Kazakhstan Adoptions: Introduction

Many American couples are beginning to consider Kazakhstan as a resource for international adoption.

Outlined is a general guide to help prospective parents who want to adopt a Kazakhstani child. More detailed questions involving immigration laws and interpretation should be addressed respectively to qualified legal counsel.

Prospective parents may work with any agency of their choice. Kazakhstani law does not does recognize adoption agencies. But, families can have assistants, such as interpreters or lawyers, to help with the process. Selected agents must inform the Ministry of Education they will provide assistance.

It is imperative adoptive parents fully investigate any prospective organization or facilitator. If planning to work with a U.S.-based agency, they should contact the Better Business Bureau and/or licensing office where it is located or licensed. Please review the Important Notice Regarding Adoption Agents and Facilitators document on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

It is important to remember that the laws of the child’s birth origin govern the adoption process, and the U.S. Federal immigration law controls his or her transition into the country.

All Kazakhstani orphans are required to be registered with the Ministry of Education Committee of Guardianship and Care for at least six months before they are eligible for adoption. It is difficult for foreigners to adopt two or more biologically unrelated children at the same time. Prospective parents wishing to take in two or more non-siblings are urged to carefully question their adoption agency to determine whether this is possible.

In Kazakhstan, most married couples are permitted to adopt. Single people are allowed, so long as a 16-year age difference exists between the prospective parent and adoptive child. However, some unmarried applicants have found it difficult to adopt, as have candidates more than 60 years old.

Cost must be taken into account. Americans who successfully adopted a Kazakhstani child report that total expenses, including fees to U.S.-based agencies, average approximately $18,000 to $25,000 per child.

Once prospective parents are approved for adoption in their home state, and have completed the initial processing requirements of the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, they must register their intention to adopt a Kazakhstani orphan with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The selected domestic agency should assist by submitting a dossier to the Embassy of Kazakhstan or a U.S. Consulate of Kazakhstan.

If a married couple is of mixed citizenship, with one parent being a U.S. citizen and the other is not, the Kazakhstani government requires additional documentation from the non-U.S. citizen’s country of origin. This may consist of approval from his or her birth country, similar to the I-600A. Often, these additional requirements for mixed citizenship couples have resulted in processing delays, and ultimately many opt to not pursue the adoption.

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