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| UKRAINE ADOPTION NEWS |
UKRAINE ADOPTION NEWS
UKRAINE ADOPTION NEWS
UKRAINE ADOPTION-ADOPTION IN UKRAINE
Important Notice to the Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine - March 05, 2007
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On February 25, 2007 the Decree #313, issued by Minister for Family, Youth and Sports Victor Korzh, became effective. This Decree
approves the Regulations on Acceptance of Adoption Documents from Foreign Citizens, an official document that describes current
intercountry adoption procedures and requirements of the central adoption authority of Ukraine - the State Department for Adoption
and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC).
REGULATIONS
On the order and conditions of acceptance of the documents from foreign citizens applying for adoption
1. These Regulations have been developed in accordance with the Family Code of Ukraine (with amendments), Order on
Registration of Children Eligible for Adoption and Prospective Adoptive Parents and Post-Adoption Control (approved by the
Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, further referred to as The Order), Regulations on the
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child , approved by the Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, for the purpose of organizing the work of the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights
of the Child.
2. These Regulations define the order and requirements for acceptance and processing the documents from foreign citizens applying
for adoption.
3. Foreign citizens, applying for adoption of a child (further referred to as Applicants), submit a written application about their
intention to adopt a child to the SDAPRC.
Applicant’s full address must be indicated in the application. Email addresses, if available, and phone numbers should also be
included.
The following documents must be part of the adoption application (dossier) submitted to the SDAPRC :
1.Application for the SDAPRC with the request to be registered as prospective adopting parents.
2.Proof of income: a statement from the adopting parents’ employer indicating salary or a copy of W-2 forms or tax returns. To
avoid confusion, please do NOT copy blank pages of tax returns.
3.Copy of the marriage certificate (if applicable).
4.Medical form.
5.Notarized consent for adoption from a second adopting parent, if only one of the parents will be adopting the child.
6."No criminal record" statement supplied by a competent authority at the state level for each adopting parent, attesting that he or
she has no criminal record. Statements from the city or county level are not accepted by the Ukrainian authorities. If the criminal
background check statement is issued by the local sheriff/police office (not state authorities), it should clearly indicate that each
prospective adopting parent has no criminal record in the state of his or her residence.
7.Home Study, issued by a competent authority in the adopting parents’ country, attesting to their eligibility, specifying their housing
and living conditions, containing their curriculum vitae, presence of biological children and other information. If a home study is
issued by a non-governmental entity (a private agency or social worker), a copy of the license authorizing this entity to conduct pre-
adoption reviews must be attached.
8.Entrance and permanent residence permit for the adopted child, issued by the competent authority in the adopting parents‘
country. For American citizens, the Form I-171H, Notice of Approval of Advance Processing, issued by the United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) serves as this document.
9.Copies of the passports or other identification papers of prospective adopting parents.
10. Commitment to register their adopted child with the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate in their new home country within one
month of the completion of the adoption. Adopting parents also agree to supply information about the adopted child’s living
conditions and educational progress to the Ukrainian consular office at least annually during the first 3 years following the adoption.
Under Ukrainian law, an adopted child remains a Ukrainian citizen until age 18, at which time the child can decide whether or not to
remain a Ukrainian citizen.
All documents must be legalized (in the case of U.S. documents, those submitted to the Ukrainian government/court must bear the
seal of the issuing office and an apostille affixed by the state’s Secretary of State (an apostille is a special seal applied to a
document to certify that a document is a true copy of an original). All documents should also be accompanied by English translations.
In addition to these documents, according to the requirements of Article 252 of the Civil Procedural Code of
Ukraine, prospective adoptive parents may submit the documents to confirm that they own a residence, or have a
rental agreement.
4. The application for adoption and enclosed documents (adoption dossier) should be submitted in person either by a foreign citizen
or by the person authorized by a foreign citizen to act on their behalf.
5. The SDAPRC accepts new adoption dossiers four times a week: on Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 pm, on Tuesday and
Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm. The SDAPRC plans to dedicate one of these days to acceptance of the U.S. dossiers only. The
Embassy will provide further information on this as it becomes available.
Each Applicant’s representative (adoption facilitator) can submit only one dossier at a time.
6. The total number of adoption dossiers accepted by SDAPRC should be defined every year by November 20, based on the
average numbers of adoptions to each country during the most recent five years, and taking into account the compliance rate with
post adoption reporting requirements. The total number of the dossiers, which can be accepted by the SDAPRC by the end of 2007,
will be defined by the SDAPRC within a ten-day period after this Decree's official registration, based on the adoption numbers for
each foreign country for the years 2001-2005.
