Are you thinking about adopting a child from Ukraine? You are not alone – in 2012 there were reported 395 cases of successful adoption of Ukrainian children to US parents. Ukraine is one of the most often considered countries by parents, who want to adopt a foreign child. The adoption procedure in Ukraine can seem a bit complicated in the beginning, but the more you look into it and the more organized you are, the higher are your chances of successfully adopting a Ukrainian child. Here is a short look at the most common issues related to the international adoption in Ukraine.
Legal grounds for adoption
If you want to find legal information regarding the adoption procedures in Ukraine, you can check the following laws and documents: Constitution of Ukraine, Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine, Family Code of Ukraine, Law on Citizenship of Ukraine, Resolution on Adoption #905. It is good to keep your finger at the pulse and check whether there were any recent changes to the regulations regarding child adoption in Ukraine. The last major change in the requirements and adoption procedure took place in 2008. If you want to be sure that your information is up to date and accurate, it is best to contact a Ukrainian lawyer or an agency specializing in international adoption.
The process of choosing a child
One of the biggest advantages of international child adoption in Ukraine is the fact that parents are not matched with a specific child, but can choose his future son or daughter based on provided photos and information. The biggest downside to adopting a child from Ukraine is the age limit for eligible children: the child has to be at least 5 years old and registered with Department for Family and Children for at least a year prior to the international adoption. There are few known exclusions from this rule, for example younger children, who have special medical needs do not have to wait for a year, but are available for international adoption immediately after being registered. You can also decide to adopt a group of siblings, one of whom is at least 5 years old, while the remaining one or two children can be younger. The parents, who are closely related to the adopted children do not have to follow the rule and can adopt their family members also if the children are younger than 5 years old.
Post-adoption obligations
The parents, who have successfully completed the adoption procedure are obliged to perform several tasks. In a special letter of commitment attached to the adoption dossier the parents agree to submit to Ukrainian authorities annual progress reports on the adopted child. They also agree to allow the child to keep his/ her Ukrainian citizenship until the child is 18 years old. The parents are also obliged to register the child with the Ukrainian embassy/ consulate in their respective country of residence within one month after the adoption is completed and they are obliged to inform the embassy/ consulate about any changes in the address of the adopted child.
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.
