Bulgaria adoption program. Adopt, Adopting a Bulgarian child.

	Bulgaria	Travel Album

Bulgarian Television Interview with Robin Sizemore

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

Children Available

For a Bulgaria adoption, children range in age from 12 months to 16 years old. To adopt a Bulgarian child; a family seeking a healthy child referral the age of 3 and older should expect to wait eighteen to twenty-four months from the point of dossier submission to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. Many older children and children with special needs are waiting for their opportunity for a permanent family. Siblings are available as well. The children of Bulgaria are beautiful, with an olive complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair. Many children are of Roma ethnicity. The referral of a child is made with substantial medical and social records for your review.

Eligible Applicants

Generally, in adopting in Bulgaria, married couples are preferred, but single men and women may also adopt. Parents must be under 55, with one parent preferably younger, and have no major health problems. For a Bulgarian infant adoption—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.

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, the younger the child, expect the longer the process to take. The older the child, expect a shorter process. Typically, for a child between the ages of 2.5 years and older, it should take 9-12 months to complete from the point of a complete dossier submission to Hopscotch. Parents need to make only two short trips, the first being only 5 days and the second trip of approximately 4-5 days each. In some cases, the first trip can be waived; escorts are possible for an additional fee and only one parent may need to travel on the second trip. Visas are not required for travel to Bulgaria.

Hopscotch has a partnership with an accredited and insured Bulgarian Foundation and Hopscotch is currently accepting applicants for this program. 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, provide required Hague training, referral counseling, and travel assistance. Once Hopscotch receives the completed dossier, we will send the dossier to the Foundation; the Foundation submits the dossier to the Central Authority; the referral is assigned by the government of Bulgaria. The referral is provided to the family by the Foundation via Hopscotch. Once Hopscotch receives a referral of a child 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. Next, you will be invited to Bulgaria, for a 5 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 of 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 and wait for the process of adoption to be finalized in Bulgaria, and soon you will be invited for your second trip of 4-5 business days, which is approximately 90 days later. In Bulgaria, an adoption is finalized by the court. All decisions are made by the Bulgarian authorities, and your interests will be represented by our partner Foundation’s attorney. Once you are notified to return for your final trip to Bulgaria and to finalize your adoption, appointments will be secured for your child to have a US embassy panel physician’s medical examination and apply for your child’s HR-3 or HR-4 visa.

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.

Recommended DVDs

The First World War - The Complete Series—Archduke Franz Ferdinand and King Ferdinand of Bulgaria

Rick Steves’ Europe: Bulgaria, Eastern Turkey, Slovenia and Croatia 2000

Programs