The Process at a Glance
Get Started!
Apply to WHAL
Submit Contract
Meet Your Coordinator and Develop Your Personalized Adoption Care Plan
Begin Compiling Your Dossier
Submit Your Dossier For Approval
Dossier is Translated and Reviewed by our Attorney in the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Dossier is assembled by the team at WHAL and presented to the Consular of Kazakhstan for approval.
Once approved....
Dossier Travels to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the Ministry of Education in Astana for in-country approval.
Parents receive regional assignment.
Parents are Invited to travel to the Republic of Kazakhstan and travel dates are received.
The WHAL Adoption Care Team Helps Parents Get Ready!
Prepared Parents will Travel to Republic of Kazakhstan.
Arrival in Kazakhstan and Meet our In Country Staff Who Will Facilitate the Completion of your Adoption!
You Will Visit Your Child in the Baby House or Orphanage in Accordance to the Country Law.
A court date will be scheduled to present your adoption petition.
Your In Country Facilitator Will Prepare You Each Step of the Way.
Your Dream Comes True! And
Another Family is Born!
Your In Country Facilitator Guides You Through the Exit Process.
Continue to Learn and Take Advantage of WHAL Education Opportunities
We Celebrate TOGETHER the expansion of your FAMILY!
Process Overview for Adoption from Kazakhstan
Adoptive Parents apply to WHAL to be accepted into the Adoption Program. Click here to request an application!
The Adoption Care Team reviews the application, references and conducts a phone interview with the prospective family.
Upon Application approval and contract signing, adoptive parents are sent the WHAL Kazakhstan Dossier Preparation Kit and the Adoption Care Kit. These extensive kits provide assistance with document collection and preparation and walks parents through every step of the international adoption process for the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Adoption Care Team will work with you to develop a personalized Adoption Care Plan. This plan will encompass suggested training based on your specific needs. The plan will serve as the blue print for preparing the family for international adoption and parenthood.
The Adoption Care Team will maintain regular contact with the family and assist in the dossier preparation.
About the Children
Kazakhstan children who have been registered on the regional and national registry for 6 months are available for international adoption. Kazakhstan children eligible for adoption live in institutions called Baby Homes (infants to 3-4 years old), Children’s Homes (4 – 7 years old) and boarding schools (older children). Children have been in these institutions for a fairly short time or since birth. The children are candidates for adoption for different reasons such as parental rights had been revoked due to the birth parents inability to care for their children, birth parents relinquishing their parental rights for economic reasons or abandonment.
The medical conditions of children available for adoption could vary from minor to serious depending upon their background such as parental alcoholism, narcotics, neglect, abuse, difficulty or risky birth histories. Some children may also suffer from bonding and / or attachment disorders. Children with correctable medical conditions, or health issues that typically will improve when the child is placed in an appropriate environment, are also available for adoption. The children in Kazakhstan orphanages have very good care, and are loved in Kazakhstan. Although these institutions are trying to give as much care and love as possible under extremely hard conditions, With Hope and Love Adoption Agency cannot guarantee against any emotional or physical problems that these children may suffer from. Kazakhstan authorities expect prospective adoption parents to familiarize themselves with these possible problems.
Adopting parents who have registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may receive information about adoptable children only after they receive an invitation from the Ministry of Education to travel to Kazakhstan. This is often called Blind Travel, or Blind Referral. Kazakhstan officials may not disclose information on adoptable children to agencies or other private citizens. Once the Ministry of Education issues permission for prospective parents to visit an orphanage, the adoptive parents and the facilitator need to travel to the specific region to meet a child. The agency will arrange transportation and accommodations near the orphanage where parents may stay. The orphanages are located throughout Kazakhstan.
Eligibility
Kazakhstan authorities request potential adoptive parents to be in good health, with no known serious medical conditions, which would affect one's life span, or ability to parent. Adoptive parents must have a clear FBI background check with no prior arrests. Married couples and single women may adopt from Kazakhstan. Eligible couples should be married for two years. There should be no more than about 45 years between the age of parent(s) and child. Older parents need to be open and prepared to adopt an older child(ren). US Immigration regulations require that adoptive parents be a minimum of 25 years of age. Divorced persons are eligible to adopt, there should be no more then two divorces per adoptive family. Adoptive parents must be able to travel and make 2 or 3 trips to Kazakhstan over a three-month period.
The Adoption Process
The Kazakhstan adoption process can be successfully completed in as little as 9 months. We work in several regions throughout Kazakhstan.
An approved home study, clearance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the completion of a foreign dossier and travel to Kazakhstan is required. After the dossier is submitted to WHAL and travels through all of the required steps in the U.S. and Kazakhstan, you will be given a Letter of Invitation to travel to meet a child.
Once the Ministry of Education accepts the Dossier, parents will receive assignment to a specific region in Kazakhstan. Typically 4 to 8 weeks pass before a letter of invitation is received allowing the waiting parents to travel to the Republic of Kazakhstan. In some instances this time frame may be shorter or longer. We encourage parents to begin planning their trip as soon as they are assigned a region.
