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I don't think the legal office can do more than notarization type services, which in adoption there are loads of papers to be notarized, and at the legal office they are free to A.D. I think you will need to contact a lawyer/adoption agency on the local economy, but do not know this. You will also need to have proof of health ins. for your future child, which tri-care is more than happy to provide, at least in our case they were. SOrry I can't be of further assistance, good luck to you. Shelley
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Hi, Please look on line at usadopteurope.com. You will at least find names of home study providors and that is the first step you want to start looking into. Also make sure you read through the pages on BCIS as you will need to complete the INS paperwork (your homestudy will be part of this) One of the first things you also want to start is your child abuse check, either in the US or on base depending on where you last lived.Another good website for you living in Germany is: randybarlow.com I hope this will help you some and you will get loads of good information you will need along your way. Good luck,Diana
We are adopting from China and are stationed in Japan. We are using Children's House International because they have a social worker assigned specifically to work with those overseas. That has helped us a lot. As far as military services. Legal does notaries and we got our fingerprints done on base. That's about it, but it helps. There is a yahoo group for those in the military who are adopting and I think that several of the people in that group are stationed in Germany. I also have heard that Randy Barlow will do homestudies for overseas families and I believe he is in or near Germany. Ours was done by our Family Services director (who is a licensed social worker with a PHd) on his own time and then reviewed by our agency. It can be done! Good luck!
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I don't think alot of people realize this, but if you are in Germany and adopt from Germany and the child will be in your home legally for 2 years, you do not need a homestudy. I can't remember what the application process is called, but we looked into that when we adopted our son from Japan. (We are stationed here) another couple have adopted 2 from here and that is how they are going about it. It is alot less expensive. The child has to be in your home for two years, and you will need a court paper to prove that he/she has been in your home for that long. Good luck, we are hoping to get somewhere in Europe to adopt from there. (Japan was difficult)
nm_robertson: Just curious....Where are you guys currently living? Europe? If so, I think Randy Barlow travels all over Europe to do home studies (see daveediana's post). I am not using him personally, but I have heard only good things about him. We are stationed in Japan and have a U.S. SW here locally.
Wow, you all are just a wealth of knowledge on this subject! My husband and I are currently stationed in Japan (Okinawa) and have started the process of looking into adoption. I read in the threads that some of you are currently stationed in Japan... we initially contacted legal and they were virtually clueless... we're scheduled for the Family Support adoption briefing next month, but were wondering if you had any advice on where to start. We were looking in adopting from Korea or China... and have gathered informaton from several websites. I noticed one of you used Children's House International, what were your thoughts on that?? Whew... okay, thank-you all so much for your willingness to share your information! Happy Easter!:flower:
Hi klr1876!
We are stationed in Okinawa as well! We have one son adopted from Russia (April 2005), and we are currently working on adoption #2....going back to Russia.
Okinawa has an adoption support group with some very knowledgeable members. Most of the people here have adopted from China, so they can provide tons of information about agencies, process, etc.
You might already be a member, but here in the link to our website. You just have to click "Join This Group" and you will receive an approval e-mail. [url]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AdoptionOkinawa/[/url]
Unfortunately, I don't think you can adopt from Korea while living in Japan. I believe you have to live in the U.S. in the State where your adoption agency is actually licensed (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
If you have an specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Take Care -
Sara
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Hey Sara, Thank-you so much for the information! I've submitted my info to the okinawa adoption website. What a great place to start, thanks! In regards to your two adoptions, did you go through an agency stateside? If you don't mind me asking, what was the average timeframe and cost related to the adoption? Did the parents adopting from china run into any significant snags? Again, I really appreciate your help! Kassia
My aparents are currently in Okinawa, and they adopted 2 of their children from the Philipines. I know that they would be willing to help anyone that needed it! Send me a PM or an email at: libertybelle1775@yahoo.comGod Bless and Semper Fi,Tiffany
Hi, we were stationed in Stuttgart 3 years ago. There is an american international agency that was holding seminars that rotated locations every 6 months or so. Go to the chaplains office, they were part of the sponsers for the seminar in our area, so that would be a good place. When we startes our process, legal was REALLY no help at all. I knew more from just me internet research the she did!
klr1876,Sorry I didn't respond to your question about the agency we are using earlier, I was having trouble logging on. I'm the one using Children's House International. It's hard to know how they compare with other agencies, but they've been good for us. They have a social worker, Michele Jordan, who works specifically for those of us overseas. Probably the thing I like most is that she responds to my email very quickly, which is a big help when you are overseas and not able to telephone during business hours. We have done all communication via email and fax. They also have a yahoo group for getting information out. The main reason we used them is that they were willing to do a review of our homestudy and sign it (for a fee of course). We are adopting from China. I feel very comfortable with the way China handles adoptions, but it has been disappointing that referrals are taking longer and longer. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have.
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