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Dates to Diary: > > Homestudy is valid for one year. Contact your social worker at least 3 months prior to expiration to schedule home visit update. > > INS approval expires 18 months from approval date. You can re-apply for a one time, no charge fee, extention 90 days from expiration date. > > INS fingerprints expire 15 months from the approval date. Again, you can re-apply for a one time, no charge fee, to renew your fingerprints. Please diary at last 2 months before expiration date. > > All these updated documents need to be sent to Bulgaria, via your agency, BEFORE any document expires. > Also be aware that once there is a referral BG requires certain other info to be update within 6 months (criminal background checks, FBI fingerprints, medical certificates) . MOJ does give you time to update documents. According to my agency's BG's association, "...obligated to present a valid INS within a month after the one that is presented to at the MOJ expires. In that month term the MOJ has to have time to translate the paper. If you do not present a new and valid INS approval within that one month term the MOJ closes the file of the parents and sends all papers back to us (the BG agency)." If your INS approval expires before you request an extension, you have to re-apply -- start the process over. You have to include a valid & updated (not more than 6 months old) homestudy with this extension. (This process can take up to 6-8 weeks) This is not Bulgaria's rule -- its the INS requirement for any international adoption. All specifics are on the INS website ([url]www.ins.gov[/url]) . Also, be sure your passport is valid for at least 2 years.
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