Ukraine Adoption

Adoption Program
CWA submits the family’s dossier to the Ukraine State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children’s Rights (SDAPCR) for pre-approval. An invitation to travel to Ukraine is usually issued in 2-5 months. Parents travel to Ukraine to meet with officials of the SDAPCR. Once there, parents will see file information/pictures of one or several children that match the family’s request. Parents then choose a child to meet. If the parents decide to adopt that child, the adoption process is then completed. If the parents decline, they return to the SDAPCR and choose another child to meet, and this process stops if 2 referrals are declined during the trip. One parent may leave after the court hearing to return home earlier. In all the years of CWA’s work in Ukraine, we have never had placement of a child diagnosed with FAS.

The Children
The children live in orphanages and are eligible for adoption once they are 14 months old. Both boys and girls are available and parents can choose gender. Siblings are extremely rare and are typically much older children. If parents are open to adopting siblings, they must have all CWA paperwork approved for 2 children. If siblings happen to be available when the parents are in Ukraine, then they can consider adopting them. However, there will not be any advance notice regarding the availability of siblings. Currently, Ukraine does not permit the adoption of 2 unrelated children simultaneously. For families wanting to adopt very young children, they can expect to bring home a boy around 17 months of age and older, and bring home a girl around 24 months of age and older.

Parent Eligibility
Married couples age 23 and older are eligible to adopt from Ukraine. Prior divorce is acceptable and there are no restrictions on the number of children already living in the home. The age difference between an adoptive parent and child must be no more than 45 years. However, if the father is outside this age range, it still might be possible for the mother to adopt from Ukraine.

Travel
The adoption process in Ukraine is quite easy. If you choose a 2-trip option, travel on the first trip lasts about 10 days and requires both parents. You return home and 15-25 days later, one or both parents will return to Ukraine for a trip of about 5 days to bring home their child. If you choose a 1-trip option, you can expect to be in Ukraine about 31 days. If desired, one parent can come home early. Families arrive in Ukraine and are greeted at the airport by our American in-country director, escorted to their hotel or apartment, as well as to all official appointments.

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