Adopt, Adopting a Bulgarian infant or child. Bulgaria adoption program.

	Bulgaria	Travel Album

Robin Sizemore is Interviewed by Bulgarian Television

Download the transcript (PDF) or view a video of the interview with Robin Sizemore on Bulgarian television (see video on right side of page).

Country of Bulgaria: Adoption Program

Our Bulgaria child adoption program brings to you children from age 12 months through 16 years old. Families seeking a relatively healthy Bulgarian child, particularly between the ages of 1 and 4, should expect to wait for a referral for approximately 30 months or more, from the point of dossier submission to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. Relatively healthy children of school age or children with special needs of any age may be referred much faster. The Bulgarian Ministry of Justice is dedicated to pairing children with appropriate families and makes its best effort to refer children who correspond to a family’s gender, age, and health parameters.

However, on occasion a child may be referred that is outside of the family’s USCIS approval or personal parameters. In such cases, the family is never obligated to accept the referral. A subsequent referral will be issued by the MOJ, but there is no guarantee how soon a second referral will be received. Each referral is made with substantial medical and social records for your review. Many waiting children are available from Bulgaria and from time to time, Hopscotch may present a family with the profile of a waiting child for consideration. In the country of Bulgaria, for adoption, siblings or unrelated children can also be selected. Bulgarian children are beautiful. Many of them are of Roma or Turkish descent and have an olive complexion, brown eyes, and dark hair.

Eligible Applicants

Generally, in adopting from Bulgaria, married couples are preferred, but single women, and on rare occasions, single men are permitted to adopt. Parents must be under 55, with one parent preferably younger, and have no major health problems. Prospective adoptive parents must be at least fifteen years older than their adoptive child. If the applicant is a single, he or she may adopt a child of approximately 5 years of age or older, or a younger child with special needs. If near the age of 55, it is preferable that the adoptive parents do not have any biological children or have a limited number of children at home. Hopscotch is currently accepting applicants for this program.

Program and Process

Our Bulgarian child adoption program offers many options for parents. Approximate time frames to complete an adoption greatly depend on the child you desire to adopt. In essence, families expecting to adopt younger and healthier children can anticipate a longer process and families adopting older children, or children with special needs, can expect a shorter process. Typically for a relatively healthy child under the age of four, parents should expect the process to take at least two years from the point of dossier registration with the MOJ.

Parents hoping to adopt waiting children with moderate to severe special needs or upward of six years old may be able to complete their process in about 12 months from dossier registration in Bulgaria. One or both parents need to make two short trips, approximately 7 days in-country, longer if adopting children from separate regions. Families may also request their child to be escorted to the US after the child has received a US entry visa. Each case will be unique and a quote of escort expenses can be made only at the time the child is ready to enter the US. Visas are not required for travel to Bulgaria.

Hopscotch has a partnership with Vesta, an accredited and insured Bulgarian Foundation. The Foundation has successfully placed approximately 130 children since 2006. Our partner Foundation comes to Hopscotch with much experience and is highly regarded.

Hopscotch will guide client families in preparing the notarized and apostilled dossier as well as provide required Hague training, referral counseling, and travel assistance. Once Hopscotch receives the completed dossier, we will send the dossier to the Foundation and the Foundation submits the dossier to the Ministry of Justice, resulting in registration of your dossier among other waiting families. Then the referral is assigned by the government of Bulgaria. Referral information is provided to the family by the Foundation via Hopscotch. Once Hopscotch receives referral documents from the Foundation, you may review the information and we urge you to consult with an International Adoption Specialist Pediatrician. If you accept the referral, your acceptance request is sent back to Bulgaria and, if approved, more information on the child will be provided to you if necessary. Next, you will be invited to Bulgaria, for an approximately 7 business day trip, to meet your referred child and decide to formally accept the referral. In some cases this trip can be waived, but Hopscotch recommends that each family strongly consider this step in preparing for your adoption and bonding process. All documents pertaining to your acceptance or declination will be submitted by your in-country coordinator to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. After your decision has been made, you will return home while the adoption is finalized by the MOJ and the court in Bulgaria. All decisions are made by the Bulgarian authorities, and your interests will be represented by our partner Foundation’s attorney. Then you will be invited for your second trip of approximately 7 business days, which is scheduled roughly four to six months after the first trip. Once you are notified to return to Bulgaria to finalize your adoption, appointments will be secured for your child to have a US embassy panel physician’s medical examination and to apply for your child’s HR-3 or HR-4 visa.

Waiting Child Process

If a family expresses an interest in a waiting child, photo listed on Hopscotch waiting child protected page, Rainbow Kids, the Ministry of Justice's public listing, or elsewhere, a simple notarized application package can be submitted to the Ministry of Justice. Submission of this simple application package is without any formal commitment to the child, until you have received the child's medical and social report and reviewed with your IA doctor. Once you have decided to proceed with the children referral, and your application has been approved for the specific match to the waiting child, you would then complete a full apostilled dossier. The remainder of the process would mirror that of a typical referral, without the wait for a referral time.

The Country

Bulgaria shares borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Greece, and Turkey. Two mountain ranges and two great valleys mark the topography of Bulgaria, a country the size of Tennessee and situated on the Black Sea. The Maritsa is Bulgaria's principal river, and the Danube also flows through the country. Interestingly, Bulgaria has dominated the world market of rose oil so precious to the perfume industry for many years. The rose-growing area between Klisura and Kazanlak produces seventy percent of the world’s attar - or extract - of roses. Considering that perfumeries’ pay more than $45 million a year for this, it’s not surprising that roses are known as "Bulgaria’s gold". Bulgarians are warm and hearty people, renowned for their hospitality to foreigners, famous for their respect and good will toward their guests and visitors. They are ready to open their hospitable doors to those willing to share the rich traditions and folklore, agricultural activities, preserved old crafts, and delicious and varied local cuisine.

Fees

Contact Hopscotch Adoptions directly to request a fee schedule.

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