7. The Applicant must present a passport or other identification document while submitting the dossier. The Applicant’s
representative (adoption facilitator) must present a passport or another identification document and the Power of Attorney to
perform adoption-related actions; other representatives should present a special letter
8. During submission of the documents, the SDAPRC checks the dossiers for completeness, without checking each document for
correctness at this stage.
9. Each dossier must be submitted in a separate folder. On the outer side of the folder please indicate the country of residence, full
names of prospective adoptive parents. Please indicate the list of documents being submitted on the inner side of the folder.
Each document should have the consecutive number, written in pencil on the top right corner.
A copy of the Power of Attorney and passport of the local facilitator named on the Power of Attorney should be added to the dossier.
10. The dossiers from U.S. adoptive parents should be submitted in red folders.
11. If a dossier does not comply with any of the requirements indicated in sections 9 and 10 above, it will not be registered and will
be returned to the local representative without being checked. New dossiers arriving by mail will not be accepted by the SDAPRC,
neither will they be returned to the senders.
12. Upon accepting the dossier it is registered in the log book for dossiers of foreign citizens. The date stamp and registration
number are stamped on the application. The same can be indicated on the application’s copy, if requested by a representative of
adoptive parents.
13. The SDAPRC will check the dossier within 20 working days. If the dossier conforms to all paperwork requirements, the SDAPRC
registers the Applicants as prospective adoptive parents, recording their data. If a dossier is not registered, the Applicants will be
sent a detailed response along with the dossier. Documents submitted to the SDAPRC by a representative of the Applicants
(facilitator) are returned without a copy of a Power of Attorney, facilitator’s passport or the special letter. The response and
documents can be picked up at the SDAPRC by a local facilitator by presenting valid identification and Power of Attorney.
14. The Applicants (adoptive parents) submit their dossier to the SDAPRC taking into account that all documents are considered
valid for one year, unless there is another term of validity established by the law of the foreign country, where the document is
issued (the only exception for the U.S. documents is I-171H or I-797C Approval Notices, considered valid for 18 months from the I-
600A approval date). All documents submitted in the adoption dossier must remain valid for at least another six months from the
date they are submitted to the SDAPRC.
The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved by
the SDAPRC.
15. The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved
by the SDAPRC. A written invitation is mailed provided the documents in the dossier will remain valid for at least another month
from the date of the prospective adoptive parent’s appointment at the SDAPRC. In that case, the written invitation is not mailed and,
upon expiration of the documents, the dossier is de-registered according to the current procedure.
16. Adoptive parents who fail to appear for their appointment with the SDAPRC without a good reason can receive another
appointment no sooner than in four months, provided the documents remain valid.
The SDAPRC provides the prospective adoptive parents with information on the children eligible for intercountry adoption. If
adoptive parents wish to adopt more than one child, they will be shown applications of sibling groups. Upon receipt of the
information regarding a specific child (children), the adoptive parents can meet and establish contact with the child (children). There
is a special referral, issued by the SDAPRC, which gives permission for the adoptive parents to meet the child (children) in the
presence of a representative from the local Children’s Services Office. The referral is valid for ten days from the issuance date.
If the adoptive parents do not bond with the first child, they can request a second referral. If, however, the second referral is turned
down by the prospective adoptive parents, the SDAPRC and the prospective adoptive parents can request a third appointment which
cannot be scheduled until after six months, provided the documents remain valid. When prospective adoptive parents decide not to
adopt any children, they must return their original dossier back to the SDAPRC.
17. After establishing a personal contact with the child and receiving the concurrence letter from the local Children’s Services Office,
the foreign citizens apply to the SDAPRC to request consent for the court. The SDAPRC has five working days to consider the
application and issue consent for the court. In case of refusal, the SDAPRC will provide a written detailed explanation.
Ludmyla Volynets
Director
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child
The full text of this document in Ukrainian is available at: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=z0128-07
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On February 25, 2007 the Decree #313, issued by Minister for Family, Youth and Sports Victor Korzh, became effective. This Decree
approves the Regulations on Acceptance of Adoption Documents from Foreign Citizens, an official document that describes current
intercountry adoption procedures and requirements of the central adoption authority of Ukraine - the State Department for Adoption
and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC).
REGULATIONS
On the order and conditions of acceptance of the documents from foreign citizens applying for adoption
1. These Regulations have been developed in accordance with the Family Code of Ukraine (with amendments), Order on
Registration of Children Eligible for Adoption and Prospective Adoptive Parents and Post-Adoption Control (approved by the
Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, further referred to as The Order), Regulations on the
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child , approved by the Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, for the purpose of organizing the work of the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights
of the Child.
