Adopting Her Daughter from Bulgaria
Adopting a Child From Bulgaria
Meet Ana! She is one of our moms who is adopting her daughter from Bulgaria.
When we first talked to Ana, we remembers hearing the heartbreak in her voice becuse of her failed attempts to adopt a child locally from foster care.
It wasn’t easy to convince Ana that the international adoption process wouldn’t end in another heartbreak. But she went by faith and trusted that the outcome can be different with her Bulgarian adoption!
To Christ be the glory, we can now say she completed her adoption in 20 months and is home with her daughter since August 2021!
Bye Orphanage!
Bonding in Bulgaria – March 2021!
From Start to Finish – 20 Months
| Finish Home Study | 8 Months |
| Get CIS Approval | 2 Months Later (Nov, 2021) |
| Offical Match Received | 2 Months Later (Jan, 2021) |
| First Trip | 4 Months Later (March, 2021) |
| Pick Up Trip | 4 Months Later (August, 2021) |
| Total | 20 Months |
See Other Parents' Timelines
We have a few other families who are happy to share their stories and their timelines. To see how long it took them to adopt, please see:
Meeting Her Daughter In Bulgaria
So, in April of 2020, Ana decided to let go of the painful past filled with disappointment in trying to adopt a child from her state’s foster care and moved forward with an international adoption!
We helped her with the paperwork and in March 2021, a year later, she flew to Bulgaria to meet her daughter in person!
This is a good timeline considering that the world was closed for most of 2020 due to Covid.
When she met her daughter, they fell deeply in love! The bond and connection they have is a gift from God! As believers, we give thanks to Jesus Christ for putting this family together! (To see some Bible verses of encouragement, please click here).
Pictures from Their Bonding Trip
Ana’s Timeline with Her Adoption
As adoption professionals, one of the most common question we have to answer is “how long will this take”. As you can imagine, this is a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables.
That is why we love sharing real stories of real adoptive parents who can testify to their own timelines. Then you can compare to the the timeline that is on our site and see how they match up.
Step 1- Jan, 2020 – Contract
In mid January of 2020, Ana signed our agency’s contract for an adoption through Bulgaria. This initiated her process and we set out to her meet eligibility requirements for a Bulgarian adoption.
Step 2 – March, 2020 – MOJ Application
Ana is adopting a waiting child, and so she completed the appropriate application required for this process as allowed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice. She did so in March, 2020.
Step 3 – Nov, 2020 – CIS Approval
Despite everything being closed in 2020 due to Covid, Ana was able to complete her home study quickly. Her home study agency did a great job and Cheryl Duke was a pleasure to work with! Then we helped her submit her I800-A Application which resulted in her CIS Approval. This is a key dossier document used in the foreign country for your eligibility as an adoptive parent.
Step 4 – Jan, 2021 – Bulgarian Registrar
Ana submitted her entire dossier including their CIS Approval and approved home study (or home study for expats) to Bulgaria in 2020. Then a month later, in January of 2021, the Bulgarian Central Authority (CA) issued her official registration confirming that her dossier has been “inscribed in the registrar”.
Step 5 – March, 2021 – Meet Her Daughter
Right around a year after submitting her MOJ application, and despite Covid delays, she was able to go and meet her daughter physically in Bulgaria. It is an amazing match. One that only Jesus Christ can put toghether so well.
Yesterday, May 19, 2021, we got news that Ana’s court hearing will be in June. We can’t wait to send her back to Bulgaria shortly thereafter – so she can pick her daughter up!
Step 6 – August, 2021 – Welcome Home
Right on schedule, our adoptive mom was due back in Bulgaria about 5 months later to pick her daughter up.
The time between the first trip and the second trip is used to finalize the adoption through the Bulgarian court system. When the adoptive parent is invited back, this means that the Bulgarian court ruled in favor of the adoption and granted custody of the child to the adoptive parent.
This process was completed in mid July, 2021 and our adoptive mom was invited to go get her daughter in August!
To Christ be the glory for this process which was sucessfuly completd and resulted with one less orphan in the world!
Understanding The Cost
With our agency, which we believe is unique, the cost of the adoption becomes due on your own timetable, not ours. We call this a “floating fee structure”.
We also offer 37 month financing which lets you make a fixed monthly payment for 37 months. Some of our parents love this option because it lets them spend less money before they can qualify for grants.
Our family did get some grants during their process. We are very grateful to Connected Hearts for helping Ana with a pretty substantial grant!
Getting the adoption tax credit also helps parents with the cost of international adoption.
Succes Stories
Learning about the process by seeing how different families went through each step can be a good learning experience for future adoptive parents. We've shared several stories, each with real timelines, and steps, as they happened in real life to real families.
Christian and Sandra's Story
Finished adoption in 27 months.
Monica and Manny's Story
Finished adoption in 25 months
Jeremy and Jessica's Story
Finished adoption in 20 months
Stacy and Sam's Story
Finished adoption in 18.5 months
Lori's Story
Finished adoption in 18 Months
Ana' Story
Finished adoption in 20 months.
Paul and April's Story
Finished adoption in 28 months
Mike and Megan's Story
Finished adoption in 30 months
Daniel and Alexandra's Story
Finished adoption in 36 months
Continue Your Research
We are humbled to have over 21 years of experience with Bulgarian, Polish and Serbian international adoption. We also help parents adopt children with special needs such as Down Syndrome. Continue to learn about the process and your options by checking the links below. If you have any questions, we offer a FREE, No-Obligation Consult. The consult is a great place to start your research.
Text us or call us with any questions. 704 527 7673.
Learn More About Home Study Process
When Should I Start The Home Study?
Difference Between Home Study and Adoption Agency?
Why Do I Need an Accredited Agency?
