Ukraine Adoption Travel Requirements

Both parents must travel to Ukraine to begin the adoption process. A translator will meet the family at the airport, accompany them to the region and throughout the entire trip. Once the family has traveled to the orphanage and accepted their referral, one or both members of the family can leave Ukraine for approximately two weeks until the court hearing is scheduled. The couple must both be present at the court hearing. There is a mandatory 10 day waiting period after the hearing before the child can be released from the orphanage to either or both family members. The couple or parent will then travel to Kiev to have their embassy appointment and obtain a visa to enter the U.S., where they will obtain an expedited passport and then travel back to their country of residence. A temporary visa can possibly be obtained if the family does not want to travel to the U.S. immediately but they must enter the U.S. with the child within 180 days from the time the IR3 or IR4 visa is obtained. A military couple can apply to get this time period extended. If the couple is not comfortable with their first referral for legitimate reasons, Ukraine now allows families to go back to Kiev for a second referral. If this second referral is not accepted, a third appointment cannot be scheduled until after four months have passed.