Hope for Families’
Kazakhstan Adoption Program

Our Kazakhstan program is a wonderful adoption opportunity as many children are available and the referral process is quick. Kazakhstan is becoming increasingly more popular for adoption as other countries have become more difficult. The children from Kazakhstan are of either combination of Asian and Caucasian, or Asian heritage. A combination of European and Asian cultures has made Kazakhstan an amazing country. The Kazakh people are hospitable, pro-American, and our clients report that they have felt comfortable visiting their country. The children are generally in good health and the orphanages are well maintained. After receiving a referral from the Kazakhstan government, you would be invited to visit the orphanage while in the country to meet your assigned child for two weeks so that you can begin the bonding process.

No adoption agency is legally permitted to make a referral of a child to a parent in Kazakhstan, even if a prospective adoptive parent may wish to adopt a particular child.  The Government of Kazakhstan will not match a child to the parents or in any way “assign” them a child until the parents actually arrive in Kazakhstan for the first visit and select their child in person.  When your dossier is ready, it will be translated and sent to the proper Kazakhstan authorities to register you as prospective parents. Once we have the Letter of Invitation for you from Kazakhstan authorities we can schedule your trip. The agency assists you with applying to the Kazakhstan court to adopt your child. The Kazakhstan regulations permits full disclosure of information about all medical histories of the children and other pertinent information will be available to you only at the orphanage during the final selection process of your child. In order to adopt an infant, you must be willing to accept a referral from any of our regions in Kazakhstan as we can not predict when the children will be released from the registry in each area and we will send you to the region that best suits your adoption request as we work in many regions in Kazakhstan.

Parent Eligibility

There are requirements that adopting parents have to meet for both our US Immigration and in Kazakhstan.  Both single and married people are allowed to adopt in Kazakhstan, and there are no age requirements other than that an unmarried prospective adoptive parent must be at least 16 years older than the child she or he intends to adopt. In practice, however, some older unmarried prospective adoptive parents have found it difficult to adopt from Kazakhstan, as have some people over the age of 60.   Also, adopting parents in their mid to late 50s have generally found that the authorities are resistant to place infants in their care, although exceptions have been made. Normally, Kazakhstan does not want a children placed that is more than 45 years age difference from the youngest parent. Two previous divorces are acceptable for a person adopting from Kazakhstan and both petitioners must be U.S. citizens. Parents must not have an arrest record or any serious problems with their health and these are things Kazakhstan takes very seriously. The United States Immigration requirements are generally meet within the Kazakhstan eligibility list.  There are forms to fill out for immigration and Hope for Families will help you prepare this documentation along with all the paperwork needed to complete the Kazakhstani dossier.  After your dossier has been approved by the United States Embassy in Kazakhstan and by The Kazakhstani Ministry of Education and Ministry of Justice, you will receive an invitation to come to Kazakhstan to adopt a child.   This process may seem a little intimidating at first, but our facilitators have assisted over 3,000 people to adopt and will guide you throughout the entire process.

Available Children

 Healthy children from the age of 8 months and up to 15 years old are available from Kazakhstan.  The returning Kazakhstan children we have visited in the post placement process, all seem to be generally healthy and happy, with the exception of the previously identified special needs children. Sibling groups and special needs children are also available. Usually orphanage delays are expected with children; however, the delay with infants is much less since the babies have not been institutionalized as long. The adoption of two children who are siblings would be the only option available for group adoptions, since the adoption of two non-related children is not allowed. The children are mostly Asian-Kazakh, with a smaller percentage of Caucasian children available, but there are also Korean, Tatar, German, Gypsy and Russian children with mixed ethnicity available. To speed up your adoption and reduce your waiting for a child, we suggest that you be as open as possible to adopt children in ethnicity, however, particular requests will be respected.  There is a policy in Kazakhstan that the children are not available for adoption for the first 6 months as by Federal regulation they have to be registered on their national database for a full 6 months.

Number of adoptions from Kazakhstan:
Source: U.S. State Department
2006: 587
2005: 755
2004: 824
2003: 825
2002: 819

Age/Gender of Children Adopted From Kazakhstan in 2005
Source: INS Immigration Statistics
52% female
42% under 1 year of age
37% 1 – 4 years of age

Timeframe

It will take approximately four to eight months to complete your adoption once your dossier is submitted, although generally receiving a referral for a boy is quicker than for a girl. The most important thing to remember is that you will never be alone. We will be with you every step of the way.  Travel to Kazakhstan is required for approximately 30 days, but it may be broken into two trips to reduce the time in country. Kazakhstani law requires that prospective parents have at least 14 days personal contact with a child, in the child’s town, before submitting an adoption application to the court.



 

Travel

Traveling to the beautiful country of Kazakhstan is an exciting adventure with the added benefit that you will be meeting your child, begin to develop a close and loving relationship and then complete legal obligation in the regional court to adopt your child…and all in one visit. Both adopting parents (or the adopting parents if single) have to travel to Kazakhstan to the specific region of the child’s orphanage.  All parents select and bond with their child for 14 days visitation, then attend the court to legally adopt your child. This travel will of course include flying but may also have components of train or driving, and then you will be staying in a comfortable apartment or hotel.  Our facilitators will arrange everything for your stay in Kazakhstan and have an English speaking guide with you for all of your appointments and official excursions. 

