.
At the end of your 10 day waiting period you will take your child from the orphanage and region of Russia where they have been living to Moscow. You will take your child to the American Embassy, where you will apply for them to receive an American Visa to enter our country. As a part of this process, the child will have to be examined by an American doctor, who will certified that they may enter the United States. Afterwards, you will be free to fly home with your child.
Given the typical 10 day waiting period, and additional time needed to travel within Russia, and to complete the process of applying for the Visas, you may expect the second trip to last between 10 days and three weeks.
Coming Home/Post Placement
We will not go into a lot of detail on this, as these topics are covered in great detail by the Hauge training that is a part of your homestudy. As you may expect, the home coming time is a time of great adjustment for you and your spouse, any children you may already have, and especially for your adopted child. Plan for an extended time of adjustment. Expected to be stretched and challenged. Be patient and loving with your child. Try to understand the shock they may be experiencing as they try to adjust to a new language, a new family, and a new way of life. Be prepared for tough times as well as good times. Everything worthwhile takes time.
One very important aspect of the adoption process is the Post Placement reports. These reports will be prepared by the social worker who conducted your homestudy, and will go into detail about how well your child is integrating into your family and the condition of your child in their new home. Russia requires post-placement reports to be prepared and submitted 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after the adoption is finalized. These documents will be translated into Russian and will be sent to the Russian Ministry of Education. Failure to submit your post placement reports can result in your agency losing its accreditation in Russia, which would in turn prevent other families from using their services. For this reason, most agencies charge a large deposit in advance which is refunded after your last post placement report is filed.
Some families choose to go forward with "Re-Adoption" once they return home to the States. Although the Russian adoption is legally recognized within the United States, parents may find that the Russian birth certificate and adoption decrees are confusing and difficult to use as the child grows older and enrolls in school or college. The readoption process allows you to have the adoption formally recognized by your state, and a new birth certificate issued. Your adoption agency can provide you with the details of how to accomplish this.
Some Final Thoughts
We hope you have found this information useful, and that it will help inspire you to adopt from Russia. There are currently over 700,000 orphans in the Russian system, many of whom have no families to call their own.
Please visit the rest of our website for more information on our own adoption process. If you have found this information useful, and you are in a financial position to do so, please use the donate link to send a small donation to help us complete our adoption journey. If you can't afford to make a donation, at least visit the websites of some of our sponsors on this page, as this will result in much needed income which will go directly to our adoption expenses.