Basics of Ukrainian Adoption

• Referrals of children are only given after arriving in Kiev.
• Currently, only married couples may adopt from Ukraine. 
• The basic process takes most families 12-20 months from start to home with their child or children.
• Currently, the adoption of multiple unrelated children at the same time is not being allowed.  However, there are many older sibling groups available.
• Independent adoptions are very common in Ukraine.  This is usually a family using a stateside person or company to assist with dossier and a Ukrainian facilitator.
• Costs for a Ukrainian adoption can range from $15k to $25k depending on number of children adopted, stateside costs, travel season, and agency or indy.
• Children in Ukraine are not available for foreign adoption until they have been registered for 14 months.  Since the majority of children are not registered at birth, the youngest available child is usually 15-16months old.  Most available children are older, 5-15yo.
  
• Photolisting is not allowed, nor are pre-travel referrals.  Occasionally the NAC will make special arrangements with a family for an especially hard-to-place child, an older child, a large sibling group or a sibling of an already adopted child, but this is very rare.
• More boys are available than girls.
• As with all international adoptions, no one can guarantee that you will adopt a child, but the vast majority of adoptions from Ukraine are successfully completed.

Basic Process

• Complete your homestudy and obtain USCIS immigration permission via I-600a application
• Compile your dossier and send to Kiev
• Receive dossier approval
• Receive appt date
• Visit Kiev to receive referrals
• Visit the referred child or children in the region
• Start adoption process in region or return to Kiev for another referral
• Paperwork is sent back and forth between region and Kiev until all is approved and ready for court
• Court where you will be granted custody of the child
• If the waiting period is waived, you will get the child's new birth certificate from the town of birth.  Then a Ukrainian passport from the capital of the region.
• On to Kiev for a Visa medical exam and then the US Embassy to complete the immigration process.
• Finally, home.
• If the waiting period is not waived you may either stay in Ukraine and continue bonding with your new child or return home and wait out the waiting period.  Then you complete the birth certificate, passport, and immigration processing.
  

Cost for average Ukrainian Indy Adoption

• State-side pre-adoption costs vary from $2500-$5000.  The biggest variables are the costs of homestudy and airfare.  In some states the homestudy can cost as much as $2500.  In others, you can use an independent social worker for as little as $500.  Airfare for a single parent during the winter months can often be found for as little as $650.  While airfare during the summer months can be as high as $1800/person.  Average pre-adoption costs are roughly $3500.

• Facilitator fees can range from $4500-$12,000 depending on the facilitator and what is included.  It is VERY important to get current reference and check out facilitators and state-side helpers.  Often you can ask for input from other families on FRUA.org's chat or several Yahoo groups.  Never take the opinion of 1 or 2 families as gospel.  Experiences, even with the same facilitator, can be very different.

• • State-side dossier assistance can range from free to $2500.  Again, check references and ask for the number of recent adoptions.

• When comparing facilitator fees.  Check to see if they include or don't include the following:
  

• Pickup and return to Kiev airport
• Basic accommodations in Kiev.
• Train transportation to/from regions
• Basic accommodations in the regions
• All adoption-required translations
• All adoption-required notaries and legalizations
• All adoption-required transportation both in Kiev and the region
• New birth certificate for child
• New UA passport for child
• Routine expediting fees to speed the adoption process.  These are "rush" fees for activities such as issuing a child's UA passport within a few days rather than the 60-90 days that are allowed for processing these requests.  These are not bribes.  Legally, a bribe is an inducement to do something that is illegal, such as forging medical records or parental relinquishment papers so that a child is suddenly "available".
  
• Facilitator fees typically DO NOT Include the following, but always ask so that there are no misunderstandings while you are in Ukraine.
  
  • Air transportation to and from Ukraine
  • Food
  • Gifts you may choose to give to other children, caregivers, host families, new friends
  • Tips you may choose to give translators, drivers, etc.
  • Additional costs for additional travelers over adoptive parents, such as children, grandparents, friends.
  • Translation for sightseeing or shopping
    
  • Transportation for orphanage visits with children
  • Clothing, etc for new children.  Most children leave the orphanage with little or nothing of their own so be prepared to purchase clothing, shoes, coats, necessities to last your child until you reach home.
  • Orphanage donation
  • New child’s US Visa medical exam in Kiev
  • New child’s US Visa
  •  It is a good idea to budget $3,000 to $5,000 for these items.  In my opinion, it is better to take more and bring it back than to not take enough and have to use Western Union to get more.
• Total costs for adopting 1 child, first piece of paper to home, will typically run $15-$20k.