2. These Regulations define the order and requirements for acceptance and processing the documents from foreign citizens applying
for adoption.
3. Foreign citizens, applying for adoption of a child (further referred to as Applicants), submit a written application about their
intention to adopt a child to the SDAPRC.
Applicant’s full address must be indicated in the application. Email addresses, if available, and phone numbers should also be
included.
The following documents must be part of the adoption application (dossier) submitted to the SDAPRC :
1.Application for the SDAPRC with the request to be registered as prospective adopting parents.
2.Proof of income: a statement from the adopting parents’ employer indicating salary or a copy of W-2 forms or tax returns. To
avoid confusion, please do NOT copy blank pages of tax returns.
3.Copy of the marriage certificate (if applicable).
4.Medical form.
5.Notarized consent for adoption from a second adopting parent, if only one of the parents will be adopting the child.
6."No criminal record" statement supplied by a competent authority at the state level for each adopting parent, attesting that he or
she has no criminal record. Statements from the city or county level are not accepted by the Ukrainian authorities. If the criminal
background check statement is issued by the local sheriff/police office (not state authorities), it should clearly indicate that each
prospective adopting parent has no criminal record in the state of his or her residence.
7.Home Study, issued by a competent authority in the adopting parents’ country, attesting to their eligibility, specifying their housing
and living conditions, containing their curriculum vitae, presence of biological children and other information. If a home study is
issued by a non-governmental entity (a private agency or social worker), a copy of the license authorizing this entity to conduct pre-
adoption reviews must be attached.
8.Entrance and permanent residence permit for the adopted child, issued by the competent authority in the adopting parents‘
country. For American citizens, the Form I-171H, Notice of Approval of Advance Processing, issued by the United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS) serves as this document.
9.Copies of the passports or other identification papers of prospective adopting parents.
10. Commitment to register their adopted child with the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate in their new home country within one
month of the completion of the adoption. Adopting parents also agree to supply information about the adopted child’s living
conditions and educational progress to the Ukrainian consular office at least annually during the first 3 years following the adoption.
Under Ukrainian law, an adopted child remains a Ukrainian citizen until age 18, at which time the child can decide whether or not to
remain a Ukrainian citizen.
All documents must be legalized (in the case of U.S. documents, those submitted to the Ukrainian government/court must bear the
seal of the issuing office and an apostille affixed by the state’s Secretary of State (an apostille is a special seal applied to a
document to certify that a document is a true copy of an original). All documents should also be accompanied by English translations.
In addition to these documents, according to the requirements of Article 252 of the Civil Procedural Code of
Ukraine, prospective adoptive parents may submit the documents to confirm that they own a residence, or have a
rental agreement.
4. The application for adoption and enclosed documents (adoption dossier) should be submitted in person either by a foreign citizen
or by the person authorized by a foreign citizen to act on their behalf.
5. The SDAPRC accepts new adoption dossiers four times a week: on Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 pm, on Tuesday and
Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm. The SDAPRC plans to dedicate one of these days to acceptance of the U.S. dossiers only. The
Embassy will provide further information on this as it becomes available.
Each Applicant’s representative (adoption facilitator) can submit only one dossier at a time.
6. The total number of adoption dossiers accepted by SDAPRC should be defined every year by November 20, based on the
average numbers of adoptions to each country during the most recent five years, and taking into account the compliance rate with
post adoption reporting requirements. The total number of the dossiers, which can be accepted by the SDAPRC by the end of 2007,
will be defined by the SDAPRC within a ten-day period after this Decree's official registration, based on the adoption numbers for
each foreign country for the years 2001-2005.
7. The Applicant must present a passport or other identification document while submitting the dossier. The Applicant’s
representative (adoption facilitator) must present a passport or another identification document and the Power of Attorney to
perform adoption-related actions; other representatives should present a special letter
8. During submission of the documents, the SDAPRC checks the dossiers for completeness, without checking each document for
correctness at this stage.
9. Each dossier must be submitted in a separate folder. On the outer side of the folder please indicate the country of residence, full
names of prospective adoptive parents. Please indicate the list of documents being submitted on the inner side of the folder.
Each document should have the consecutive number, written in pencil on the top right corner.
A copy of the Power of Attorney and passport of the local facilitator named on the Power of Attorney should be added to the dossier.
