Serbia Adoption

Of course, upon finalization of the home study is when your eligibility will be confirmed, but here are some requirements you should know:

Age Requirement:  Parents must be at least 18 years old and no more than 45 years older than the child they intend to adopt. Adoptive parents  45 years older than child, will need to have additional permission of the Serbian Ministry, and this permission is given if it is in the best interest of the child.

Marriage:  Married families can adopt. Single women are also eligible to adopt a child in Serbia with special approval from the Central Authority.

What Else: 

• Persons who have been convicted of serious crimes are not eligible to adopt.
• Prospective adoptive parents with serious health conditions, potentially harmful to a child, must demonstrate their suitability to the Central Adoption Authority in Serbia.

To show you’re eligible, you have to complete a home study and a dossier.  Adoption is highly regulated for the protection of the kids.  In order to adopt, you have to hire an Accredited Agency approved by the US government to help you meet eligibility criteria.  These documents will be approved by the US Government at USCIS through the submission of your I-800A Form.  Your agency will then present your completed dossier to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice.

You dossier will consist of about 12 documents, which may change with changing requirements.  Some of the reoccurring docs, for example, are background clearances done during the home study, child abuse clearances, and your home study agency’s license.   Photos are also required.

Children available for international adoption from the Republic of Serbia will have special needs.  Their needs will vary on a case by case basis, ranging from Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, to different mental and physical developmental delays and disorders. We look for parents who are willing to accept this and are looking to commit to helping a child improve or overcome their needs. Our social worker advises that even if a child is described as “clinically healthy” by the foreign country, parents should still anticipate to help the child deal with issues.

Though this is a very common question, it is difficult to answer because it depends on multiple factors, including your ability to provide necessary paperwork and the child you are seeking to adopt.

Some of it depends on the agency that is helping you and how responsive they are when you need them.

How easy and clear are their guidelines?  How much experience they’ve had?

With that being said, in our 21 years of experience, we can say that most adoptions take between 1.5 and 3 years from start to finish. Of course not everyone falls in that timeframe. 

Yes.  Serbia only requires 1 trip, when most countries require 2.  The trip is expected to be about 24 days.

Yes.  Most of our clients reside all over the US.  We are also one of few agencies who is capable of serving US Expats residing outside the US.  For more info on that, please see this page.

Let’s set up a time to chat.  We think it’s always better to learn about the process by speaking with an experienced professional, than to scroll down endless sites.  Its a free, complimentary, no-obligation consult that we will do for you as a courtesy for having contacted us.  Text us at 704 527 7673 or email nick@saintmaryadoption.com to set it up.