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
Select Home study Agency and complete required paperwork
Home study completed by social worker and sent to WHAL for approval
Complete your Ukranian Dossier and submit it to WHAL
WHAL will submit your dossier to The SDARC in Kiev to begin adoption process in Ukraine
The SDARC processes the documents submitted by WHAL and enters them into their database within twenty working days
Once an application is approved, the appointment date and time are set up and all is ready for the trip
Arrive Kiev.
A WHAL coordinator meets you at the airport
Check into a hotel or apartment and receive a short orientation tour
Visit SDARC with WHAL coordinator and meet psychologist. Look at files, select child/ren to visit
Travel to orphanage city with WHAL coordinator
Visit orphanage, select child/ren (or return to SDARC if you prefer to visit other children)
Prepare paperwork for court hearing, set court date
Receive approval papers (from SDARC and official offices) for court
Court Hearing
Apply for new birth certificate
Apply for passport for child/ren
Pick up child/ren
Pick up new passport
Return to Kiev with child/ren
Translation and apostille for a new documents of child/ren
Medical examination for child/ren
Visit your home country Embassy (in some cases must be 10 days after court hearing), apply for visa for child/ren
Obtain visa and take flight home
Register you child/ren with Consulate of Ukraine
Process Overview for Adoption from Ukraine
Adoptive Parents apply to WHAL to be accepted into the Adoption Program.
Click here to request an application!
Ukrainian children who have been registered with the Kiev-based National Adoption Center for one year are available for international adoption. The one-year waiting requirement may be waived only if children suffer from a disease listed with the Ministry of Public Health Protection. Ukrainian children eligible for adoption live in institutions like child homes (infants to 3 years old), orphanages (3 – 7 years old) and boarding schools (older children). Children had been in these institutions for fairly short time or since birth. These children are candidates for adoption for different reasons such as parental rights had been revoked due to the birth parents inability to care for their children or birth parents relinquishing their parental rights.
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. 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 guaranty against any emotional or physical problems that these children may suffer from. Ukrainian authorities expect prospective adoption parents to familiarize themselves with these possible problems.
Adopting parents who have registered with the Adoption Center may receive information about adoptable children only after they receive an invitation from the Adoption Center to travel to Ukraine. Under Ukrainian law, Ukrainian officials may not disclose information on adoptable children to agencies or other private citizens. Once the Adoption Center of Ukraine issues permission for prospective parents to visit an orphanage, the adoptive parents and the agent need to travel by an airplane or a train to meet a child. The agency will arrange transportation and accommodations near the orphanage where parents may stay as long as 7 –10 business days. This orphanage could be located throughout Ukraine.
Ukrainian 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. Married and single people may adopt from Ukraine. Prospective adopting parents have to be of legal age (18 years old and older), and the difference between the age of the adopting parent and adopted child must be at least 15 years, although this can be waived if circumstances warrant. If a relative adopts the child, the age difference is not considered. US Immigration regulations require that adoptive parents be a minimum of 25 years of age.
Meeting a Child
Once the Adoption Center issues permission for prospective parents to visit orphanages, 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 should go back to the Adoption Center for another referral. After meeting the child, if adopting parents accept the referred child, With Hope and Love Adoption Agency will apply for the court hearing.
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, where adopting parents have to be present. The law states that adopting parents must attend the hearing. The Adoption Center has stated that this requirement will be strictly enforced following the recent resolution of the Supreme Court of Ukraine. For married couples, both adopting parents must be present. In cases where one of the parents cannot be present at the hearing due to a compelling reason, a judge may permit one parent to provide a power of attorney to the other parent.
The packet of documents for the adoption case is presented to the judge after being carefully examined by the Adoption Center. As a general rule, the judge's decision is announced and issued the day of the hearing. However, unless the judge grants an "immediate execution", the decision does not take effect for one week. Such waivers are granted only when there is clear evidence that a delay in executing the court decision is not in the best interest of the child (for example, damage to health). During the one-week period, the adoption can be appealed. Once the decision takes effect, the new adopting parents are granted parental rights and legal responsibility for the child.
Obtaining Travel Documents for Adopted Child
RAGS (Ukrainian Office of Vital Records) will issue a post-adoption certificate of birth for an adopted child based upon the final court decree and the original (pre-adoption) birth certificate only. Please remember that the pre-adoption birth certificate is not being returned to the adopting parents. The agency will copy and notarize it before handing it over to RAGS authorities. Adopting parents should make sure that there are no discrepancies in the spelling of names of the parents and children in the court decree. If noticed, please ask the court clerk to correct them immediately. Failure to do so may cause delays in issuing the post-adoption birth certificate and in authenticating Ukrainian documents.
Once the post-adoption birth certificate is obtained, the agency will apply for a passport for the child at the local OVIR (Ukrainian Office of Visas and Registration). The agency will present a written and notarized statement requesting that the travel document be issued. The post-adoption birth certificate, final court decree, and 4 passport-size photos of the child have to be submitted along with the statement. The new name of the adopted child in the travel document is spelled in English transliterated from Ukrainian. At the time the passport is issued, a special, mandatory stamp is put in it showing that the child is departing Ukraine for permanent residence abroad. It is called a "PMP-stamp" in Ukrainian. Although under Ukrainian law immigration authorities have up to 10 working days to issue passports or travel documents for adopted children, they are often issued before then, especially if the child requires medical care.
Annual Report on Adopted Child from Ukraine
The Ukrainian legislation requires that adopting parents provide the Ukrainian Consulate with annual reports on adopted child(ren). The adoption agency will send annual reports to the Ukrainian Consulate once a year for the first three years after adoption, and then once every three years until the child reaches the age of 18. The post adoption reports will provide information about living conditions and development and pictures of your family.
With Hope and Love
Adoption Agency, Inc.
Specializing in Forever Families
Contact Us: (732) 688-7978 or info@whaladoption.org
