It generally takes two to four months for a family to complete an Adoption Study

and to assemble the documents (a dossier) required by Ukraine.

ADOPTION STUDY If you live in Minnesota, Iowa or Western Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Maryland and counties in Northern Virginia or Richmond you will first complete your adoption study through Children's Home Society & Family Services. If you live outside these areas you will first complete your adoption study through a local adoption agency. If you are not currently working with a local adoption agency, we recommend using one of our partner agencies. 

All your documents have to be reviewed by the National Adoption Center (NAC - an office within the Ministry of Education. Once the NAC approves your dossier, they will set an appointment for you to travel to Kiev. You will be able to travel in 2-3 months after you receive the invitation for the appointment.  Pre-travel videos and photographs of children are not available for adoptions from Ukraine.

When you arrive at NAC you will be shown information about children within your specified age range and gender. The center will issue a letter of referral to allow prospective parents to visit the orphanage to meet the child. After deciding to accept the child, it takes 1 – 2 weeks for a court hearing to be scheduled.

There are two options for an adoption travel to Ukraine:

• Two trips: approximately 2-3 weeks with both parents present and the second trip of 1 week. Only one parent is required on the second trip.
• One 5-6 week trip. One parent may return home after the court hearing. The other parent stays in Ukraine for the whole adoption process.

We will provide interpreters to meet you, take you to your apartment or hotel, translate for you, get you to appointments and assist you in every  way they can.  Our interpreters will help you make the final arrangements to return home.

Ukraine requires children be registered with the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S., and notified of address changes until the age of 18. Ukraine also stringently requires post-placement reports, each accompanied by 12 photos of your child.