Russia and Bulgaria are open and active in inter-country adoption. They have new, well-regulated legislation under which foreign agencies such as ours are accredited. Russia and Bulgaria have proven to be the most consistently open and favorable to international adoption of all Eastern European countries over the past decade.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Married couples, common law couples and single women, including divorcees and widows are eligible to adopt. Age limitation varies among districts, but in general, both countries allow for older applicants. In some Russian districts older applicant(s) (i.e.: between the age of 40 and 50) may even find it possible to adopt a child less then a year old. In Bulgaria, prospective parents must be at least 15 years older than the child being adopted. In both Russia and Bulgaria, there are health regulations that may be relevant to your situation. Please feel free to call and discuss your particular circumstances in confidence.

CHILDREN — AGE, SEX, RACE, HEALTH

In Russia new legislation (January 2005) limits the age of when a child may be proposed to 8 1/2 months and older. Bulgarian law allows only children 1 year old and older to be proposed for international adoption. The great majority are Caucasian. In Bulgaria, children rarely have light complexions. Asian and mixed race children have also been placed.

Regarding the health of the children, the great majority have been in orphanage care since birth. Although most orphanages provide good nutrition and standards of medical care, depending on the particular circumstances of the child, we do occasionally see malnourished children being proposed for international adoption. Nevertheless, as a result of various aid programs, most orphanages are able to maintain at least basic requirements, and many even attain a one to one ratio of total staff to children. Thus stimulation levels can be higher, reducing the risk of severe developmental, psychological and medical problems due to prolonged institutionalization.

Orphanage children are often born premature and small. Developmental delays are common at time of placement. Nevertheless, most of the children we have placed are in the normal range of health within a few months to a year of being in a good home. Indeed many excel intellectually, athletically and socially. On the other hand, some take longer to adapt and some of these may have or develop persistent medical conditions. For these reasons, we do all within our power to help our families obtain the best possible medical and social assessments and consultations.

Although CHOC cannot guarantee the availability or validity of information provided, it also makes every possible effort to obtain full and accurate information from the foreign country, concerning the child's current and past medical and social history.

There are essentially two levels of medical evaluation each child passes before finalization of the adoption: government evaluations and independent evaluations. Eastern European style is that at birth, the child is diagnosed in a particular manner that does not map neatly into western medical terminology (for this reason Citizenship and Immigration Canada requires an independent medical evaluation from both Russia and Bulgaria). However, much of the evaluation is useful. They record weight, height, head circumference and take blood and urine tests, checking for AIDS, hepatitis and STD’s. Children receive inoculations on schedule and get special medical interventions as needed.

CHOC arranges independent medical evaluation for the child to be adopted. This evaluation must be done by a designated medical practitioner (DMP) named by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. There are now quite a few doctors who are so designated by Canada, living in Russia and Bulgaria. Typically the DMP’s will attend the orphanage with the applicant(s) and evaluate the child in their presence. The DMP’s evaluation is, in case of Russia, forwarded to London, England and in case of Bulgaria, forwarded to Vienna, Austria, for Canadian government evaluation and approval. You must sign your acceptance of Canada’s evaluation before you can finalize the adoption. Ontario strongly encourages a third doctor's independent evaluation as well.

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