IAN can offer adoptions from different countries and locations. Different laws and regulations apply to each. Please select the country you are interested in from the right for additional information.
IAN will help guide you through the adoption process from beginning to end. With each step, we will direct you in completing a successful adoption to ultimately unite you and your child as a family!
IAN is here to help families with their adoption process from beginning to end. Here you will find information you may find useful in helping you with your adoption process, as well as tools to communicate with other IAN Families.
Bulgaria Adoption Process
1. Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider
Parents adopting from Bulgaria must choose an adoption service provider that is:
Accredited by the United States
Accredited under the Hague convention, as Bulgaria is a Hague-signatory country.
Licensed to facilitate adoptions in Bulgaria, or working with a licensed orphanage in Bulgaria.
2. Apply to be found eligible to adopt
This is done by submitting a state approved home study, along with supporting documents and the form I-800a, to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
IAN will then forward all of the prospective adoptive parent’s information to Family National Association in Bulgaria, who then sends it to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice to be found eligible by the Bulgarian government.
3. Be matched with a child
The Bulgarian government does not process adoptive parent applications in order they are received, but rather by placing priority on parents who are open to special need or older children.
Bulgaria actively seeks families for children, rather than finding children for waiting families.
The Adoption Council within the Ministry of Justice works diligently to match children with the best possible family, based on their paperwork.
The Ministry of Justice provides information on the child through IAN. The family has up to two months to accept or decline.
Once the parents accept the referral of a child, the Adoption Council will approve the application, and forward the case to the Minister of Justice for final approval.
The paperwork then goes to the courts, and a date is set for a court hearing. Once the court gives approval, custody of the child is granted to the adoptive parents.
4. Apply for the child to be found eligible for Adoption
Once the adoptive parent has accepted the referral, they will apply to Unites States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for provisional approval to adopt that particular child.
IAN will then submit a visa application to the US Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The consulate then reviews the child’s information and determines if he or she is eligible to be adopted. If approval is given, notice is sent to the adoption authority (this is the Article 5 letter).
The consular office will make their final decision about the immigrant visa for the child later in the adoption process.
5. Adopt the Child, or gain custody, in Bulgaria
Once these five steps are completed, the adoption of the child can be finalized.
Time Frame
There is no set waiting period specified in Bulgarian adoption. The average age of the children being adopted from Bulgaria is between the ages of three and fives years of age. An adoptive family can expect to wait approximately 1.5 to 2 years from the time a dossier is submitted to being matched with a child.
The time frame between being matched with a child and your court date is an additional several months.
The time frame from your court approval date to your U.S. embassy date is approximately three to five months.
For older children, or special needs children, the time will be significantly less.
Children Available
Adoptable Children's Age
Under Bulgarian law, the age range of children that can be adopted is between 0-18 years of age, however, the majority of children actually being referred to adoptive parents are age three years and older.
Gender
Both males and females are available for adoption. Adoptive parents should be flexible in regards to the gender of the child being refferred to the adoptive parents, as there are more male children available for adoption than there are female children available for adoption.
Health
Health conditions vary. Children may have mild correctable medical conditions. Due to the circumstances which bring these wonderful children into adoptive situations even healthy children have experienced some malnutrition and developmental delays. Special Needs children are also available.
Adoptive Parents Requirements
Bulgaria does not set any significant restrictions on adoptive parents.
Marriage
Married couples and singles may apply. Couples must be married at least two years. Previous divorce is allowed. One parent must be a US Citizen. Gay and lesbian parents are permitted to adopt from Bulgaria.
Adoptive Parents Age
Parents must be between 30 and 55 years old. Older parents may be given older children.
Children
Bulgaria has no limit on the number of children already in the home, but prefers families with no more than four children.
Income
Parents must have a minimum income of $30,000, and must meet the USCIS guidelines.
Health
No chronic or infectious diseases.
Criminal History
No felony convictions.
Key Organizations
Bulgarian Adoption Authority
The Ministry of Justice, specifically the Adoption Council.
IAN works with the Family National Association Orphanage (www.adoption.bg.com)