Kazakhstan Adoption
Kazakhstan Adoption Program
Kazakhstan has a reputation of providing excellent care to its orphans with orphanages and caregivers that offer better living conditions, a better atmosphere, and lots of love and attention. The wait for a trip to your region may be about 3-5 months after your dossier is received in-country. Parents may adopt one child or siblings. Currently, a Kazakhstan adoption can take 10-12 months from the time you submit your application with CWA until the child is home.
Children in the Kazakhstan Adoption Program
Children are of Asian, Eurasian and Caucasian descent. Parents can choose to adopt a child of any ethnic heritage. Children are legally available for international adoption from age 6 months and up, and parents can expect to bring home a child at 12 months of age and older. The age of child can vary depending on regional availability. While in Kazakhstan, families considering a child have five business days to contact the physician of their choice in the US to receive the child’s health status, medical results, etc. CWA strongly recommends adoptive parents consult with a physician that specializes in international adoption. We offer a reference list of such physicians to all clients.
Kazakhstan Adoption Parent Eligibility
Parents must be between 25 and 50 years of age, and only one parent must be a U.S. citizen. If both parents are age 25-46, it is possible to adopt an available child of any age. If either parent is age 47-50, they can adopt a child age 4 or older. Approval to adopt is determined on a case-by-case basis by Kazakh officials based on your home study. Married couples and single women are eligible to adopt. Single women must be at least 16 years older than the adopted child. Kazakhstan will not allow more than two divorces in the parents’ past. Families with fewer than 3 children are encouraged to pursue adoption from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan does have some restrictive regulations regarding the health of adopting parents. Therefore, if you are currently taking any prescription medications, or if you have any medical conditions, please call or email our Director of Intake to discuss your specific case so we can help you determine your eligibility. If you are taking a prescription medication for any psychological diagnosis — including depression, we need to know this up front. In addition, if there is any prior arrest record or prior criminal charge, please discuss this with us. If your history shows any arrest, regardless of how long ago it occurred, Kazakhstan officials will not accept you. Only potential parents that can obtain a FBI fingerprint card with the stamp “No Arrest Record” can receive approval in Kazakhstan. With international adoption, all medical information and criminal issues must be fully addressed and documented in your home study as well as other adoption related documents. By fully disclosing any relevant information prior to your applying with CWA, we can hopefully help you avoid the expenditure of time, money, and emotions, only to later discover Kazakhstan might not approve you to adopt.
Kazakhstan Adoption Program Travel
Kazakhstan has several travel possibilities to complete your adoption. The scenarios available to you will depend on the region where your child’s orphanage is located. Officials in Kazakhstan will determine the region where you will meet available children, so parents do not have a choice on region.
- One trip of 23-25 days for both parents, second trip of less than one week for one or both parents.
- One trip of 23-25 days for both parents, then parents pay for an escort to bring the child to Washington, D.C.
- One trip of 17-25 days for both parents, second trip of 4 days for both parents, third trip of 13 days for one or both parents. Total time involved from first trip to end of 3rd trip is approximately 8-12 weeks.
- One trip of 17-25 days for both parents, second trip of 4 days for both parents. Then parents pay for an escort to bring the child to Washington, D.C.
The first trip involves meeting available children, choosing your child, and a minimum of 14 calendar days for both parents to visit-attach-bond with the child on a daily basis, and confirm their commitment to that child. Some families will be in a region that is able to coordinate the court date within 5-10 days. This means a maximum of two trips for the adoption. After court, families return home for the legally required 15 days post-court wait. Approximately 3-4 weeks later, one or both parents return to Kazakhstan, or the option to have the child escorted to Washington in lieu of a second trip is available. However, some families will be in a region which requires the families to go home after visitation ends and wait for a court date. This time at home could be approximately 2-4 weeks before returning on the second trip for the court appointment. After court, the family will return home. Two-four weeks later one or both parents return to Kazakhstan to bring the child home. The option of paying for an escort is available in lieu of a third trip. Total time involved in adoptions from these regions is approximately 8-12 weeks. No matter which region the parents adopt from, the decision whether or not to use an escort must be made during their first visit to Kazakhstan.
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, Kazakhstan requires that you submit four 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 coming home, and the third at 21 months, the fourth at 33 months home. CWA post-adoption staff will be glad to work with the family and the social worker for directions and instructions on preparing these legal reports. After these first four reports, one report is due annually until the child reaches the age of 18. These reports are sent to CWA for translation and submission to Kazakh authorities. This service is covered by the post-adoption administration and translation fee paid to CWA. Legal re-adoption is highly recommended for each adopted child, but is not a requirement when adopting from Kazakhstan. Once home, your child automatically becomes a citizen of the United States. CWA 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.
Note: Due to the nature of international adoption, all information contained on this webpage concerning Kazakhstan adoption is subject to change without notice.
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