China
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Russia
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IndiaMarried couples and single women are accepted. Single women must be 25 years of age to start the process as required by the CIS. Generally, one parent must be 25-45 to adopt an infant. If both parents are over the age of 45, an older child might be referred.
Yes - we have maintained our accreditation in Russia every year.
We have both staff and contractual representatives in Russia, both in Moscow and in the regions we work in. Once you arrive in Moscow from the U.S., you will be constantly assisted by our in-country representatives who meet you at the airport, help you get to your hotel, translate for you in the region, etc.
We have averaged 50-75 Russian adoptions a year.
Although some families experience delays in their process, additional paperwork, and other hurdles usually out of their control and ours, all the families who have decided to continue through to completion have done so.
FTIA will always stand by Adopting Parent(s)' decision to accept or refuse a referral of a child given by the Russian adoption officials from the Regional Ministry of Education. FTIA does require all Adopting Parent(s) to obtain an independent medical opinion based on the information provided by the Russian authorities and to base your decision on that opinion.
According to the Russian adoption officials, they always refer a child that they believe meets the expectations of adopting parents. If a child is refused, Adopting Parent(s) may or may not receive another referral while on the first trip. Or the Adopting Parent(s) may receive another referral, but possibly refuse another referral. If two referrals are refused on one trip it is unlikely that the Adopting Parent(s) will receive another referral on the same trip.
If another first trip is required, Adopting Parent(s) will be required to pay expenses of another first trip.
If the Adopting Parent(s) refuse three referrals from the same region, FTIA will recommend/require your dossier to be submitted to another region. It is more likely that after three referrals, Adopting Parent(s) will stand a better opportunity in another region. Please note, when switching to another region Adopting Parent(s) will have to write a letter to regional officials requesting the return of their dossier. In addition, the new region selected in consultation with FTIA may require one or more additional dossier documents. Some of the regions have unique dossier requirements.
When transferring to another region your dossier will be registered with the Ministry of Education and you will receive your next referral according to that date, not the date submitted to the first region.
If Adopting Parent(s) refuse three referrals in the second region, FTIA will recommend to Adopting Parent(s) to consider another country. All FTIA agency fees will apply to another country as per FTIA's refund policy, but no international fees, translation fees, or travel expenses will be refunded or applied to another country. While we think it will be a very rare case where Adopting Parent(s) refuse six children, we want Adopting Parent(s) to understand these policies at the beginning of Adopting Parent(s) adoption.
Because your home study report which will be completed by your home study agency is part of your dossier, we will be reviewing it. However, this review process is part of our service to our families.
Moving while adopting will not prevent you from completing your adoption. However, unlike some other countries, you will have to redo several dossier documents, in addition to your CIS proof of residency.
Yes, that is correct.
In our International Adoption Guide (IAG), there is a page entitled ´What does it cost to adopt from Russia?´. The international fees in general do include accommodations and travel in the region where the child is currently residing. However, the accommodations, transportation, and meals in Moscow are not part of the International Fee. We have provided an estimate of what you can expect these expenses to be on this page of the IAG. You will be invoiced for all of these other Moscow expenses, except for the hotel, before traveling so that you do not have to carry a large amount of money with you as you travel.
There are three parts to the international adoption process:
On the first trip, you can expect to be gone for approximately 5-7 days, including travel time. On the second trip when you will bring the child home, you will be gone approximately 10-20 days.
On the first trip, you may have to overnight in Moscow before flying on to the region to meet the child, and the same on the way back to the U.S. through Moscow. On the second trip, you will probably overnight again in Moscow on the way to the region. However, after leaving the region with your child, you will be in Moscow approximately 4 - 7 days, depending on how weekends fall, etc. You will have to visit the American Medical Center for your child to have a medical evaluation, as required to issue the child a visa, you will have an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for the child's visa to enter the U.S., and you will have to register the child's adoption at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before returning home with your child.
Yes, both parents must travel to Russia on both trips. This is an FTIA policy, and not necessarily a Russian policy. The first trip is to meet your child, and officially sign an acceptance to move forward with the adoption of the child. We feel that this is a life-changing decision that should be made by both parents, and feel it is in the best interest of both the adopting parents and the child that the parents make this decision together. On the second trip, Russia requires that both adoptive parents be present for the court session. However, after the court session, one parent can return home early if necessary.
We work in Rostov, Ufa, Kaliningrad, and Kemerovo.
When you submit your dossier to our agency, we will forward it to our Russian team who will initiate the translation process of your dossier. Once translated, our Russia staff will register your dossier in the region which is the best fit, based on your child age and gender preference. For example, if we have 6 families waiting for an infant girl in one region, and 3 in another, and you are requesting an infant girl, it makes sense to register your dossier in the region with the shorter wait.
You will stay in a hotel while in Moscow. Depending on the region, you will stay in either a hotel, apartment, or host home.
Russian law states that you will receive the "official" referral of the child during the first trip visit to the country. However, some of the regions will sometimes provide information on the child before you travel. This information will typically consist of a few photos, and an extract of the medical history of the child, including what information is available about the child's birth family, their condition at birth, a growth chart, and any developmental milestones they may have reached.
We understand that this is a concern of every adopting family. We know that there is concern for effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, communicable diseases, and developmental delays. Because of this, we require our adopting families to confer with an international adoption medical specialist once they have received the referral of a child. There are medical specialists who are familiar in reviewing the medical information provided on the children being adopted from Russia, and these physicians will be your best resource for evaluating the child's health and developmental status. See International Adoption Clinics on our website for a listing of resources. There are never any guarantees of a ´healthy´ child, regardless of how that child joins your family - by adoption or birth.
If you have requested a child as young as possible, please be prepared that they may be about 13-15 months old when you bring them home. Before a child can be eligible for international adoption, he or she must first be placed on a databank for an 8 month period when they are only eligible to be adopted by other Russian families. Only after they are off this registry can they be adopted internationally.
The children are in orphanages in each of the regions. The orphanages have a director, and usually even a doctor on staff. In addition, there will be caretakers that will provide for the children. The orphanages are usually divided by the age of the children, with infants up through 3 years of age in the same orphanage, and older children in separate orphanages.
Yes, from time to time twins are available, as well as sibling groups. However, you should advise your home study agency of your intentions so that they can address this in your home study report, and you will need to submit your application to the CIS for approval to adopt 2 children.
Our agency policy is that we will not place 2 unrelated children into a home at the same time. Exceptions can be given when families adopt twins or siblings. When families want to adopt two unrelated children at one time, and they feel that they have a strong case for us to consider, they may submit a written request to our Executive Director or our Director of Programs for consideration.
