Russia Adoption

Russia Adoption Program
CWA has had a large and active Russia adoption program since 1992. Our directors adopted their 13 year-old daughter from Russia in 2000. CWA enjoys favorable working relationships with Russian government officials, having earned their respect and trust. We understand that most parents want to adopt young children, however, children of all ages are waiting in Russian orphanages. CWA is currently active in 17 different regions. The process, timing and travel requirements vary by region. Your Case Manager will assign you to the region best suited for you and your Russia adoption. Some of our staff are Russian-born. Case managers routinely communicate with our Russian facilitators to monitor each family’s individual case. Our Case Managers provide personal guidance throughout your adoption process. CWA’s U.S. and Moscow offices employ bilingual staff. Currently a Russia adoption can take approximately 10-18 months from the time of submitting your application with CWA until the child is home. Previous CWA clients returning for another Russia adoption may return to their previous region if they choose and if it is a viable region.

Children in the Russia Adoption Program
Both boys and girls are legally available for international adoption at 9 months of age. Currently, with the necessary processing times, families can expect to bring home a boy around age 12 months and older, and can expect to bring home a girl around age 15-18 months and older. For families wanting to adopt a very young child, Russia requires families’ paperwork state they are willing to adopt a child age 0-18 months when adopting a boy, and state they are willing to adopt a child age 0-24 months when adopting a girl. In addition, families can expect to wait longer for a referral of a very young child. It is possible the wait for a referral could be 3 months or could be 12 months. Families can adopt one child, siblings, or two unrelated children. If adopting two unrelated children, one child must be at least age 36 months or older at referral age. After you are in Russia and meet the child chosen for you, if you decide not to adopt that child, then you may ask to see another child. If a child is available within the parameters of your paperwork, you will be referred the child. Medical information on the child is limited. Therefore, CWA strongly encourages parents to seek advice from an American physician who specializes in reviewing and interpreting the medical information you will receive. The physician can prepare you before your travel to Russia regarding what questions to ask, how to interact with the child, what information to gather to help in the evaluation of the child, etc. You can send information back to the physician via fax or email and receive their opinion before accepting referral of a child. CWA provides our clients with a list of adoption-related physicians located throughout the USA. It is a myth that most Russian children offered for adoption have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE).

Parent Eligibility for a Russia Adoption
Married couples and single women may adopt. Prior divorce is acceptable, and there are no restrictions regarding the number of children in the home. Russia is quite lenient regarding the ages of parents. They consider the mother to be primary caregiver so the age of the mother is the primary factor in granting approval to adopt. While Russia can be quite lenient on the age of adopting parents, Russia does have more 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. While it does not automatically preclude you from adopting, each situation is addressed on a case-by-case basis. 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 Russia might not approve you to adopt.

Russia Adoption Travel Process
Russia adoption requires two trips. The first trip will be one week or more in duration. Most regions will require both parents on the first trip and some regions will allow only one parent on the first trip. The time between first trip and second trip will vary by region (averages 2–4 months). Both parents travel on the second trip and appear in court. After the court hearing one parent may return home while the other parent stays to complete the remaining legal paperwork and process. However, some regions require both parents to be present for completing paperwork after the court hearing. The second trip will generally last from 10-21 business days, again, depending on region requirements. Since 10 day waiting period after the court hearing is not waived in most of the regions family have a choice to return to the US right after the court hearing and travel back to Russia on the 3rd trip after 10 days are over to complete paperwork and bring the child home. When families arrive in the region, our CWA staff facilitator will greet you at the airport and escort you to your prearranged accommodations. You will receive preparation for the process and what to expect while in Russia. Our facilitator will provide translation, transportation, guidance, as well as escorting you to all official appointments. You must register your adopted child with MOFA Consular Division in Moscow before leaving Russia. Your stay in Moscow on the 2nd trip will be no less than 4 business days. For most regions, parents will be required to complete an extensive medical exam in Moscow prior to the court hearing. There is an American clinic and a Russian clinic in Moscow that can provide this service. Your Case Manager will give you exact details according to your region. The medical exam in Moscow could occur on either your 1st or 2nd trip to Russia.

Note: Due to the nature of international adoption, the adoption program information contained in this page concerning the Russia adoption program is subject to change without notice.