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 | Guidelines for Adopting in Kazakhstan
by Libby Walch |
In 1998, international adoptions from Kazakhstan were temporarily suspended pending new adoption legislation. Now that this legislation has passed, many children are free to be adopted and become part of a permanent family.
Because Kazakhstan is operating under new adoption laws, there is a possibility that parents may encounter policy and procedural changes during the course of preparation to receive a child referral and the adoption process following referral. This may include, but is not limited to, changes in paperwork, legal processing and restrictions placed on the program by the foreign government. As with any adoption program, patience and flexibility are essential in adoption.
Who are the Children?
The children available for adoption include infants, toddlers, school-age children and some sibling groups. Most are of Asian or Eurasian ethnicity with some ethnic Russian children as well. Some of the children have physical handicaps, mostly correctable, and a number have a degree of pre-maturity in their birth history. Others may have difficult medical or social histories, i.e., family neglect, alcoholism in both parents and other issues. All of the children are classified as having orphanage delays and minor, correctable conditions.
Families who will adopt older children must be aware that these children have suffered some institutional and emotional deprivation during their life. The children seem to be well cared for with warm, concerned caretakers. However, characteristics of these children may be similar to those of any children with special needs stemming from lack of proper parenting, early loss or lack of attachment, a loss of personal history and genetic connection, geographical moves and the developmental delays that often result from such losses and institutional care. For families adopting children over the age of 10, the child must consent to the adoption.
It is common to have little background information on children. As long as Kazakhstan considers adoptions to be a closed process, this will be difficult to change. There are clinics in the United States where children’s information can be examined.
What are Parent Eligibility Requirements?
There is a minimum age restriction set by Immigration and Naturalization Service. You must be 25-years-old to immigrate a child to the United States. A maximum of 45 years of age difference between younger parent and child is the usual guideline. Childless couples need to be open to either gender, but can express a preference. There is no religious requirement. Single women are accepted. Couples shall have been married a minimum of two years. Families applying for a child from Kazakhstan should demonstrate a sincere willingness to get to know and appreciate the culture of Kazakhstan and be prepared to impart that knowledge and affirmation to their Kazakhstan child.
What are the Travel Requirements?
Both parents are required to travel, and one parent could return to the United States after attending the court hearing in Kazakhstan. The length of the trip can vary from three to four weeks. Families must travel to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, to process the immigrant visa for the child.
What is the Process and Timing of an Adoption?
Families apply to a program, then three sets of notarized documents (dossier) must be completed according to the Kazakhstan government. A child referral takes approximately two to six months, and can vary depending on factors such as specific child request, political and bureaucratic changes and unexpected delays. Parents typically travel eight to 12 weeks following child acceptance and submission of the dossier to Kazakh officials. It is important to remember that variations in estimated time frames are possible as Kazakhstan’s government implements new adoption legislation.
Administrative processing of the actual adoption occurs while the family is in Kazakhstan. The United States Immigration and visa procedures are completed in Moscow, Russia.
Kazakhstan issues the family a final decree of adoption of the child. After the child’s arrival in the United States, there is a post-placement supervisory period and finalization or recognition in the court of the family’s state of residence. Families are encouraged to send periodic reports and photographs. They serve as a critical part of all adoptions as they are translated and forwarded onto the foreign officials and orphanage directors who make international adoption possible.
Patience and flexibility are essential to working with this or any other international program. The adoption process, as well as communication and the concept of timeliness, is different in Kazakhstan.
Libby Walch has worked with MAPS International since 1997. She began working in the Kazakhstan program in 2000. She recently traveled to Kazakhstan and experienced the culture first-hand.
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