Ukraine is one of the most popular destinations for parents, who want to adopt a foreign child. The adoption process is regulated by Ukrainian law and conducted in the most optimal way in order to protect the rights of adopted children and their prospective parents. For this reason the adoption procedure can take from 7 to 16 weeks to complete, plus the time required to prepare the adoption documentation (dossier). The exact time needed to complete the procedure is difficult to evaluate precisely, because different regulations might apply to different cases and in different regions in Ukraine. However, the main stages of child adoption in Ukraine remain the same.
Receiving DFC acceptance and a trip to Ukraine
Your preparations for the adoption should start from completing the documentation required by Department for Family and Children. You should visit your local Ukrainian embassy or contact experts in Ukraine to receive more information about the required documents. After submitting the documents you will have to wait from half a month to as much as 2 months until the Department schedules your individual appointment. During the meeting at the DFC you will be presented with photos and detailed information about the children eligible for adoption. The DFC will issue a referral for you and you can travel to the orphanage to meet the chosen child. If you want to proceed with the adoption, you need to apply for approval of DFC and regional governmental body. You should also visit local court to schedule your hearing. It should not take more than 25 days to complete this part of the process, however an assistance of Ukrainian speaking legal advisor might be necessary.
Court hearing
Before the hearing at a local court you need to provide the judge will all documentation related to the case. Both parents should be present during the hearing, if there are important reasons for why one of the spouses cannot attend the hearing, the judge might allow the other parent to provide the power of attorney. The judge will make the decision based on reviewed documents and announce it on the same day. However, you will have to wait for another 10 days for the decision to become effective. During that time the court decree can be appealed. After the decision comes into effect you might want to apply for a birth certificate and ID for the child with your names as parents of the child. You will need about 15 days to complete this part of the process.
Applying for documents needed for immigration
At the last stage of the process you should return to Kiev to complete the adoption procedure at the Department for Family and Children. You should also visit a medical center to have your child examined. Applying for a passport and visa for the child might be necessary, visit your country’s embassy to learn more about the required documents. You should be able to complete this stage in less than 12 days. After arriving back home remember to register the adopted child at a local Ukrainian embassy within a month from completing the adoption.
Marta Gromadzka is a writer and editor with a wide variety of experience, including writing for websites internationally and editing books on many different subjects and in a variety of formats.
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