Processing Time
Application through final adoption decree is approximately 12-15 months.
Children Available
Recent changes to Ukraine’s Family Code require orphans to be registered on the central adoption registry for one year and to be at least 5 years old before they are eligible for intercountry adoption. The amendment exempts children with certain medical needs, relative adoptions, and sibling adoptions.
Parents' Ages
Parents must be at least 25 years old and at least 15 years older than adoptee, but no more than 45 years older than the adoptee.
Marriage Status
Married couples are accepted. (Ukraine may stop accepting single applicants in the near future. We do not have a timeframe on when this could happen and if it will actually occur. Because we feel that this is a significant risk, we would strongly discourage single applicants from applying to Ukraine.)
Divorce
Permitted (maximum of two per spouse).
Children in Family
Families with existing children are permitted to adopt.
Income
Families must be able to show they can adequately provide financially for their children. A family’s income and full financial status will be evaluated as part of the adoption process.
Criminal History
No felonies permitted. All other criminal history must be at least 15 years old, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Medical History
No mental health diagnoses or treatment permitted. All other medical issues reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Travel to Country
Both parents must travel, but both need not remain in the country for the entire adoption procedure. An extra trip may be required, depending on the region your child is from. Average stay is 5-7 weeks total.
Post Adoption
Post Adoption Reports completed by the home study agency and requiring a social worker visitation must be completed at 6 and 12 months from the date of adoption finalization. Although rarely done, additional reports may be requested by America World and/or Ukrainian authorities at any point and time.
**Please refer to America World's
Agency Adoption Requirements for a complete list of requirements.
