Bulgaria

WHAT KIND OF CHILDREN ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?

Bulgaria allows the international adoption of children from age 1-16 . The majority of children available for adoption will have some type of medical or social history, classifying them as “special needs”.

CAN I SEE CHILDREN THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION?

Bulgaria maintains a waiting child registry that contains children who are legally available for international adoption. These children’s files can be viewed by prospective families and a family can submit an application requesting to adopt a specific child from the waiting child registry. This is commonly referred to as the “waiting child program”. Global does not match families with waiting children and only the Central Authority can do so. If a family contacts Global and wishes to submit an application for a waiting child in a country program that allows matching families, they must first be pre-screened to determine if they are appropriate candidates for adoption. If they have expressed an interest in a particular child or children, they must also be screened to determine if they could be considered a potentially appropriate match for the child by evaluating whether they meet the country requirements, income requirements, and have sufficient space for the adoption they are seeking. Families are then informed that in the best interest of the child, all application that are submitted for a child will be considered equally and the Central Authority will determine which family is best suited to be matched with the child.

CAN I REQUEST A SPECIFIC TYPE OF CHILD?

Bulgaria also allows families to submit a dossier and be matched directly with a child. This is referred to as the “traditional program”. Families may submit a dossier through the traditional program for a healthy child (no medical/social history). Families can also submit a dossier through the traditional program specifying age range, gender and any medical/social history that they are willing to accept. When a dossier is submitted through the traditional program, the family receives a direct referral of a child from the Ministry of Justice.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE A REFERRAL FOR A HEALTHY CHILD?

Families requesting a child with no medical, cognitive or behavioral diagnosis (“completely healthy”) should expect the following estimated wait times for a referral of a child:

WHO CAN ADOPT FROM BULGARIA?

WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS?

Bulgaria requires two trips. The first trip takes place after the dossier is submitted and the official referral is provided to the family. The purpose of trip one is to meet the child, assess the needs of the child and accept the referral. Families are allowed to visit with the child for 5 days. Trip two takes place after the adoption is finalized. This trip includes picking up the child and applying for the child’s passport and visa. This trip is traditionally 12 days, but can be shortened under some circumstances. While both parents are encouraged to travel to Bulgaria to meet the child, there are legally allowable circumstances where only one parent is required. Bulgaria also allows a child to be escorted to the US in the place of the family traveling on trip two. This is done on a case by case basis.

HOW MUCH DOES AN ADOPTION FROM BULGARIA COST?

The estimated total cost to adopt from Bulgaria is $30,000-$35,000. There are several factors that influence the final cost of an adoption from Bulgaria, such as the fluctuation of airfare costs. Global provides a detailed fee schedule that includes all adoption related expenses to assist the family in financial preparation.