YOU DON'T NEED AN AGENCY TO ADOPT....

waitingmommy, Ukraine is one of the few countries endorsing independent adoptions. That is, it doesn't recognize or accredit American agencies, and either way you go to adopt, Ukrainian authorities still consider you an "independent" adopter. However, it makes a significant difference which facilitator you use there. Some ask very little up front, but once you get in-country, more fees start piling up unexpectedly -- for longer stay, lawyers hired to expedite court date, additional trip required if 30 days are not waived, etc. Others pay higher all-inclusive fees, and never go out of their budget with smooth and short adoption trips. There are several independent facilitation options when going to Ukraine, so make sure to ask for recent references and compare total costs minus homestudy (which may vary significantly from state to state). Good luck, Victoria

We are considering adopting a toddler (or two!) from Russia through an agency. My husband has "sticker shock" as he describes it ($28k for two!!) I haven't seen any comments about Russia's laws on independant adoption, anyone know?

DaniJ, I've been in contact with two facilitators who work in regions still conducting independent adoptions. However, there are no guarantees this would not be curbed in the future. Sincerely, Victoria

KIM- my husband and I are hoping to adopt from Panama - the one lawyer's name we had hasn't returned our message. If you have a name of a lawyer wiling to help us adopt please email me thanks sanlc1@aol

Victoria or anyone, Can you email me the names and contact information of reputable facilitators in Ukraine to help us with an adoption. Thanks! Talien

Kim, Thanks soooo much!!! My husband and I are looking to adopt anywhere in latin america! Guatemala is looking easiest at the moment, BUT, the costs are RIDICULOUS!!! We too lived in Honduras, Colombia and Bolivia as we are international teachers and can't really see how an agency can charge SO much for such simple tasks!! I think alot of people adopting have never traveled or lived abroad and are therefore ignorant to their own abilities. Anyway, we are kicking ourselves for not adopting while we lived there, as it would have been SO simple. But, we weren't quite ready then. Now, we are living in the middle east and trying to adopt from latin america... logistical night-mare, but we are certain it can AND WILL be done! We are already on all the paperwork, etc, but are now trying to figure out how to cut out the middle man! The US embassy in Guatemala does not have a list of attorneys, and my internet searching has not yet been fruitful. So, I will post on here to see if anyone has done this in Guatemala. In the meantime, were you living in Panama when you adopted or did you do it from the states? Perhaps we should look into Panama, as we are willing to adopt from ANY country in Central or South America. As I said, research has just pointed us in the Guatemalan direction. Thanks for being honest and not afraid to point out the ludicrous costs...I SOOOOO agree that it all seems like such a racket! Sincerely,Brenna

I saw everyone on here talking about independent adoptions. You can do independent adoptions from Haiti too -- most people adopting from Haiti go independently I think. Its fast, cheap and there is no shortage of children (newborns up to age 15) and there are often sibling groups, twins, even triplets available. I'd be happy to talk to anyone about the process if you're interested. We've done it twice (Our little girl is 3 and our little guy 10 months.) and I'm sure we will adopt from Haiti again. S.

I also lived in Panama for 2.5 years and would be interested in adopting a child from Panama. Would you please contact me to tell me how you did this without an agency? homerlechat@yahoo.com Thanks!!

We are trying to adopt from Honduras without an agency. We are working with a Honduran lawyer and the director of the orphanage. Has anyone else recently tried to do this? It seems that we can submit the INS paperwork on our own and several agencies have agreed to do the home study for between $1-2,000. Am I missing anything else that I must do?

Thanks for some 'freebies" advice.If you are adopting from Canada YOU MUST CONTACT A PROFESSIONAL AGENCY and pay $$$$$$ before they even start looking at your file.

Hello Karen: I came here looking for advice on the possibility of independent adoptions. We have adopted from India as of March 1, 2011. The totals costs, Home Study, Adoption Agency costs, Travels etc., has been close to $35,000. I am not complaining about the agency, HS agency, etc. They did a competent job. It's just that, to adopt again, the costs are too prohibitive. Any advice on finding an agency that is good but not so cost-prohibitive would be helpful. I have not divulged the names of HS and adoption agencies because I don't want this to be a mark against them. Thank you. Chiquito

