An Overview of Kazakhstan International Adoption
Kazakhstan’s Adoption Guidelines and Process
Jul 6, 2009
International adoption from Kazakhstan declined in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of State. The DOS recorded fewer than 400 adoptions in 2008, a decline from the more than 800 adoptions processed in 2004 according to the U.S. Department of State. Children are available as infants. Costs for this international adoption program can be high, due to the lengthy in-country stay and travel costs. There is some uncertainty about changing program requirements, which no doubt contributed to the decrease in adoptions in the past few years.
The Children of Kazakhstan
The children can be six months or older at referral (children must be at least six months old before legally available for adoption). Girls and boys are available for adoption and, although Kazakhstan does not allow gender requests, potential adoptive parents can indicate a preference. Sibling groups are unusual, and adopting unrelated children in the same trip is difficult.
Children with special needs also are available for adoption. Children can be of Asian descent or Caucasian, or a combination of the two. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is common enough to be a concern, indicating the importance of having a referral’s medical records reviewed by an experienced international adoption doctor.
Guidelines for Families Adopting from Kazakhstan
Age restrictions for potential adoptive parents are somewhat confused. Kazakhstan does not set an age requirement, but many regions do. Adoption agencies also set their own guidelines. As a general rule, it seems that married couples and single women are allowed to adopt as long as their age is at least 16 years older than the child they are hoping to adopt. Some regions set age cutoffs of 45 or 50 years, and most do not accept applicants under 25 years of age.
No more than two divorces are allowed (cumulative for both adoptive parents) and the Kazakhstan international adoption program also has restrictive medical guidelines that can preclude some families from adopting. Kazakhstan does not allow individuals with an arrest record of any type to adopt its children.
The Process When Adopting From Kazakhstan
Adoption agencies work in a variety of cities and regions. The adoptive family’s regional assignment often affects the adoption timeline, as different regions proceed in different manners through the official referral process. A dossier is completed and submitted to the Kazakhstan government. Paperwork is then reviewed and the Kazakhstan adoption authority issues an invitation to travel to prospective adoptive parents. The wait for travel invitation vary depending on adoption agency and the number of families waiting – ranging anywhere from six to 24 months. Referrals are blind – meaning that families do not have a specific child identified before the first trip.
Two trips are required to complete an adoption from Kazakhstan. The first trip is approximately three weeks long, consisting of identifying a child and a required two week period where both parents must meet with the child daily to promote bonding and show the courts that the family is committed to adopting the child.
After this bonding period, a court hearing is held, after which a 15 day waiting period begins. This period is required in order for the court decision to become final. Most adoptive parents return home during this time, and then travel back to Kazakhstan for the second trip.
Adoptions from Kazakhstan are declining, affected by uncertainty regarding potentially changing requirements from the Kazakhstan government. Choosing an experienced adoption agency as a guide is a critical first step to successfully completing an international adoption from Kazakhstan.
Other articles of interest:
An Overview of Ethiopia International Adoption
An Overview of International Adoption from China
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