Good acomodation in Riga while adopting

1. Very few families adopt from Latvia nowadays. There were only 82 adoptions from Latvia by Americans in 2013, the last year for which statistics are available. The reason is that the Latvian government limits adoptions, in most cases, to children over age 9, children with severe special needs, and sibling groups of three or more children. The average American adoptive family is looking for a younger, somewhat healthier child, and prefers to adopt one child at a time. Also, the Latvian courts may require a family to live with the child in Latvia for up to six months, which most Americans with homes and jobs cannot do. The only exception to the restrictions concerns families living in the U.S., where one spouse holds Latvian citizenship; they may adopt any child in need of parents. (If both spouses hold Latvian citizenship, and are not dual citizens, they will not be able to adopt, because the U.S. government requires at least one spouse to hold U.S. citizenship in order to adopt internationally.)2. Because of the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption, which both the U.S. and Latvia have ratified, Americans adopting from Latvia must work with a licensed, nonprofit American adoption agency that is Hague accredited and accredited by Latvia. Most U.S. adoption agencies make the arrangements for travel, lodging, and guide/translator services within Latvia, in part to be sure that their clients will not be overcharged or given bad service, and in part so that the families can comply with Latvian laws related to staying with the child for up to six months before adoption, and in part so that they can stay for a few days near the U.S. Embassy to complete visa processing for the child after adoption. As a result, it may be better if you contact U.S. adoption agencies working with Latvia, rather than prospective adoptive families.Sharon