Adoption of Ukrainian children by foreigners

There are more than 25000 of children living in orphanages in Ukraine. Of course, all of them want to find a carrying family and loving parents. Not only Ukrainians can give them such an opportunity to find home, but also residents of other countries can do. Fortunately, Ukraine is loyal to adoption of children by foreigners. This is not a simple procedure and it takes a lot of time and money. If citizens of other countries decide to adopt an orphan from Ukraine, they have to go through specific procedures regarding collecting all the necessary documents for submission.

Foreigners should know that only an officially married couple can adopt a child from Ukraine. Moreover, a husband and wife should be of the opposite sex, because child’s adoption by the same sex couples in Ukraine is forbidden. International adoption, according to the Ukrainian legislation, can take place only if there is no possibility for a child to be adopted by a Ukrainian couple and also if a child is elder than 5 years old. Of course, here are some exceptions: if a child has a serious medical diagnosis, if foreign citizens are relatives of a child and if a couple is ready to adopt a child together with his brothers and sisters, because in Ukraine it is not allowed to separate brothers and sisters and to place them to different families. This is possible only if one of children is seriously ill.

It also should be mentioned, that since 2012 a privilege to adopt a Ukrainian child have citizens of the countries that had signed an international agreement with Ukraine about adoption of orphans and children deprived of parental care.

The case about adoption of a child is disposed in court. The court can come to either a positive or a negative decision about adoption. The main role here plays material well-being of applicants, which has to be documentary confirmed with an employment confirmation letter, tenure documents and account statement. It is very important to cooperate with a professional attorney who will represent the interests of potential adopting parents. Moreover, in the majority of cases choosing a lawyer for a compearance is one of the main factors in winning the case.

The potential parents should provide full package of the necessary documents. Except an application for adoption and all the documents, that confirm material well-being of potential parents there should be also included:
– permit of the authorized body of the executive power, conclusion of competent authority of a foreign country about living conditions and a possibility to become an adopter;
– permit of a competent authority of a foreign country for a child to enter it and for his permanent residence on the territory of this country;
– obligation of the adopter to give all the necessary information about a child and opportunity to communicate with him (all documents must be notarized);
– marriage certificate of potential adopters, notarized with apostille or with consular office;
– documents about health condition of potential parents;
– documents about no record of convictions.

The procedure takes much time, usually from 1.5 months up to a year and also takes many efforts. Cooperation with a professional attorney will help you to study out Ukrainian legislation and lead you through the documents execution process and submission of documents to the court, and will make the result successful. A foreign citizen without knowladhe of the Ukrainian language will need to make a lot of efforts to translate the documents and study Ukrainian laws. In the majority of cases it will be better for the foreign potential adopter to rely on local Ukrainian lawyers, who are working in this specific legislation field and will make all the work for you.

Author: Kydalov Igor