ministry consent for adoptions.

Hi Maria, I was told by my attorney in BG that they had a council meeting on friday and apparently they will be having them about twice a month. Hopefully that will mean that the new system...though slow in moving...is finally gaining steam! Our attorney feels confident that we are not looking at the wait of our last adoption through BG (which was 16 months.) Vicki

Are there really 1000 families waiting for a referral in BG? Does anyone know how many children are adopted in BG each year? Not just from the US but the total number. To openhearts: could you please give a break down ofthe 16 months?

I was told by our agency that no she has talked to seems to know exactly how many waiting families there really are. There were many attorneys who were trying to quickly file incomplete dossiers in order to "get their families in line". Then the dossiers were rejected and had to be updated and resubmitted and the ministry had to figure out this mess. That could mean there are or are not 1000 some families. The new system now only allows completed dossiers submission. She has not given me any time frame either, although when we signed up for the program, the information we received stated a referral around three months from dossier submission. I am just praying by the end of 2005. I guess we will only know what to expect when we see happy families posting here about referrals. Blessings to all! Maria

Could you tell us from where this information about 500 adoptions autorised by MOJ in 2005, is coming from. This is of course a very important information given the status of adoption in Bulgaria; so it's important to know whether the source of the information is very serious or not. Thanks in advance. Georges.

Hi, I was told that the information was from a BTA Bulgarian news article from jan. 26. That is all I know. Maria

I have attached that article below. The 500 number refers to 2003. From all I have heard about the new individuals working at the MOJ is that these women are serious, and will work more effectively than the previous MOJ staff. I uderstand everyones anxiety (I have it too!) but I really believe the new process will work mush better and faster than the old system. We just need to let these individuals catch up. Kay Here is the clip: 26-01-2005/17:17 Sofia - Applications of foreigners, who want to adopt Bulgarian children, will be considered according to special criteria drafted by the Justice Ministry and made public Wednesday, the Ministry's press centre told BTA on Wednesday. In 2003 the Child Adoption Council considered 80 files of adoptive parents and 85 files of children. In 2004 their number was 319 and 262, respectively. In 2003 the Justice Minister gave his explicit consent for the adoption of 595 children.

Thanks a lot for the verification. It does not mean that the situation could be better, actually I wander whether it's not even worst than the 500 for 2005. A very significant improvemebt from this country is needed. That's true that people are working hard to improve the situation. But it will take some time. Regards. Georges.

Hello everyone, I have been a lurker for the most part on this site as we are strongly considering Bulgarian adoption. These recent posts have scared me because I think without foundation these rumors could scare people away even though there are children waiting to be adopted. In the meantime, I have been in contact with a Bulgarian Attorney from a licensed Bulgarian Adoption Agency, Dreams Foundation. I asked her about wait times and she has given me permission to post her response. "Hi Mary Beth, This kind of posts occur every now and then on Internet. Sometimes they are more "panic" degree, sometimes not :-) When the panic is high, I usually step in and explain. But when it is mild "rumor" as in this case, I just choose to ignore such posts. The fact is that yes, if you requested a young healthy infant, your wait will be long - 12 months and +) If you requested a blue-eyed, blond-haired baby, your wait is going to be even longer. And it is just because the most of the kids in BG orphanages are with olive complexion, olive eyes, over 1 by law and over 2 by practice, with medical issues, or at least seriously lagging behind in their physical and psychical development due to institutionalization. People sometimes just don't understand, that no matter of the country, the children available for adoption come as a bundle of personality and problems. Orphanages in any country are not a fancy shop where you can get the wondrous child of your dreams. Please, don't get me wrong, I am not directing these comments to you, I am just trying to explain why those kinds of postings appear on the Internet. So, my answer would be: yes, your referral time in Bulgaria will be long, since there are a lot of families requesting wondrous children and almost no wondrous children. However, if you have realistic expectations and requests, understand that children available for adoption are "problematic" in their majority, and accept their "problems", your referral time will be significantly shortened. Please, use my name in organization and feel free to post this message. Warmly, Toni"

What your interface is describing is not what I call a medical problem. If it's classified as such by the MOJ then all the kids in the orphanages got medical problems and will never be referred to couples asking for kids in good health. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT POINT TO CLARIFY. Regards. Georges.

One of the things that I learned in the past year of dealing with international adoption is the definition of "healthy" versus "unhealthy" children. What is considered to be "unhealthy" in Bulgaria may be nothing more than a "treatable" issue here in the United States. I know of one family who adopted a child that had a very "severe" medical condition according to Bulgarian physicians. When the family got the child back to the United States and took her to the pediatrician it was a very minor situation that was treated quickly with an antibiotic. There was then a healthy child. As for the Ministry of Justice consent, I would remind everyone to remember that right now the politicians in Bulgaria are getting ready for elections. So some of the information that is being seen in the press in and out of Bulgaria can be characterized as "staging". Politics is politics whether it be the U.S. or Bulgaria. Politicians have to be a "happy" face on everything and move forward from there. So let's not worry until we see what happens. I think (being in the world of politics) we have to be worried that the current Prime Minister (who used to be King of Bulgaria prior to World War II) is elected and not someone who is going to start trying to change things. It is important to remember that Bulgaria is a Federation (I think) government rather than a Republic like the U.S. The advice I get from my friends at the U.S. State Department and from my attorney here in D.C. and from the attorney is Bulgaria is calm down and let's see how things are playing out. The Vice-Minister is still new and she is attempting to get control of an out-of-control situation and she's only been in her job a short time.

DC-Dad, There is some info about Bulgarians also adopting children in a on line news paper called (STANDART) They have a English version. T~SDAD