How to Adopt from Uzbekistan

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Source: Wikipedia.org.

Adoption Authority

Uzbek Adoption Authority

Uzbek Regional and City Courts and the Department for Social Support and Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Public Education (Education Ministry)

The Process

The process for adopting a child from Uzbekistan generally includes the following steps:

1. Choose an adoption service provider
2. Apply to the court
3. Obtain court determination letter
4. Be matched with the child and obtain conclusion letter
5. Adopt (or obtain custody of) the child in Uzbekistan
6. Apply for the child to be found eligible for orphan status
7. Bring your child home

1. Choose an Adoption Service Provider

The recommended first step in adopting a child from Uzbekistan is to decide whether or not to use a licensed adoption service provider in the United States that can help you with your adoption. Adoption service providers must be licensed by the U.S. state in which they operate. The Department of State provides information on selecting an adoption service provider on its website.

2. Apply to the Court

In order to adopt a child from Uzbekistan, you will need to meet the requirements of the Government of Uzbekistan and U.S. immigration law. You must submit an application to the Regional or City courts in the domicile of the adoptee.

To meet U.S. immigration requirements, you may also file an I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition with U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to be found eligible and suitable to adopt.

3. Obtain Court Determination letter

During preparation of the case for judicial review, a judge will issue a determination letter obliging guardianship and trusteeship bodies in the domicile of the adoptee to issue a conclusion letter on justification of the adoption and how it will benefit the adoptee. The guardianship and trusteeship body is the Department of Social Support and Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Public Education and its regional and local branches.

4. Obtain Conclusion Letter

If you are eligible to adopt and a child is available for intercountry adoption, the guardianship and trusteeship bodies in Uzbekistan, after reviewing the court determination letter, will conduct a careful review of your family. The list of documents for such review will be required. The conclusion letter on adoption will be provided to the court. Each family must decide for itself whether or not it will be able to meet the needs of and provide a permanent home for a particular child.

The child must be eligible to be adopted according to Uzbekistan’s requirements, as described in the Who Can Be Adopted section. The child must also meet the definition of orphan under U.S. immigration law.

5. Adopt or Obtain Legal Custody of Child in Uzbekistan

The process for finalizing the adoption (or obtain legal custody) in Uzbekistan generally includes the following:

• Adoption Application to the Court: Prospective adoptive parents or their legal representatives submit an application to adopt and supporting documents directly to the Regional or City Courts. Information/Documents Required with Application to the Court:

1. Prospective parents' names;

2. Consent of the second spouse to adopt;

3. Passport copies;

4. Marital information;

5. Medical records (must include reference letters from psychiatric, counter TB, drug treatment facilities and HIV clinics);

6. Letter from the employer and income statements;

7. Police checks;

8. Information about the child prospective parents intend to adopt: name, age, and sex;

9. Adoptive child’s name change request;

10. Consent of the legal guardian of the child and competent authority of that country;

11. Home study report;

12. Letter from the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, based on the approved Form I-600A, which states that the U.S. government is aware of the family, and that relevant authorities have approved the family for an adoption of an orphan;

13. Notarized statement of the prospective adoptive parents about providing information to the representatives of the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan abroad about the adopted child and possibility to communicate with such child. Foreign public documents, such as vital records, notarized documents, etc., must be authenticated with Apostiles. For information on authenticating U.S. documents see this website. Uzbek law also requires that both prospective parents appear at court. The application for adoption must be signed by the adoptive parent(s).

• Role of the Court: The Regional or City Courts grant the final decrees on adoptions after reviewing the conclusion letter of the guardianship and trusteeship bodies. To receive this conclusion letter after an application to the court has been filed, the judge issues a letter to the guardianship and trusteeship bodies requesting a review of the prospective adoptive family and conclusion. The court may request additional documents.

• Role of Adoption Authority: The guardianship and trusteeship bodies are responsible for placement of orphans. The conclusion letter will be issued to the court after the guardianship and trusteeship organ determines that the orphan is eligible for adoption by the prospective adoptive parents.

• Role of Adoption Agencies: There are no public or private adoption agencies. Instead families hire attorneys or facilitators who help them file the appropriate paperwork with the various government offices.

• Documents Required: After the conclusion of the guardianship and trusteeship bodies is finalized, the following documents must be submitted with the conclusion to the court:

1. Prospective parents’ home study;

2. Excerpt of the birth record of the adoptive child;

3. Medical report of the adoptive child;

4. Consent of the adoptive child if under the age of 10;

5. Consent of the adoptive child’s parents for adoption;

6. A document confirming the inclusion of the adoptee child in the database of children without the custody of parents or adoption candidates; as well as documents, confirming that the child could not possibly be transferred to a family of the citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan or adopted by his/her relatives regardless of those relatives’ citizenship and domicile. Please note: All U.S. public documents must be translated into Uzbek or Russian by a certified translator, and when requested, authenticated with an Apostile. NOTE: Additional documents may be requested.

• Time Frame: Foreign adoption in Uzbekistan is a time-consuming process. It can take from six months to two years. Moreover, prior to issuing an immigrant visa to the adopted child, the U.S. Embassy may have to conduct a field investigation. Prospective adoptive parents should be prepared to make additional trips to Uzbekistan before the adoption is complete.

• Adoption Fees: The fees for the submission and processing of the adoption application and corresponding documents are about $10 USD per document.

• Authentication of Documents: You may be asked to provide proof that a document from the United States is authentic. If so, the Department of State, Authentications Office may be able to assist.

6. Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Orphan Status

After you finalize the adoption (or gain legal custody) in Uzbekistan, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must determine whether the child meets the definition of orphan under U.S. immigration law. You will need to file a Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.

7. Bring Your Child Home

Once your adoption is complete (or you have obtained legal custody of the child), you need to apply for several documents for your child before you can apply for a U.S. immigrant visa to bring your child home to the United States:

1. Birth Certificate

If you have finalized the adoption in Uzbekistan, you will first need to apply for a new birth certificate for your child. Your name will be added to the new birth certificate.

Following adoption, the Uzbekistan Vital Records Office should provide you with a new birth certificate for the child.

2. Uzbekistan Passport

Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or passport from Uzbekistan.

Adoptive parents can obtain a new biometric passport and exit permission for the child from the Department of Entry, Exit and Citizenship. You will need to present the court decree on adoption and the child's new birth certificate. There is no residency requirement for prospective parents before they can apply for the child's passport.

3. U.S. Immigrant Visa

After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child and you have filed Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, you then need to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa for your child from the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you. As part of this process, the Consular Officer must be provided the Panel Physician’s medical report on the child.

You can find instructions for applying for an immigrant visa on the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent’s website.

To learn more about the Child Citizenship Act please read The Child Citizenship Act of 2000.

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