Our Ukraine Adoption Program
Ukrainian Adoption Frequently Asked Questions
How old are the children?
Two years old and up.
How do I start the adoption process?
In order to start an international adoption from Ukraine, contact us and sign up for the program. We will assist you with everything from that point onward.
How long will the process take?
To a large extent, the overall time frame of your adoption depends on you. It is up to you to begin and complete a homestudy and apply for and receive USCIS clearance. Some families can complete their homestudy, dossier papers and USCIS clearance in a few months, but some take much longer. After submitting your dossier, the wait to travel to Ukraine depends on the age of the child: For children 2-6 years the wait time is 9-10 months, and for children 6-15 years old the wait time is about 1-2 months. For special-needs children, the wait time is about 1 month.
Who will help us during
our stay in the Ukraine?
Our associates in the Ukraine will accompany you every step of the way. You will be provided with translators, drivers, living arrangements, food etc. Our associates will be responsible for gathering, translating and authenticating all necessary papers for you and your child. They will help you with everything. You will never be alone during your stay.
How long will we
stay in the Ukraine?
Both parents are required to meet the child and attend the court hearing. After the court hearing one parent can go back to the U.S. if necessary. Families can decide to complete the process within one trip or two trips. If the family chooses to complete the adoption in one trip, they will stay in the country for approximately four weeks. If they choose to complete the adoption in two trips, the first trip will last two weeks and the second trip will last approximately 7 days. It is possible for only one parent to travel on the second trip.
Who can adopt from the Ukraine?
Married couples are able to adopt from Ukraine. Ukraine does not allow singles to adopt. Ukraine also requires that the age difference between mother and child be no more than 45 years.
Where do the children come from?
Children come from Orphanages throughout many regions in Ukraine.
Can I adopt more than
one child at the same time?
Yes, but only sibling groups.
How many children will be presented to me?
Parents will be shown paperwork on several children and they choose which one to meet. If they decide against adopting the first child, adoptive parents can submit a notarized statement requesting to meet another child. If the family decides against three children, they are not allowed to see more and have to return home and reapply to adopt.
Ukraine Adoptions Program Overview
Step One: Getting to
Know Us
The first step in adopting from the Ukraine is for you to request our introductory packet. After reading about our Ukraine adoption program, please contact our office to schedule a meeting with Diana Revutsky, our Executive Director, to talk more about your adoption plans. If you decide to join our Ukrainian adoptions program, please mail in the application form and the application fee and we will mail you our Retainer Agreement.
Step Two: Completing the Adoption Dossier and Homestudy
Once you sign up for our Ukrainian adoptions program, we will work with you on your Dossier, the paperwork required by the Ukrainian Government. We will guide you on how to get your papers notarized and apostilled and walk you through the process of adopting from the Ukraine. We take great pride in the personal nature of our program, which means you will receive help and support every step of the way. You will be assigned a dossier specialist who will help you through each requirement of the Ukraine adoption process. We will review your dossier and work with you to correct any issues. This is also a good time for you to apply for a current passport if you do not already have one, since the Ukrainian government requires that a parent or parents pick up the child in person (for more information, please see our Ukraine FAQ section).
In addition, you can prepare your homestudy simultaneously to expedite the process of adopting from the Ukraine.
Step Three: Adoption Dossier Heads to Ukraine
Once you have completed your dossier we will review it, then send it to Ukraine to be professionally translated and notarized by the Ukrainian equivalent of a notary public. Completing this process is required before your documents can be presented to the Ukrainian authorities.
Step Four: Waiting for your Travel Date to Ukraine
Once the translation is complete, the dossier is registered with the Ukrainian government. Depending on the age of the child, the wait for an invitation to travel to the Ukrainian National Adoption Center will have the following ranges: For children 2-6 years the wait time is 9-10 months, and for children 6-15 years old the wait time is about 1-2 months. For special-needs children, the wait time is about 1 month.
Once you have received a travel date, you will be sent a Travel Packet and we will help you through every step of the Ukrainian adoptions process, everything from suggesting a travel agency to helping you choose what to pack. Once you have received the travel packet, we will set up a travel meeting with you to go over travel information and the travel process.
Step Five: Traveling to Ukraine
You will travel to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, where you will be met by our associates, who will guide and help you throughout your stay in the Ukraine. When you arrive, our associates will have already coordinated living arrangements, food, transportation, translation and all other necessary services in the Ukraine adoption process. In Kiev you will have an appointment with the State Department on Adoption and Children’s Rights (SDA), who will present you with information on a few children who match your criteria. For more details regarding the length of your trip, please refer to our Ukraine FAQ -- “How long will we stay in Ukraine?”
Step Six:
Accepting your Child
After choosing a child(ren) you’d like to meet, you will then travel to the appropriate region. You will be accompanied by our coordinator/translators. The next day you will go to the orphanage to see the children. You will be given their medical records and other information to review. You will also have a chance to interact with them and establish the initial personal bond. In addition, we have a number of doctors who will travel with parents from Kiev to examine children and study their records. Each of these doctors have extensive experience working with orphaned children. All children have been tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and venereal diseases. You will not be required to accept a child at this stage of the Ukraine adoption process. When you have decided which child you would like to adopt, you will inform our associates and they will begin to put your child's papers together and arrange the court date. If you decide against adopting the first child(ren), you can submit a notarized statement to the SDA requesting to meet another child. In accordance with Ukrainian law, each family has the right to reject children a maximum of three times during their first trip.
Step Seven: Finalizing your Ukraine Adoption
While you get to know and bond with your child, our associates will be hard at work arranging the court date, traveling back and forth to Kiev, gathering, translating and authenticating your child's birth certificates, orphan papers, travel documents, court decree, etc.
Once your child's papers are ready you will be asked to appear before a Ukrainian judge to finalize your adoption. Both parents must be present. This process of preparing for and going through the court proceedings will take approximately two weeks. After the court procedures, there is a 10 day “grace period.”After the 10 days are over, the adoption decree will be issued, and you will go through the final steps of adopting from Ukraine. The last step will be to pick up your child's visa at the United States’ Embassy in Kiev.