Trip One to Kazakhstan

• Children available for adoption are referred by the Kazakhstan government.
• We will assist you with travel plans and offer travel and in-country advice while monitoring the process in Kazakhstan .
• Once you arrive in Kazakhstan , you will be met by your in-country coordinator. Your in-country coordinator will assist you with all your adoption needs.
• You will be able to receive a referral from the local DOE and spend two weeks with your future child. You will really get to know the child and experience his or her life at the orphanage.
• A short while after the bonding time is the court date.
• After the court has officially declared that you are your child's parents, you will return home and wait for your second trip. In some cases parents decide to stay in Kazakhstan for a few more weeks instead of making the second trip.

After spending three weeks in Kazakhstan with your child and finishing the adoption with the court, there are three options to complete the process. 

1.)    At least one parent could remain in Kazakhstan for another 2 to 4 weeks to return to home to America with your precious child.

2.)    Both parents could return home then at least one parent could fly back to Kazakhstan in approximately for a final week to pick up your child and return to America.

Trip Two to Kazakhstan

• After approximately a month, you will be asked to return to Kazakhstan to complete your adoption and take the child home. In some cases, one parent may travel for the second trip.
• As in the first trip, your in-country coordinator will be with you to assist with all necessary appointments.
• You will travel to Almaty , Kazakhstan and visit the clinic for your child's checkup and then to the U.S. Embassy for your child's U.S. visa.
• You must register your child with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
• You may now return home with your new son or daughter and begin your lives together!

Convenient and Professional Escort Service to replace the second trip

3.)    Both parents could return home and then within a month, your adopted child will be professionally escorted to the closest international airport in America so that you avoid a second trip.  Due to work obligation, difficulty in travel and expense, this 3^rd escorted option is our most popular choice.

Which ever option you choice, you will soon be home as a family with your wonderful child.  Once you are in America, Hope for Families will provide assistance, if needed, with any adoption related issues you may encounter. One post placement report is required each year until the child is 18 years old to assure Kazakhstan that your adoption is successful and in the best interests of the child.

Fees
The total cost of adopting a child from Kazakhstan is approximately $33,000, counting all expenses including travel, but Hope for Families has a graduated payment plan, so that you do not have to pay for the whole adoption at one time.  We have a fee schedule that out lines the payment schedule based on stage of your adoption.  Although a portion of the fees including the Agency Fees are non-refundable, we will provide you a written refund policy included in the contract so that there is no misunderstanding or confusion.  

 Please click on the Request Information link and request our Kazakhstan adoption registration kit for a detailed breakdown of all projected and possible expenses, or call us toll free at 1-866-773-3334 to request this.

Facilitation
We delight in bringing you highly experienced professional services for your adoption and travels. We are in daily contact with associates abroad to help answer all of your pre-adoptive questions. Our team in Kazakhstan will help you with your travels, translation and itinerary in Kazakhstan. You can feel confidant that you will be taken care of overseas with friendly English-speaking staff who will serve you in the most professional manner to complete your adoption.

Although visiting a foreign country for several weeks can be challenging, it can also be exciting and rewarding adventure that will forever alter your life as you learn about the culture of your child.  Kazakhstan will amaze you with its blend of Asian and European influences and the experience of meeting your child in such a context may redefine your priorities and perspectives. Through our experienced facilitators, Hope for Families will make every effort to make you stay a safe, comfortable and positive experience.  You will have an English speaking translator escort you to and from all of your appointments so that potential stress of this trip is greatly reduced.

You will be in regular communication with our adoption coordinator, Nadia Plushko, who will personally assist you to assemble your documents and arrange your travel to Kazakhstan. Nadia will support you through the whole process of adoption through education, document preparation, travel arrangements, and coordinating with the facilitators in Kazakhstan.  Hope for Families is committed in making your dream of family…a reality, and we will support you before, during, after and throughout your adoption process.

The orphanages in Kazakhstan are rated to have excellent care and because of the uniqueness of the adoption situation in Kazakhstan, the young infants come to our program generally healthier because they have not been subjected to lengthy institutionalized living. Some infants have been in the hospital for a couple months from their birth, and then they are transferred to the orphanage.

A few of the wonderful features of our Kazakhstan adoption program is that it is the fastest international adoption option.  It is a very short time from completing the dossier to traveling to Kazakhstan to see your child.   Adopting parents love having the option to see their child before they actually adopt, and identify the specific child that will bond to them.  Of course, being flexible and accommodating can speed up the process so that the adopting parents are generally able to visit Kazakhstan just a few weeks from their dossier completion.  It is our experience that parents can not wait to actually see their child and then all the effort, cost and investment seem worthwhile and even trivial.  We pray that this can be your experience also!

Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt a Child from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, by John H. Maclean, iUniverse.com, 2001

Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise, by Martha Brill Olcott, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• State Department: travel.state.gov/family/adoption_kazakhstan.html