After travel dates are confirmed, the Adoption Care Team assists the adoptive applicant in obtaining visas to travel to the Republic of Kazakhstan, packing and trip planning, and collecting the documentation needed for their embassy appointment and court proceedings. Additionally, families are coached regarding the steps involved in completing the adoption while in Kazakhstan and answering last minute questions about the parents trip to Kazakhstan.
Travel
Two or three trips to Kazakhstan are required for adoptive parents. The length of stay varies depending on the region and parents must be flexible. The first trip will be your bonding and visitation, and possibly court hearing. If there is a delay between the end of visitation and court, parents are allowed to go home and return for court. Both parents are required to attend the adoption court hearing. The second trip will be the court date or your final custody and exit trip if there is no delay getting a court date on trip one. After court, parents can again go home to wait for the mandatory waiting period for completion of adoption paperwork, which is 15 days. Once the waiting period has ended, a new birth certificate will be issued and a passport can be obtained. Kazakhstan is now processing their passports out of the country and the time frame is 1-2 weeks. Parents will be allowed to stay home until the passport has been obtained. Once this is completed, one or both parents can return to Almaty to begin the process of bringing their child home. During this last trip, your child will be evaluated at the International clinic and you will visit the US Embassy.
During the first trip, the prospective adoptive parents will meet our in country facilitator and their child or sibling group. The adoptive parents visit with the child(ren) daily for 14 days. The adoption process in Kazakhstan begins with this two-week visitation period mandatory for both parents. After spending two weeks with their child(ren), our facilitator will submit an adoption petition to the family court on behalf of the adoptive parents. After the court date the adoption is finalized and legal within 15 days. It then takes approximately two weeks to obtain the child(ren)'s passport and visa to leave Kazakhstan.
Each region has been well established and staffed with a facilitator, a translator and a driver. Adoptive parents are greeted in Kazakhstan by an English speaking WHAL facilitator. Internet connection is available in most regions we work in so families can telecommute and continue working from Kazakhstan during their stay.
There are many steps required to complete your adoption once you are in Kazakhstan. Our In-Country Team will handle every detail. Our team has completed hundreds of successful adoptions and will handle each detail of your adoption with professionalism and exact precision. You will be given step by step instructions for each phase of the in-country adoption; you will not be expected to coordinate or handle a single detail, including lodging (including a cook if desired), cell phones, or appointments while in country. You will be guided through the exit process, escorted to all embassy meetings, and all paperwork will be gathered on your behalf for signature.
Some regions may have staff that can escort your child to Almaty for the final trip. Please ask your Adoption Care Coordinator if you are interested in this option.
Meeting a Child
Once the MOE issues permission for prospective parents to visit an orphanage, parents and the agent may meet a child, check medical records and establish personal contact with a child. The agency will provide transportation and accommodation in the location near the orphanage; translate all medical records and interpret communications. If adopting parents would like to meet another child, they may have to go back to the MOE for another referral. After meeting the child, if adopting parents accept the referred child, they will begin a 14-day bonding period, which is Kazakhstan policy. At the completion of the bonding period, the in country facilitator will apply for the court hearing. Depending on what region you are in, you will either stay for court or come home and go back for your court trip about 3 weeks later.
Court Hearing
The judge's decision, in turn, will be based upon a review of various documents of each individual adoption case during the court hearing. For married couples, both adopting parents must be present.
The packet of documents for the adoption case is presented to the judge. As a general rule, the judge's decision is announced and issued the day of the hearing. However, the decision does not take effect for two weeks. During the two-week period, the adoption can be appealed, however this is not common.
Obtaining Travel Documents for Adopted Child
After the court’s decision is finalized, our facilitator on behalf of the parents will apply for the adoption certificate, the child’s new Kazakhstani birth certificate and the Kazakhstani passport based on the court decree. All these documents will include the child’s new name. Our facilitator will be present to assist you and coordinate every step of this process. In addition to the passport, the child will need a permanent Kazakhstan exit.
An adopted child must be registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Astana prior to departing Kazakhstan. Adoptive parents are not required to apply in person, it will be done by our facilitator upon a power of attorney issued by you. The MFA will stamp the child’s passport as proof of registration. Due to the processing time for the birth certificate, passport, Migration Police permanent exit stamp, and MFA registration (all of which must occur consecutively), you should allocate at least 10 days after the adoption is final.
Annual Report on Adopted Child from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has a requirement that all adoptive parents must have Post Placement Reports (PPR) submitted for their adoptive children. The first four reports need to be completed by a licensed social worker and reports thereafter annually provided by the parents. These first set of reports for post adoption months 5, 11, 23, and 35 must address the adjustment of the child in your family. Thereafter, reports must be annually submitted by the parents describing the health and well-being of the child until the child is 18 years old.
It is important to adhere to the exact requirements of the PPR, as failure to do so could jeopardize future adoption processing in Kazakhstan. The PPR should include 6 photos of the child, should be translated into Russian and sent to the Department of Education of the city or region from where the child was adopted.
With Hope and Love
Adoption Agency, Inc.
Specializing in Forever Families
Contact Us: (732) 688-7978 or info@whaladoption.org