Nowadays, most countries require you to go through a nonprofit, licensed agency. If you are American and adopting from another country that has ratified the Hague Convention on international adoption, as most Latin American countries have, you will need to use an agency in the U.S. that is also Hague-accredited. WaitingMommy, if you are American, be aware that Guatemala is closed to Americans. It does not matter whether you want to adopt independently or through an agency. You will not be able to complete an adoption or bring the child into the U.S. While a few regions in Russia "may" still allow independent adoptions, don't even consider trying to go the indy route. The country has always opposed independent adoptions, and now that it is extremely concerned over the number of Russian children whose adoptions were dissolved, and/or who were abused, neglected, or abandoned by their adoptive families, there is likely to be a major crackdown. If you are in the midst of an independent adoption during a crackdown, you could find yourself unable to complete the adoption, having spent a lot of money AND bonded with a child. Russia is the most expensive country from which Americans adopt. The reason has little to do with agencies. The main reason is that Russia is now requiring anywhere from two to four trips before you can bring your child home, which means that you could wind up paying $20,000 for travel, alone, without even considering all of the other fees involved in an adoption. As to Ukraine, be VERY careful. Do not let anyone delude you into thinking that you will be able to adopt a relatively healthy infant or toddler. At this time, the U.S. State Department says that Ukraine's new law bans adoptions by foreigners of healthy children under age five, unless they are being adopted by a relative or as part of a sibling group including a child over five. Moreover, many families find that, when they are invited to come to the national center for adoptions in Ukraine to choose children they wish to meet, they are shown only books that have information on children with very severe special needs, or much older children. If they feel that they cannot parent such children, they may or may not be shown other books. Sometimes, they are told to go home and wait for another invitation, or simply shown more books of children with signficant disabilities. Some facilitators seem to be asking parents for significant sums of money -- allegedly, to use to bribe the officials so that they will let the families see other books. When families do see some children that they feel they might be able to parent, they travel to the children's orphanages to meet them. If they find that the children have more complex issues, and don't feel that they can parent them, they are often sent home to await a new invitation; otherwise, they are told to go back to look at more books. They will NEVER be shown other children from the same orphanage, who may be healthier or younger. If the families do see a child who seems promising, they are often given almost no time to think the matter over. At most, they are likely to be told that they can make a decision by the following morning. This is often too soon for the family to reach an adoption medicine specialist who understands some of the terms that are routinely used in Ukrainian medicine and can tell the prospective parent whether or not these terms indicate a serious condition. It may also be difficult, at that point, for family members at home to begin researching the resources available in the community that might be needed to deal with a given special need. In general, Ukraine might be a good choice for a prospective parent who speaks the language and understands the culture, who is open to adopting a school age child and/or a child with special needs, and who has absolutely trustworthy contacts in county. For the average adoptive family, Ukraine should be considered a very high risk country. Sharon

India does not permit independent adoptions by foreigners, including foreigners of Indian origin. It is strictly Hague-compliant. The children must be living in orphanages and acceptable to CARA, the Central Adoption Resource Agency in India, and the families must go through the Hague process using an agency in their home country. Sharon

i am 17 and i donno how to get to an adoption agency to support me so i can get adopted, some say i dont need an agency, but i figured it was very hard to get noticed since i am up for international adoption.

Thank you for sharing Originally Posted By KimI've noticed in nearly every post at this forum there is names of agencies being dropped.I don't know if this will be of any help to any of you.. but since $$$$$ seem to be of importance to many people wishing to adopt, and it often prevents people from pursuing adoption, I feel an obligation to come forward and assure you that you DO NOT need an agency to adopt internationally.. although it is OBVIOUSLY less chaotic or complicated when you have an agency behind you, taking care of the details.We completed our own adoption in Panama with only a Panamanian attorney. The only pitfall we have run into w/regard to not using an agency is that we cannot qualify for the Federal Employees Adoption Reimbursement Program. But we do qualify for the tax return (up to $5000).The battle we (those of us adopting in Panama) entered into with the Dept. of Finance did, however, lead the govt. to begin supporting the reimbursement even when a U.S. Adoption Agency was not involved, due to the HAGUE CONVENTION AGREEMENT:[url="http://travel.state.gov/hague_foreign_docs.html"]http://travel.state.gov/hague_foreign_docs.html[/url]This agreement includes various countries, and assures U.S.Citizens that all foreign legal documents bearing the Apostilla Stamp (so easy get) will be treated as if it were handled by a U.S. Court.If you are adopting in Central America (or Mexico/South America), I URGE YOU TO OBTAIN AN APOSTILLA STAMP on your finalized adoption decree and new birth certificate.You will get the stamp from either the Secretary General's Office of the court house where you are doing the adoption from or from the Foreign Ministry Office in that city.Anyway... We never used an agency. The only purpose of the agency is to link you up w/the orphanage or children's home and assist w/the homestudies and INS documents.We did it all ourselves, and found it all to be quite simple, although tedious and lengthy at times.Our adoption cost $2500. Period. That was the attorney fee!We had to get certain documents certified, translated, etc etc... and of course they had varios expenses, however, it was minimal and didn't break our checkbook.We would have paid ANY amount, of course, to adopt our daughter. HOWEVER... we are not rich by ANY means, and had we gone through an agency and been forced to pay $20,000-$30,000, there's no way we could have done it.I have found that the U.S. Embassies in the Central American countries can provide names of local attornies who handle adoptions. Not to mention you can find them online as well. Do all the work you can from home (authentification of documents.. marriage license/birth certificates, homestudy, and translations), and from that point your money will be spent on the attorney, telephone bills, and travel to the country.I had no idea how much people were paying for international adoptions until I returned to the States (I lived in Panama for 3 years, working at a local orphanage for 2 of those years). It's outrageous. I know how much having a child to love means to people, and I'm sure I would spare no effort to adopt in such a situation, but there are unwanted children ABOUND all over the world... and I can venture to guess that an agency isn't always required.Best Wishes to Everyone out there trying to adopt internationally.... :)~Kim[/quote]