Adoptions Together is pleased to be a network agency with
Spence-Chapin. Spence-Chapin is a nonprofit agency in New York City that has been placing children from Bulgaria since 1995, in collaboration with
ANIDO. This program is only available to families residing in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.
Our agency provides the home study, training, post placement services, and assistance with the adoption process for the placement of a child from Bulgaria. The placement of the child will be done through Spence-Chapin.
The Children in Need of Adoption
Children available for adoption in range in age from 7 to 12 years at referral. Both boys and girls are available. Families should expect the developmental delays and medical risks that are typical of children adopted internationally who have been in orphanages. The children are primarily of Roma and Turkish heritage.
Parental Qualifications for Adoption in Bulgaria
This program is available to married couples and single men and women. Applicants should be no more than 50 years of age, in good mental and physical health, and without a recent criminal record. Our agency prefers no more than 45 years difference between the child’s age and the age of the younger parent.
Bulgaria Adoption Program and Procedure
Once your home study and dossier documents are complete, the dossier will be sent to Spence-Chapin. Spence-Chapin will submit the dossier to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The wait for a referral is about one year. For prospective adoptive parents requesting older children or children with special needs, the wait for a referral may be shorter. The referral will include detailed information about the child.
Adoptions from Bulgaria require two trips, several months apart. Each trip is about one week long. Parents must meet the child to formally accept the referral within one month from the issuance of the referral from the Bulgarian MOJ. On this first trip, the family meets the child and spends 5 days visiting and bonding with the child at the orphanage before formally accepting the referral. The adoption is finalized in court by proxy within 3 to 4 months after the formal acceptance of the referral. The family then returns to Bulgaria for a second trip to pick up the child Families are escorted during their trips by a representative from ANIDO and are in regular contact with Spence-Chapin while overseas.