Kazakhstan Adoption

An Overview

Located south of Russia in Central Asia, northwest of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan was the second largest of the former Soviet republics in size. The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to sharp economic declines in Kazakhstan which contributed in turn to the large number of children abandoned and living in orphanages. Although the economy has improved in recent years due to economic reform and foreign investment, the number of children living in institutions has grown. More then 4,000 Kazakh children have been adopted by families in the U.S. since 1997.

The people include a mix of native Kazakhs and Russians who have migrated there since Russia conquered the area in the 18th century. Children available for adoption are usually of Russian and/or Asian background. Children adopted from Kazakhstan in 2004 were split between boys and girls and about one third were under a year old at the time of adoption. The Kazakhstan government requires adopting parents to spend at least two weeks visiting a child in his residence city before applying for adoption. Kazakhstani law also provides for a 15-day waiting period after the court hearing before the adoption becomes final.

Fast Facts:

Number of adoptions from Kazakhstan:
Source: U.S. State Department
2006: 587
2005: 755
2004: 824
2003: 825
2002: 819

Age/Gender of Children Adopted From Kazakhstan in 2005
Source: INS Immigration Statisticss
52% female
42% under 1 year of age
37% 1 – 4 years of age

Estimated Cost: $30,000+
Profile of Children: Generally, 6 months to 3 years old.
Parent Ages: There are no age requirements other that an unmarried parent must be at least 16 years older than the child to be adopted.
Family Status: Both singles and married couples may adopt in Kazakhstan.
Travel: 30 to 45 days in country required. May be broken into two trips. Kazakhstani law requires that prospective parents have at least 14 days personal contact with a child, in the child’s town, before submitting an adoption application to the court.
Timeline: From completed dossier to referral: girl, 6 to 10 months; boy, 0 to 4 months.

Helpful articles from Adoptive Families Magazine:

Adopting Internationally by Susan Freivalds
Raising a Child of Another Race by Jana Wolff
Someone to Watch Over Me by Janice Cooke Newman
Our Journey to Lucy by Christina Frank and Josh Lerman
The Reluctant Spouse by Jill Smolowe

To Get Started in Kazakhstan Adoption:

Consult these helpful books for families adopting in Kazakhstan:

Russian Adoption Handbook: How to Adopt a Child from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, by John H. Maclean, iUniverse.com, 2001

Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise, by Martha Brill Olcott, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Best online information sources for Kazakhstan pre-adopters:

Join one of these online communities:

Yahoo! Kazakhstan Adoptions: groups.yahoo.com/group/Kazakhstan_Adoptions or groups.yahoo.com/group/Kazakhstan_Adoption

Eastern European Adoption Coalition Internet mailing list: www.eeadopt.org

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption chat board: www.frua.org

Consult these Web sites to stay up to date: