KYRGYZSTAN ADOPTION PROGRAM

CHILDREN

  Ethnicity:  mostly Asian and Eurasian children
  Age:  time of referral, usually 6 months to 16 years.
  Medicals:  children are tested for HIV, TB, and Hepatitis C prior to referral.
  Background:  children we place come from selected orphanages in Kyrgyzstan

ELIGIBILITY

  Age:  There can be no more than 45 years age difference between parent and child (this is based on the youngest adoptive parent).   
  Marital Status:  Kyrgyzstan currently accepts single women, however, not single men.
  Health:  Parents should be in good medical health.  If you are concerned that you have a disability that could affect your adoption, please let us know.

COSTS

  Adoption from Kyrgyzstan can be expensive because of paperwork processing fees and travel.  As the costs vary per individual case, Kids To Adopt doesn't post fees online.

PROCESS

  Parents must first send in an application to Kids To Adopt.
  Upon approval of application, Kids To Adopt sends out a contract.  Parents must sign the contract and send it back to us with the first payment.
  Upon receipt of the signed contract, Kids To Adopt sends parents the Dossier Kit which includes instructions on compiling the documents required by Kyrgyzstan.
  When parents have completed all of their paperwork, they send it back to KTA.  We proof your dossier to the best of our abilities, then send it off to our Kyrgyzstan coordinators.
  If there are no problems with your paperwork, our Kyrgyzstan coordinators send your dossier to Kyrgyzstan to be translated, etc.  Your dossier then goes through various "authentication" steps by the Kyrgyzstan Embassy in the US.  
  The dossier is then registered in Kyrgyzstan and parents receive a travel date.  This date usually ends up being 1 to 2 months after KTA receives your dossier. 
  Parents officially receive their referral and travel on their first trip to visit their child.  Both parents must travel on this trip, although one may leave after the first week (and after officially accepting the referral).
  Parents return home to the US while their coordinator goes to court for them.
  If the adoption is approved by court, the parents must then wait about 1 to 3 months before traveling on their second trip.
  Parents travel back to Kyrgyzstan to complete paperwork.  This trip usually lasts 1-2 weeks and only one parent is required to go.  In Kyrgyzstan, parents take legal custody of their child and travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan to the US Embassy to complete immigration.  Parents then return to the US with their child.
  Parents complete Post Adoption reports, as required by Kyrgyzstan law at the time of the adoption.

TIME FRAME

The time frame is very difficult to foresee as it depends on many factors, some being:  parents diligence in completing paperwork, Kyrgyzstan national holiday's, problems with incorrect paperwork, regional changes in requirements, emergencies, etc.  

Parents can estimate the process, from start to finish, taking at least 4 to 8 months, depending on a variety of factors.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country of 5.2 million people in central Asia located south of Kazakhstan and west of China. Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864 and was a part of the Soviet Union until becoming an independent state in 1991.

Kyrgyzstan is a republic bordering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and China and is just smaller than the state of South Dakota. The terrain is mostly soaring mountains (up to 24,400 feet in elevation) with valleys and wide basins providing outstanding natural beauty. Kyrgyzstan also has the world's largest natural growth walnut forest. Their independence day is celebrated August 31st. The major ethnic groups are Kyrgyz (65%), Uzbek (14%) and Russian (12.5%). About 75% of the population is Muslim with about 20% Russian Orthodox.

Kyrgyzstan has a largely agricultural economy with some mining and manufacturing. Exported crops include cotton, wool, meat and tobacco. Mined and manufactured goods include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, textiles and machinery. The climate ranges form subtropical in the southwest valleys to temperate in the northern foothills and polar in the high Tien Shan mountains.