Bulgaria Adoption

Bulgaria is a beautiful country located in southeastern Europe, in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. Bulgaria is bounded on the north by Romania, on the east by the Black Sea, on the southeast by Turkey, on the south by Greece, and on the west by Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, is located in the west central part of the country. The official language is Bulgarian. With a lower international fee and the fact multiple children can be adopted on one international fee, Bulgaria adoption this is a promising option for many families.

Bulgaria Adoption Program Information

• Until 2008, Bulgaria adoptions were at a halt, but with the new Minister of Justice and the latest changes in the Ministry of Justice office (MOJ), progress is being made.
• Prospective adoptive parents should have their complete dossier legalized with apostille, including the USCIS approval. The dossier will be sent to our Bulgaria adoption representative to be revised, translated and then presented to the MOJ, which is the Central Authority and receives all adoption dossiers.
• Next, the International Adoption Committee meets to review the applications of prospective families in our Bulgaria adoption program, in the order they have been filed; they look at the list of children available for adoption trying to make the best match according to each child’s needs.
• Children available for Bulgaria international adoption reside in state governed orphanages, and other supported institutions for upbringing and education of children deprived of parental care.
• Bulgaria is a Hague Treaty country.
• The International Adoption Committee (IAC) in Bulgaria reviews the applications of prospective adoptive families in the order they have been filed, and looks at the children available for adoption trying to make the best match according to each child’s needs. Priority is typically given to families adopting an older child (age 6-7 or older) and to families adopting a child with special needs.
• To adopt a healthy child age 3-6 years old, expect the total adoption process to take several years.
• IAC officials are currently processing Bulgaria adoption dossiers submitted several years ago.
• Bulgaria adoptions require 4 post-adoption reports; one report every 6 months for two years, each prepared by your home study provider.

Adoptive Parent Information

• Both parents must be age 25 at the time paperwork is submitted to Bulgaria; this means you can apply with CWA when the younger parent is 24½.
• One parent must be at least 15 years older than the adopted child.
• One parent must be no more than 45 years older than the adopted child.
• Parents must be married at least one year.
• There is no limit on the number of prior divorces.
• Families with more than 4 children in the home are discouraged from considering a Bulgaria adoption – unless they consider a child with special needs or an older child.
• Single women age 25-50 are accepted for Bulgaria adoptions.

Available Children for Bulgaria Adoptions

• Currently, the youngest available children without special needs are about 7 years old and older.
• Children with special needs are legally available at age 12 months and older.
• Children with special needs are typically children age 5-6 or older and with identified major medical needs, typically not minor medical issues.
• Most children are of Roma (Gypsy) ethnicity or Turkish decent, with dark skin tones. Prospective parents are not allowed to request ethnicity or skin tone, and must be open to all children of any ethnicity.
• Parents can specify gender preferences.
• Parents can adopt one child, siblings, or two unrelated children at the same time
• Children live in an orphanage; some in foster care.
• Children are available for adoption due to unwed motherhood, poverty, cultural acceptance of abandonment. Most of the children available for a Bulgaria international adoption were relinquished or abandoned at birth and have not been removed from the home due to abuse and neglect.

Travel for Bulgaria Adoptions

• The Bulgaria adoption process requires two trips.
• Parent must travel on first trip within two months of receiving the referral, or the referral is revoked.
• First trip takes about 5-8 days; parents visit the child in the orphanage for several days and then complete documents accepting the referral. Both parents are strongly encouraged to go on this trip, but it is possible to adopt if only one parent is able to go to Bulgaria and meet the child.
• Second trip: About 2-4 months after the first trip; only one parent needs to travel for about 5-7 days.
• While in Bulgaria, you will be accompanied by our English speaking facilitator.

Bulgaria Adoption Fees

• The Bulgaria adoption international fee is quoted in Euros.
• One international fee covers all the children you adopt, which makes this program very appealing and affordable for families wanting to adopt two unrelated children or a sibling group.
• If multiple children are adopted and they live in different orphanages, there is a small additional fee involved.

Post-adoption Reports and Re-adoption

All foreign countries have a specific process regarding the number and frequency of legally required post-adoption reports. Most families choose to use the same social worker that writes the home study to write the required post-adoption reports. Currently, Bulgaria requires that you submit 4 post-adoption reports, all written by a social worker. The first report is submitted about 3 months after your court date, the second about 9 months after court, the third at 15 months, and the fourth at 21 months. CWA’s post-adoption staff will be glad to work with the family and the social worker for directions and instructions on preparing these legal reports. These reports are sent to CWA for translation and submission to Bulgarian authorities. The Post-adoption Administration and Translation fee paid to CWA covers this service. Legal re-adoption is highly recommended for each adopted child, but is not a requirement when adopting from Bulgaria. Once home, your child automatically becomes a citizen of the United States. CWA’s post-adoption staff can help guide you on the re-adoption process, or check with your home study provider. Post-adoption reports and re-adoption are two issues to consider, to discuss with your home study provider, and to plan for in your adoption budget.

Estimated Expenses & Fees

For a list of all adoption expenses and fees associated with a Bulgaria adoption, please click here »

Note: Due to the nature of international adoption, all information contained on this webpage concerning Bulgaria adoption is subject to change without notice.