Bulgaria Adoption

Bulgaria is a beautiful country located in southeastern Europe, in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. Bulgaria is bounded on the north by Romania, on the east by the Black Sea, on the southeast by Turkey, on the south by Greece, and on the west by Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, is located in the west central part of the country. The official language is Bulgarian. With a lower international fee and the fact multiple children can be adopted on one international fee, this is a promising option for many families.

Adoption Program
Until 2008, international adoptions from Bulgaria were at a halt, but with the new Minister of Justice and the latest changes in the Ministry of Justice office (MOJ), progress is being made. Prospective adoptive parents should have their complete dossier legalized with apostille, including the USCIS approval. The dossier will be sent to our Bulgarian representative to be revised, translated and then presented to the MOJ, which is the Central Authority and receives all adoption dossiers. Next, the International Adoption Committee meets to review the applications of prospective adoptive families in the order they have been filed, and looks at the list of children available for adoption trying to make the best match according to each child’s needs. Bulgarian children available for international adoption reside in state governed orphanages, and other supported institutions for upbringing and education of children deprived of parental care. Bulgarian regulations prohibit foreign adoptions of orphans who are under one year of age. The approximate frame time for the adoption of a child with special needs or a healthy older child could be 10 to 12 months from application with CWA to child home. Any family wanting to submit a dossier for a young, healthy child can do so. Please know that at this time, there could possibly be a wait of over 18 months for a referral of a healthy child. However, your dossier would be in line for consideration and matching to a child. Bulgarian law requires the adopting family submit post-adoption reports for two years following the adoption.

The Children
Bulgarian children are from Armenian, Roman, Bulgarian or Turkish heritage, usually with dark eyes and dark hair. Children are legally available for international adoption at age of 12 months up to young teens. Presently, through CWA’s Bulgarian program, families can expect to adopt children with special needs of any age, occasionally under one year of age. Also, families can adopt a healthy child age 6 or older. Families can choose to adopt one child, siblings, or two unrelated children at the same time. In the future, younger healthy children will be available for adoption.

Parent Eligibility
Bulgaria will place children with married couples or single women. The minimum age for parents is 25. One parent must be at least 15 years older than the child and no more than 45 years older. Single women must be age 25-50 and can adopt one child at a time. Single women can adopt a child that is between 16 years to 45 years younger than her age. One parent must be a citizen of the United States, and CWA can work with adopting families that live almost anywhere in the world.

Travel
While in Bulgaria, you will be accompanied by our English speaking facilitator. The adoption process typically requires two short trips. The first trip of 4-5 days is for both parents to meet and accept the child referred to them by the MOJ and will include a visit to your child’s orphanage. After returning home, 2 ½ to 3 months later one or both parents will go back to Sofia, Bulgaria for a few days to complete the adoption process. The in-country expenses are very affordable, and your short stay in this beautiful land will be a delightful experience.

Fees
All the international adoption fees are being quoted in Euros. One international fee covers all the children you adopt, which makes this program very appealing and affordable for families wanting to adopt two unrelated children or a sibling group. If multiple children are adopted and they live in different orphanages, there is a small additional fee involved.

Note: Due to the nature of international adoption, all information contained on this webpage is subject to change without notice.