10. The dossiers from U.S. adoptive parents should be submitted in red folders.
11. If a dossier does not comply with any of the requirements indicated in sections 9 and 10 above, it will not be registered and will
be returned to the local representative without being checked. New dossiers arriving by mail will not be accepted by the SDAPRC,
neither will they be returned to the senders.
12. Upon accepting the dossier it is registered in the log book for dossiers of foreign citizens. The date stamp and registration
number are stamped on the application. The same can be indicated on the application’s copy, if requested by a representative of
adoptive parents.
13. The SDAPRC will check the dossier within 20 working days. If the dossier conforms to all paperwork requirements, the SDAPRC
registers the Applicants as prospective adoptive parents, recording their data. If a dossier is not registered, the Applicants will be
sent a detailed response along with the dossier. Documents submitted to the SDAPRC by a representative of the Applicants
(facilitator) are returned without a copy of a Power of Attorney, facilitator’s passport or the special letter. The response and
documents can be picked up at the SDAPRC by a local facilitator by presenting valid identification and Power of Attorney.
14. The Applicants (adoptive parents) submit their dossier to the SDAPRC taking into account that all documents are considered
valid for one year, unless there is another term of validity established by the law of the foreign country, where the document is
issued (the only exception for the U.S. documents is I-171H or I-797C Approval Notices, considered valid for 18 months from the I-
600A approval date). All documents submitted in the adoption dossier must remain valid for at least another six months from the
date they are submitted to the SDAPRC.
The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved by
the SDAPRC.
15. The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved
by the SDAPRC. A written invitation is mailed provided the documents in the dossier will remain valid for at least another month
from the date of the prospective adoptive parent’s appointment at the SDAPRC. In that case, the written invitation is not mailed and,
upon expiration of the documents, the dossier is de-registered according to the current procedure.
16. Adoptive parents who fail to appear for their appointment with the SDAPRC without a good reason can receive another
appointment no sooner than in four months, provided the documents remain valid.
The SDAPRC provides the prospective adoptive parents with information on the children eligible for intercountry adoption. If
adoptive parents wish to adopt more than one child, they will be shown applications of sibling groups. Upon receipt of the
information regarding a specific child (children), the adoptive parents can meet and establish contact with the child (children). There
is a special referral, issued by the SDAPRC, which gives permission for the adoptive parents to meet the child (children) in the
presence of a representative from the local Children’s Services Office. The referral is valid for ten days from the issuance date.
If the adoptive parents do not bond with the first child, they can request a second referral. If, however, the second referral is turned
down by the prospective adoptive parents, the SDAPRC and the prospective adoptive parents can request a third appointment which
cannot be scheduled until after six months, provided the documents remain valid. When prospective adoptive parents decide not to
adopt any children, they must return their original dossier back to the SDAPRC.
17. After establishing a personal contact with the child and receiving the concurrence letter from the local Children’s Services Office,
the foreign citizens apply to the SDAPRC to request consent for the court. The SDAPRC has five working days to consider the
application and issue consent for the court. In case of refusal, the SDAPRC will provide a written detailed explanation.
Ludmyla Volynets
Director
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child
The full text of this document in Ukrainian is available at: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=z0128-07
Parliament. This process can take at least one week. This bill introduces the following major changes to current Ukrainian legislation:
- The minimum age of prospective adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old;
- The maximum age difference between adoptive parents and adopted children cannot exceed 45 years;
- Unmarried foreign citizens cannot adopt Ukrainian children.
The final text of this bill will be available after its official publication.
- The minimum age of prospective adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old;
- The maximum age difference between adoptive parents and adopted children cannot exceed 45 years;
- Unmarried foreign citizens cannot adopt Ukrainian children.
The final text of this bill will be available after its official publication.
March 26,2007
On February 24, 2007 the State Department for Adoption and Protection of the Rights of the Child (SDAPRC) issued the Decree
from the U.S. for calendar year 2007. This number was arrived at using a complex mathematical formula devised by the SDAPRC.
The U.S. remains on top of the list of foreign countries adopting from Ukraine, followed by Italy (494 dossiers) and Spain (380
dossiers).
On February 24, 2007 the State Department for Adoption and Protection of the Rights of the Child (SDAPRC) issued the Decree
from the U.S. for calendar year 2007. This number was arrived at using a complex mathematical formula devised by the SDAPRC.
The U.S. remains on top of the list of foreign countries adopting from Ukraine, followed by Italy (494 dossiers) and Spain (380
dossiers).
