Adopting in Slovakia

Apologies to anyone who was waiting on me getting information translated from the CIPC site (Slovakia's Central Authority). I have been waiting on a friend translating it, but she hasn't got it done. Anyway, the info I have gleaned is as follows: Slovakia allows adoption to other Hague ratified countries which they have made agreements with pertaining to international adoption (for example the UK, Germany, Italy). If you are resident in Slovakia eg thru work you are allowed to adopt and your adoption is classed as domestic (as mine was), and it doesn't matter if your own home country is Hague ratified or not. Slovakia does not accept applications direct from individuals for international adoption, but only thru the designated authority in your country. Information on the designated central authority of your individual country can be found here: [url=http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.authorities&cid=69]HCCH | Authorities[/url] As I understand the process, you must complete all your pre-adoption preparation through a Hague compliant agency/authority in your country, which then submits the forms to your Central Authority. They will then check everything and issue you with a certificate of eligibility - or equivalent depending on your country - telling the Slovak authority you are approved. Once everything arrives at the CIPC (the central authority here in Slovakia) and your paperwork is processed and accepted, you should be entered on the waiting list. I would urge anyone thinking of adopting from here to contact your designated central authority and have them contact the CIPC on your behalf to confirm details/requirements (eg paperwork required, translations etc) and eligibility. ([url]http://www.cipc.sk/)[/url]. The first consideration is always: is your country eligible, and if it hasn't ratified the Hague Convention then the answer is 'no'. I believe the US hasn't ratified yet (???) as it can't do so until all agencies that applied for accreditation have been examined (the State department has the current list). There is stuff out there on the internet which suggests you need to live in Slovakia during the entire course of the adoption. That isn't the case: you must simply be resident in a Hague country: which will be your own country. My understanding is that you are given pre-adoptive custody by the courts which lasts 9 months, after that you return to Slovakia for finalization of the adoption. Having to return like this may put a lot of people off, but look on it as a chance to see the country, experience the culture and buy gifts! The CIPC here in Bratislava don't respond to individual visitors looking for information (I know, I was in there last week trying to clarify all this with them) or really to individual emails (they will send you a standard response and the list of designated authorities). They don't talk to 'people' only authorities: I guess that this way they are trying to ensure accurate information is passed on (which on reflection is also exactly how, for example the CCAA in China, operates too). So if you email them yourself, they will likely tell you to contact your own designated authority to submit a request for information to them. Private adoption agencies don't exist here or work to faciliate adoptions. Everything is done thru the CIPC and the courts, and your application is handled by them. I guess the good news in that is that this may mean you don't need an adoption agency in your own country to have a program established in Slovakia, to be able to pursue an adoption from here. The majority of children available for international adoption are Roma. There are boys, girls and sibling groups. I know of a 9 month old recently placed on the list for international adoption, but I'm told that was exceptionally young. Again I've heard people say only 'special needs' children are available for international adoption, but I also know of families who have adopted healthy infants too. Like a lot of things in this part of the world, it can be difficult to find 'the' answer: as there are often many answers! I do hope in the future people keep Slovakia in mind for adoption. There is a sadly high number of children stuck in orphanages here, for whom domestic adoption is never going to happen (because of their ethnicity) and international adoption is their only chance of ever finding a family.