ADOPTION-UKRAINE    Ukrainian adoption agency

                                                            Adoption in Ukraine  

How to adopt of the Ukrainian child  - Interview with Òamara Êunêî, the director of the centre of adoption of children at Ìinistry of Education of the Ukraine. (Note: At the moment Olga Parienko replaced Mrs. Tamara Kunko as Director of the National Adoption Centre in Ukraine. Two short closures at the NAC resulted in many families returning home without starting their adoption process. The Adoption Centre reopened November, 2002 to accept adoptive parents once again. How does this affect adoptions from Ukraine?  Expect delays in receiving your travel dates to Ukraine because of this restructuring.
New procedures that are being implemented have not been fully outlined by the NAC so expect changes even when you arrive at the Centre.)

In the beginning it is necessary to ask with an application to regional department of education with the request to give the conclusion about an opportunity be by an adopter. An adopter must to have a passport or any other documents stipulated by the legislation of Ukraine and confirming the person of the applicant . Additional necessary documents:

- Information from a  work with the indication of a occupied post and wages or copy of the declaration about the incomes authorized when due hereunder;

- A copy of the certificate about a marriage, if the applicant is  married;

- A medical conclusion about a condition of health of the candidate in adopter, given by state medical establishment (survey of venerologist, psychiatrist, ftisiatrist, general practitioner,druggist ; the data of the laboratory analysis of Vasserman, AIDS test).

For preparation of the conclusion about an opportunity to be by adopter, a department of education makes the certificate about results of survey of living-household conditions of the citizens of Ukraine, which have wished to adopt the child, with the indication of biographic data, structure of family, presence of native children, other information. The candidate put on the special account. Under the Ukrainian law a term of preparation of the conclusion - 10 days from the moment of submission of the application. Working life of the documents - 1 year from the date of their distribution.

The candidate in adopter,who has put on the account,to give a direction in state children's establishment, where the orphans live. The department of education is obliged to explain conditions of adoption, the rights and duties of an adopter.

The citizens of Ukraine can adopt the child from a boarding school located in any area, in all territory of Ukraine.

The age isn't limited for the candidates in an adopter.

The woman or man who is not got married, has the complete right on adoption of the child at presence of the appropriate documents (see above).

The minimal wages of the future adopter should not be less than established by the state.

The first acquaintance occurs not with a child, and with a questionnaire, where there are items of information about his(its) age, health, parents. Children till 18 years can be to adopt.

When an adopter has chosen the child and has adjusted with it(him) a contact, it is possible to prepare of necessary documents for a local court, where lives children. A court makes a decision about adoption of the child. If the decision of court is accepted in your advantage, it is necessary to wait for 30 days before to take away the child home, in case if somebody will submit the appeal.

( July 10, 2001 Waiting period after the court hearing in Ukraine is extended.    The official 10 day waiting period after the court decree is announced, has been changed to 30. We are advising parents to either arrange one parent to stay the entire trip in Ukraine and have the other parent return home (if both parents cannot stay for the entire trip), or have both parents fly home and one parent return to Ukraine to gain custody of their child after the 30 days expires. Since the waiving of this 30 day waiting period depends on the medical status of the child, it is unlikely to expect to have it currently waived in Court. The primary reason for the waiving of this waiting period is to allow the child to obtain medical intervention overseas, based on their urgent medical needs.)

The secret of adoption is private information only and to protect by the Ukrainian law.   

There is a concept of primary adoption, when the right to leave the child is given first of all to relatives of the child, irrespective of a place of their residing; to the citizens of Ukraine; by that, at which family the child already lives, which is adopted his(its) trustees and the one who adopts a two or more children (sisters, brothers), not breaking off their related connections.

Special information for Foreigners:

They can to adopt Ukrainian children in next cases - If children have not a good health (the list of diseases is authorized by the Ministry of public health services) or children who stand on the account more than one year and have not found the house in one Ukrainian family.