Following yesterday's good news about international adoptions possibly opening a bit in India, more good news today ... this time from Ukraine.

From the US Embassy, emails have been sent with to families with adoption interest in that country with the following message:

Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:

On July 3, 2006 the Minister for Family, Youth and Sports, Yuriy Pavlenko, held a press conference to announce the official opening of the new adoption authority, to be known as the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC), and to outline his ministry's policies related to the protection of children's rights.

Minister Pavlenko reported that the previous central adoption authority (the National Adoption Center under the Ministry of Education) had been dissolved, and stressed that the SDAPRC is completely separate from the previous system. He underscored that Ukraine has no intent to impose any restrictions or moratorium on
intercountry adoptions; nonetheless, he made clear that promoting domestic adoptions will be the first priority and the main focus of the new adoption authority.

On the basis of Minister Pavlenko's statements, the Embassy has assembled the following information for Americans who wish to adopt in Ukraine. Americans with more detailed questions should contact us directly at: adoptionskiev@state.gov

Q: When will the new adoption authority start accepting new adoption dossiers?

A: Pavlenko made clear that the SDAPRC will accept NO new adoption dossiers from non-Ukrainian adoptive parents before January 1, 2007. This applies to ALL intercountry adoptions, including applications for biological siblings of previously adopted children. According to Pavlenko, this is not a moratorium but a temporary suspension to allow complete reform of Ukraine's child welfare and adoptions system.

If a prospective adopted child is about to "age-out" (i.e., the child will turn 16 years old in 2006), please contact our office at: adoptionskiev@state.gov

Q: What happens to the families whose dossiers were registered with the NAC? Will the registration numbers remain the same?

A: According to Pavlenko, the SDAPRC inherited from the National Adoption Center 1,200 registered adoption dossiers from foreign citizens. Of these, 390 are from American families wishing to adopt in Ukraine. These 390 registered families will keep the registration numbers assigned by the previous National Adoption Center; cases will be considered in the order of their registration numbers.

Q: We have one of these NAC registration numbers. What should we do now?

A: All registered families are asked to submit new applications to affirm their intention to adopt in Ukraine. This application should be done in the same way as the one previously submitted to the NAC with their original dossiers, but should now be addressed to the new adoption authority and sent via regular or courier mail service directly to the following address:

Ms. Ludmyla Volynets
Director
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child
Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports
14 Desiatinna Street
Kiev 01025
Ukraine

Only original, notarized and apostilled applications, accompanied by a Ukrainian translation, will be accepted. An English-language sample application will be posted on the Embassy web site soon.

Q: We have a NAC registration number, but some of our documents have expired, or will expire soon. Do we need to update them? Should we bring the updated documents for the appointment or submit them prior to our trip to Ukraine?

A: If any of the adoption documents in a previously registered dossier have expired or will soon expire, the adopting parents should send the updated documents directly to the SDAPRC as soon as possible. These documents should be sent via regular or courier mail service to the address specified above.

Q: When will the families who registered with the old adoption authority have their appointments?

A: During July and August of 2006 the new adoption authority will complete the scheduling of adoption appointments for registered families that have confirmed their intention to adopt from Ukraine. The appointments for registered families will begin after September 1, 2006.

Q: How can families communicate with the new authority? Will my facilitator be allowed to communicate with it on my behalf?

A: The SDAPRC is now fully staffed, with its own English interpreters (as well as Spanish, French, German and Italian) available on staff. Since the current Ukrainian law does not allow adoption intermediaries, no private interpreters/facilitators will be allowed to interpret during meetings of prospective adopting parents with the SDAPRC. You can still use the private interpreters/facilitators for
other stages of the adoption process.

Minister Pavlenko stressed that all employees of the SDAPRC are civil servants and are subject to administrative and criminal penalties for any malfeasance.

Q: Is there any new information about the availability of children for intercountry adoption?

A: According to the Ministry, only 16% of all adoptable Ukrainian children are under five years old and relatively healthy. At the same time, 50% of all the U.S. prospective adopting families have indicated specific interest in this category of children.

Q: What changes will be introduced to the actual adoption process, particularly regarding paperwork requirements?

A: Generally, it appears that much of the actual procedures and paperwork (medical forms, etc.) for intercountry adoption in Ukraine will remain much the same. The Embassy is working to obtain complete information from the SDAPRC, and will announce specific changes as soon as the Ukrainian authorities make this information available.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Adoption Unit/Immigrant Visa Section
Consular Section
American Embassy
Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel: 38-044-4904422
Fax: 38-044-490-4570
adoptionskiev@state.gov
http://kiev.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html

Wonderful news for those who've been waiting, as it sounds like appointments will be soon in the works. And for anyone thinking their child may be in Ukraine, you have until January to get your docs together and your dossier ready to go.

Good luck to all of you!