Bulgarian Adoption After Covid
June 30, 2021 – Welcome Home!
Welcome home, Stacie and Sam! You guys are absolutely incredible! Your daughter is lucky and blessed to have you as her parents! It was a pleasure to serve you!
This Family’s Bulgarian Adoption Timeline
| Finish Home Study | 6 Months |
| Get CIS Approval | 2.5 Months Later |
| Offical Match Received | 2 Months Later |
| Covid Delays | About 2 – 3 months. |
| First Trip (Skype) | 2 Months Later |
| Pick Up Trip | 4 Months Later |
| Total | 18.5 Months |
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 Jessica and Jeremy’s story, or Lori’s story, or Monica and Manuel’s, or Ana’s story, or Christian and Cassandra’s.
18.5 Months From Start to Finish
Our family adopted their 4 year old daughter, in the middle of Covid, for 18.5 months, from start to finish! That is incredible! It is even better than our estimated “timetables” for waiting child or traditional Bulgarian adoption.
Adoption During Thru Covid – Going Smoothly!
Meet one of our families who just came home in June, 2021 with their 4 year old daughter from Bulgaria, despite Covid delays.
So their process has been faster than most adoptions we’ve helped our parents with. This family has done a phenomenal job with the paperwork! Their home study agency, Caring Adoption Associates also did a wonderful job for them. In addition, the Bulgarian authorities have been very flexible to help adoptive parents move forward with their procedures during Covid.
The Bulgarian Central Authority with approval from the US Embassy in Sofia has allowed Zoom visits, and taken away quarantine requirements with proof of Negative Covid Test. Travel to Bulgaria currently is overseen by the embassy with a diplomacy note. That is done with no delays.
Zoom Vistin – February 2021!
Bulgarian Adoption Timeline Thru Covid
This family signed their contract for a Bulgarian adoption with our agency in January of 2020. Now, less than 18.5 months later they are home with their 4 year old daughter despite Covid delays in the middle of their process. That is an incredible timeline for any adoption. Their story is a true blessing and should serve as inspiration to future adoptive parents to begin the steps in the process.
Step 1 – Jan, 2020 – Contract
Step 2 – Jan 2020 – MOJ Application
Still in January, 2020, the family submitted an application directly with the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice (MOJ) about a particular child is one of the first steps on this route. In this case the MOJ approved the application quickly and the family set out to meet all eligibility requirements including an approved home study and a CIS approval.
Step 3 – Sept 2020 – CIS Approval
Once the MOJ approved their initial application, the family set out to do their home study. Along with their home study, they turned in their I800-A Application to CIS who, as a result, issued their CIS approval. This approval is a key document needed for your approval in Bulgaria.
Step 4 – Nov 2020 – Dossier to BG
2.5 months later, the family’s entire dossier including their CIS Approval and approved home study (or home study for expats) was sent to Bulgaria to be translated and submitted with the Bulgarian Central Authority (CA). The CA then proceeded to issue their official match with their 4 year old daughter.
Step 5 – Feb 2021 – Zoom w Child
Bulgarian authorities, with the approval of the US Embassy, allows for parents to make first contact with their children through Zoom. These initail contacts are carried out much like as if they were in person, with there being an official representative of the orphange during the calls. Often times the child’s caregiver, or a social worker, or a child psychologist will be in attendance. In attendance also are our partner’s representatives who are there to translate and help facilitate the meeting. The family was sweet enough to share iwth us this screenshot of their zoom. We can’t show you how cute she is quite yet, but we’ll have more to this story soon!
Step 6 – June 30, 2021 – Back Home!
Our favorite step by far, coming back home! As of today, June 30, 2021, our family is on the plane on the way back to the US! One less orphan! To Christ the glory!
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 out our family with a grant!
Getting the adoption tax credit also helps parents with the cost of international adoption.
Learn More About Orphanages in Bulgaria
See this blog with 3 separate adoptive parents share their thoughts on what the orphanage is like?
See Lori’s Interview from 2017.
Recent Adoptions
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