On March 20, 2007 the SDAPRC Director Ludmyla Volynets, her First Deputy Ludmyla Balym, Deputy Director Inna Savchuk and
Currently, the SDAPRC is not accepting any new dossiers from foreign citizens. Dossiers that have already been submitted are
According to the SDAPRC, this temporary suspension will last until April 16, 2007. The suspension will not affect the adoptive
families with scheduled appointments.
The Embassy has discussed the situation with senior officials at the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports, and we remain in regular
contact with them. At this point, we are not aware of any pending changes in policy. However, the situation remains fluid and we
will continue to monitor it.
We will provide further updates when possible.
Currently, the SDAPRC is not accepting any new dossiers from foreign citizens. Dossiers that have already been submitted are
According to the SDAPRC, this temporary suspension will last until April 16, 2007. The suspension will not affect the adoptive
families with scheduled appointments.
The Embassy has discussed the situation with senior officials at the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports, and we remain in regular
contact with them. At this point, we are not aware of any pending changes in policy. However, the situation remains fluid and we
will continue to monitor it.
We will provide further updates when possible.
Overseas Orphan Investigation").
The new version, which went into effect on October 30, 2006, requires Consular Officers to confirm that the
approved I-600, as appropriate for age, gender, special needs, number of children, etc. Therefore, in order for an
I-600 to be approved and an immigrant visa be issued, the child must meet the eligibility to adopt criteria as
recommended in the home study.
A home study report does not have to set such limitations, but if there are any, the adopted child must meet all
these criteria. For example, if a family is approved for adoption of an infant child, they cannot receive an
immigrant visa for a five-year old adopted child without USCIS authorization. Even though each case can be
considered on its individual merits, any significant discrepancies (e.g., age difference over one year) may mean
that the family needs to obtain an amended USCIS approval.
Given that Ukraine does not allow pre-selection of children eligible for intercountry adoption, most American prospective adoptive
child(ren). American families adopting from Ukraine are often compelled by the Government of Ukraine to accept a child or
children of the age, gender and health condition different from that specified in their home study. We strongly recommend that
such adoptive parents initiate the process of obtaining an amended USCIS approval as early as possible. To do so, adoptive
parents first have to obtain an addendum to their home study from their agency or social worker, which then should be submitted
to the appropriate USCIS office. Only after the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv receives an amended approval notice (or Visas 37 cable)
from USCIS will the Embassy be able to process an immigrant visa for the adopted child.
Questions regarding this information may be addressed to the U.S Embassy in Kyiv.
| Sunshine International Adoption Agency A licensed Ohio International Adoption Agency 17601 West 130th Street Suite 4,North Royalton, Ohio 44133 Call 1-440-582-5780 |
children by foreigners. He proposes the VRU to cancel norm of the law forbidding not married foreigners and
“Such restriction concerning foreigners, submitted by the VRU, does not correspond to the Convention on children
rights, participant of which Ukraine is,” the President noted.
Moreover, the President informed that “now Ukraine is prepared for joining Hague Convention 1993 on
international adoption that foresees for foreigners national regime.”
“Ukraine is also negotiating on bilateral treaties on adoption with Italy and Israel.
The law on adoption is one of those 53 laws adopted by the VRU in May and approved by the parlaiemnt on may 24,
2007.
That would allow singles and families who are age 45-60 to adopt and the law would not even be considered again
this year.
“Such restriction concerning foreigners, submitted by the VRU, does not correspond to the Convention on children
rights, participant of which Ukraine is,” the President noted.
Moreover, the President informed that “now Ukraine is prepared for joining Hague Convention 1993 on
international adoption that foresees for foreigners national regime.”
“Ukraine is also negotiating on bilateral treaties on adoption with Italy and Israel.
The law on adoption is one of those 53 laws adopted by the VRU in May and approved by the parlaiemnt on may 24,
2007.
That would allow singles and families who are age 45-60 to adopt and the law would not even be considered again
this year.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Increase Effective July 30, 2007 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will raise their application fees on July 30, 2007. As a result, adoptive families will face higher fees for their applications. "This rule is effective July 30, 2007. Applications or petitions mailed, postmarked, or otherwise filed, on or after July 30, 2007 must include the new fee" (U.S. Federal Register, May 30, 2007 p. 29851). Fees Increases Affecting Adopting Families As of July 30, 2007 I-600A: $670 Fingerprints: $80 I-824: $340 N-600K: $460 |
On April 16, 2007 the State Department for Adoptions and Protection of the Rights of the Child resumed acceptance
of new adoption applications from U.S. citizens. All the rules and requirements have remained in place.
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