Adopting from Ukraine

Children’s Hope International is able to provide you with an opportunity to adopt from Ukraine through our Alliance Partnership.  Children's Hope will guide you through your homestudy and all paperwork preparation and your adoption will be finalized in Ukraine by our associate agency. 

This program is best suited to families who are very flexible about gender, age and health conditions. Usually you can travel to receive your child in about 5-12 months after your dossier (paperwork) is submitted, depending on your appointment with the Ukraine State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children’s Rights (SDAPCR). Other factors that are taken into consideration with the time frame are: age, gender and health criteria as outlined in your homestudy. Individuals adopting younger children under the age of 4 you may wait longer for appointments to travel. The SDAPCR is working with a record number of adoptive families recently coming to Ukraine. This influx of adoptive parents has stressed the Ukrainian adoption system somewhat and has lengthened the approval time once your papers reach the Adoption Center and can also lengthen your travel time if you want younger healthier children.

You select your child once you are in the country. Then after you have selected your child, you proceed with the adoption.

Your child is given a physical examination, including blood work, while in the orphanage. Once in country, if you think that you may want to adopt a particular child, his/her medical records and picture can be e-mailed or faxed to an international medical clinic in the United States so that the child can be further evaluated, or the child can be examined by an American physician in Ukraine. All of these evaluations will increase your time in country, however.

The conditions in the Ukrainian orphanages are usually good and the children are stimulated and well cared for, however this varies from orphanage to orphanage. Typical orphanage delays should be considered however and many of the children have not received proper nutrition during their little lives. Some orphanages are much better than others.

Children Available

Children 3 years and up. Generally most of the children are boys. The available children live in different regions, in orphanages, with facilitators and translators to assist, translate and accompany you when you travel to the regions. The ethnic background of most of the children available is Ukrainian or Russian-Caucasian, however, occasionally Gypsy, Tatar and Asian children are available.

The children must stay on a national database for 12 months allowing their own family members or other Ukrainian families to come forth and adopt them. After this period of time, these children will be available for international adoption. Sibling groups are sometimes available in Ukraine. The children are generally in good health, with the exception of some having minor special needs and some of them will be considered developmentally delayed due to time in the orphanage. Infants younger than 15 months can be considered, however their medical conditions must be listed on the National Ministry of Public Health Protection list for the registry requirement to be waived.

It is illegal by Ukrainian law for agencies to disclose information on specific children available for adoption to organizations or private citizens. You will be given medical and photos at the SDAPRC in Kiev, usually will be given about 1-3 referrals, and will travel to the region of the child to meet in person. This is a special program providing the family an opportunity to be able to interact with the child before the referral decision is made.

THE ADOPTION PROCESS MOVES RATHER QUICKLY IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT ORPHAN CHILDREN OVER 12. If You Wish to Adopt Siblings The fee for the second child is GREATLY reduced. There are sibling groups available, however, they will most likely be older groups. Ukraine does not permit the adoption of 2 unrelated children, unless parents submit two dossiers and make an additional trip or two to Ukraine for the second child as a separate adoption.

Have a question? Email our Eurasia Program Director at Andrei.Skurtu@ChildrensHope.net.