• Bulgarian President Appoints Interim Government

    May 13, 2021

    The interim government, appointed by President Rumen Radev on May 11, will be in office until a new government is appointed following the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the month of July, 2021. After the resignation of the last government, the Intercountry Adoption Council had to cease work until the appointment of a new government. It’s the hope of many, that the Deputy Minister of Justice from the interim government, who is the person responsible to chair the sessions of the Intercountry Adoption Council (IAC), will resume sessions of the Council as soon as possible, and will continue holding regular IAC sessions in the period until the parliamentary elections in July.

  • Update on Travel to Bulgaria for Adoptive Parents

    May 10, 2021

    There is an updated Bulgarian Ministry of Health (MOH) order issued on May 1, 2021 that makes it easier for citizens of many countries, including the United States, to travel to Bulgaria. American citizens traveling on a U.S. passport – including adoptive parents – are now excepted from the MOH order and may enter Bulgaria by presenting one of the following:

    • (a) a vaccination certificate for a completed vaccination course against COVID-19. The vaccination certificate is considered valid 14 days after receiving the final dose. The document should include full name of the vaccinated person as per the identification document, date of birth, dates the vaccine doses were administered, vaccine name and batch number, name of the producer, details of the vaccine certificate issuing authority and country; or
    • (b) a positive result from a PCR or antigen test for immunity for COVID-19 for persons who had the coronavirus infection not more than 6 months from the date they enter the country; or
    • (c) a negative result from a PCR test performed within 72 hours of their entry into the country or a negative antigen test performed within 48 hours of their entry into the country.

    For more Covid-19 information for Bulgaria, please visit the Embassy’s website: https://bg.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information and https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bulgaria.html

    The information from our previous email dated January 20, 2021 is still valid: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all air travelers, two years of age or older, to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their travel in order to be admitted into the United States. This includes U.S. citizens and adoptees: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html.

    Immigrant Visa Unit

    U.S. Embassy

    Sofia, Bulgaria

  • Adoption Travel – India

    May 5, 2021

    The Indian Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and the U.S. Embassy have in the past months been working diligently to process cases as expeditiously as possible, while following Indian quarantine protocols to combat COVID-19. With the recent surge in ​COVID-19 cases, the situation is changing rapidly and there are multiple cities and states in India under lockdowns. For the latest travel information and health alerts related to COVID-19 in India, please review the information on the U.S. Embassy New Delhi’s website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html. 

    On April 30, President Biden signed a presidential proclamation that suspended certain types of travel for non-U.S. citizens present in India. The proclamation does not affect adoptive children, who may continue to travel to the United States and seek entry. Additionally, U.S. Embassy New Delhi continues to process visas for adoptive children. However, CARA has requested that the U.S. Central Authority ask prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) to postpone travel until after the current surge. 

    There are currently direct flights running from India to the U.S. on United Airlines and Air India. We strongly urge families currently in India to book one of the direct flights back to the United States, as transiting Europe is not an option for Indian citizens (which would include the adopted child(ren)) due to U.S. and European travel restrictions currently in place. We cannot predict whether these or other flight routes will be affected by the pandemic situation in the future. As we do not have a role in travel arrangements, we recommend families stay in touch with ASP representatives.

    We all hope this situation eases in the near future so families can continue their plans for adoptions in India without significant further delay.

    Sincerely,

    Office of Children’s Issues