Ukraine

be advised that Global Adoptions fully supports the sovereignty of Ukraine and respects their decision and right to decide what is in the best interests of their citizens and displaced children. We do not support any action that attempts to circumvent the legal adoption process in Ukraine, or in any other country. We do support the actions of our Department of State and the Office of Children's Issues in their efforts to engage in open discussion with the designated authorities in Ukraine, and to advocate on behalf adoptive families and their desire to secure a safe and legal adoption from Ukraine when it is authorized and appropriate. additional information can be found below, as well as in the global Facebook page, and the u.s. state department.

 

LOVE is a universal language.

The situation in Ukraine is understandably very fluid at this time, with things changing rapidly. An update from the US State Department was sent out to adoption service providers on Wednesday, 9 March 2022. In summary, the Ukrainian government is NOT permitting orphans to come to the US at this time. We are communicating with our FSPs in Ukraine and they are working to ensure that families who are at a point where their process can move forward, are able to do so. They are also attempting to get updates on where specific orphanages and children have been evacuated to (while they are also living in a war zone, where the situation changes rapidly for their personal situations too). MANY FSPs have left Ukraine, but currently, all of Global's FSPs who have families in process are still in Ukraine and working in some capacity with orphan care (including evacuations). The full text of the State Department notice may be found on our Facebook Families page. The State Department has posted additional information, with questions and answers: Ukraine Q&A's

On March 23, 2022, the U.S. State Department sent out an additional update, from which we have posted the following excerpt: “…[T]he Ukrainian government informed the Department of State they do not approve Ukrainian children for temporary travel to the United States at this time. This decision was made by the National Social Services Office of Ukraine, which must approve the transfer of any orphan.  Ukraine has also confirmed there is no plan for simplified procedures, including for those already in the process of being adopted, and on March 13, 2022, announced that adoption is not possible at this time.”

As of April 19, 2022, the latest update, the U.S. State Department is still stating: “Intercountry adoptions to the United States from Ukraine and from the United States to Ukraine are not currently possible.”

We are in regular communication with the US State Department and updating them regularly on the status of all families who are currently in the adoption process with Global. As always, if you have questions about your specific adoption, please reach out to Global staff.

For married couples interested in adopting from a Northern European country, Ukraine offers a unique adoption experience. 

Global’s role in adoptions from Ukraine: Ukraine does not recognize US adoption agencies as a part of their adoption process. However, U.S. law requires that all families adopting internationally have a Hague accredited agency acting as primary provider to ensure that the six adoption services defined under U.S. law are properly performed. As the primary provider, Global provides pre-adoption education, home study services for those in Maryland and home study oversight for out-of-state families, dossier prep assistance, and coordination of travel before a family leaves for Ukraine. Families are educated on the legal adoption process in Ukraine, and what to expect while in-country. In-country support teams: Global currently has four partners providing adoption support services to families who choose to adopt from Ukraine: Valery Dashevsky, Natalia M. Kovalchuk, LL.M, Attorney At Law, Mariia (Masha) Suvorova, and Olena (Helen) Romanchenko.  Our in-country support includes supervising our in-country partners to ensure the adoption support services are provided legally and ethically under both U.S. and Ukrainian law. We also provide in-country support and additional ongoing education to families, as needed. Once home, Global provides post-adoption support services.

Map of Ukraine

Map of Ukraine

Ukraine FAQs

WHAT TYPE OF CHILDREN ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION IN UKRAINE?

  • Children under 5-years old can be adopted from Ukraine if they have certain medical special needs as defined under Ukrainian law. For a current list of the medical needs that meet this requirement, please CLICK HERE

  • Children from age 5-16 may be healthy or have special needs.

    • HOW DOES THE REFERRAL PROCESS WORK IN UKRAINE?

