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Hello....I've been on this site for years, though I very rarely post, I have a sister who is adopted and it's been a good resource for getting more info on what she and my parents deal with. But now I have an adoption question for myself. I've done some googling but can't seem to find an answer.
I'm American, but currently living in Russia (Krasnodar Region). My boyfriend is British, and we are planning to move back to the US or the UK within the next 2 years. We've found out we can't have kids the old-fashioned way so we've been looking at adoption, particularly from Russia as we speak the language (well, he does and I'm learning quickly) and have fallen in love with the culture in our time here.
My question is, if we end up in the UK, would the fact that I'm an American citizen prevent us adopting from Russia, even if we planned to raise the child in Britain and would seek British citizenship for said hypothetical child? I have no plans to give up my American citizenship, but does the ban apply only to children where both parents are American and plan to reside on the US, or is it just if you have an American passport, you're out of luck? I know it's a pretty specific case, but any resources you could point me towards to better understand the technicalities would be appreciated!
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The situation with regard to Russia is very unpredictable. If you won't be adopting for two years or so, the rules can change dramatically between now and then. Russia could reopen adoptions to Americans, or it could close them to people from the UK and/or other countries. You just don't know.
Also, remember that many countries do not allow international adoption by two cohabiting, but unmarried, people. They require one member of the couple to do the adoption as a single person, although the homestudy must recognize the existence and contribution of the partner. In some states within the U.S., there may be a legal mechanism for giving the partner the same status as the adopting parent AFTER the adoption. So check what the U.K.'s rules are.
Sharon
Sorry, should have been clearer about that...I say boyfriend as that's what he is now, but we do plan to be married before bringing kids into it, and I know some places require you to be married for a certain amount of time, so that would figure into our timeline. We've just estimated two years as about how long it might be before we can finish our works contracts here in Russia, move, get married, and settle into a home/jobs...
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