    Ukraine does not issue referrals before a family travels to Ukraine. The home study is written to approve families for the type of child the family is interested in adopting and deemed suitable to care for. Pre-adoption education is done to prepare families for the type of child they are approved for and willing to accept. Families receive an invitation to travel to Ukraine to meet with the MSP after their dossier is approved. During this meeting, families are provided with files of waiting children that meet the type of child the family’s home study is approved for. The family chooses which waiting child they would like to visit/consider for adoption. If a family does not select a child at this appointment, the family may request up to 2 additional appointments during their trip to review files of children available for adoption. The number of files offered at the time of an appointment will vary based on the parameters outlined in the home study and the children that are available for international adoption.

    CAN WE SEE FILES FOR AVAILABLE CHILDREN?

    Due to their unique referral process, Ukraine does not offer agencies profiles of available waiting children like many countries do. If you are a prospective adoptive parent who is interested in viewing the children we are currently representing in other countries, please request an invitation to our waiting children page. CLICK HERE to join. to join. Posting photos and information about waiting children is a form of advocacy and not a substitute for adoption services, which can only be provided by a licensed and accredited Adoption Service Provider. At times, we may post pictures of children from Ukraine as received from our Foreign Providers or taken from a public website of children available for adoption, but their availability is unknown and not guaranteed. None of these children can be matched with Prospective Adoptive Parents prior to their appointment in Ukraine. You may also contact us to discuss the types of children frequently available for adoption in Ukraine.

    WHO CAN ADOPT FROM UKRAINE?

  • Global can assist families where at least one parent is a US citizen. We have experience working with families living all across the United States and abroad.

  • Heterosexual married couples can adopt from Ukraine. Ukraine does not currently allow same sex couples who are legally married to adopt.

  • Single people and couples in a domestic partnership without a legal marriage license are not allowed to adopt from Ukraine.

  • Adopting parents must be at least 25 years old. One parent must be at least 15 years older than the child being adopted.

  • Ukraine does have restrictions based on finances, medical conditions, and criminal history.

    • WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS WHEN ADOPTING FROM UKRAINE?

    The process to adopt from Ukraine does not have a set travel time. Most families choose to make three trips to Ukraine. Following this method, trip one is 7-10 days (to attend the referral appointment, obtain the referral, travel and meet the child and spend time with the child to accept the referral), trip two is 3-5 days (to attend court), and trip 3 is 2-4 weeks (pick up the child and complete all of the post-adoption paperwork and visa process). Families do have the option to make fewer trips to Ukraine, which would require an extended stay in country. Families adopting from Ukraine should be flexible with in-country travel times as they can be unpredictable. Adoptions are finalized in Ukraine. Ukraine does not have an escort option because at least one parent is required to be present at the visa interview.
    There is a process to adopt from Ukraine that only requires 1 parent to travel to Ukraine, however, this would result in the child entering the U.S. on a non-citizen visa. This process requires re-adoption in the U.S. and an application for U.S. citizenship. This option can be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for more information on this option for families who have a situation that prevents one parent from traveling.

    HOW MUCH DOES AN ADOPTION FROM UKRAINE COST?

    The estimated total cost to adopt from Ukraine is $30,000-$35,000. There are several factors that influence the final cost of an adoption from Ukraine, such as the fluctuation of airfare costs and the amount of time the prospective adoptive parent(s) spend in Ukraine to complete the adoption. Global provides a detailed fee schedule that includes all adoption related expenses to assist the family in financial preparation.

    Quality Assurance

    Our goal is to make your adoption experience as positive as possible and we constantly work to improve our process and service to make our goal a reality. Please let us know what we do right, and what we could do better.

    RESOURCES

    Grant and Funding Resources: CLICK HERE (found on our Frequently Asked Questions page)

    U.S. State Dept. Information: CLICK HERE

    Statistical Information: CLICK HERE

    Wikipedia: CLICK HERE

    World Health Organization/Ukraine: CLICK HERE

    CDC Traveler View/Ukraine: CLICK HERE

    Ukraine has the distinction of being the geographical center of Europe.