АDOPTION

INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION

Requirements to the Adoptive Parents under the Bulgarian Law:

• to be over 18-year old and to be legally efficient;
• married couples are permitted to adopt together, while single people are permitted to adopt separately;
• not to suffer from heavy chronic and contagious diseases endangering their lives;
• not to have been deprived from their parenting rights;
• not to have been convicted;
• to meets the adoption requirements under their national law and the law of the country they permanently live in;
• to be entered in the Adoptive Parents Register of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Children Eligible for Adoptions

• from 1 to 18-year old - they are liable to full adoption and in most cases they are placed in state-owned social homes specialized in taking cares of such children;
• are entered in the Adoptive Children Register of the Ministry of Justice;
• children's biological parents have given their consent for the children's full adoption.

Procedure

The Republic of Bulgaria is member of the Convention of The Hague of 1993 for cooperation in the field of the international adoption. The Ministry of Justice is the Central Authorities for international adoptions controlling the entire adoption procedure. This procedure has two stages: administrative - ending once the Minister of Justice gives their consent for the adoption of a specific child, and legal - ending once Court produces a decision.

The Adoptive Parents submit all documents to the Ministry of Justice either directly or though the Foundation after they conclude a contract with it. The Ministry of Justice enters the Adoptive Parents in a special Register of Foreign Adoptive Parents and then specifies them to be suitable to adopt a specific child entered in the Register of Children Eligible for Adoption.

The Adoptive Parents are notified with basic information about the child specified by the Ministry of Justice. The Applicants have to visit our country and to spend at least 5 days with the child. Within two months as of the above notification the Adoptive Parents have to express their consent or lack of consent to continue the procedure for the child they have met. In case of expressed lack of consent the prospective the Adoptive Parents remain entered in the register and wait to be specified to be suitable to adopt another child. In case of expressed consent the procedure goes further: the Minister of Justices gives their express consent for the adoption of the child and the documents are sent to the Sofia City Court.

The Court considers the international adoption application within 14 days as of its filing and announces immediately the decision to the parties.

After the Court decision is enforced the Foundation takes care to supply the Adoptive Parents with the following: official copy of the Court decision, Certificate under art. 23 paragraph 1 of the Convention for Children Protection and Cooperation in the Field of International Adoption to confirm the adoption meets the requirements of this Convention, new Certificate of Birth of the child, child's passport and visa.

The child is given to the Adoptive Parents and leaves the country with them.

Pursuant to the Bulgarian legislation the adoption is compulsory a full one. Rights and obligations such as between and amongst relatives of origin arise between the adopted child and their ascendants, from one side, and between the adoptive parents and their relatives, from the other side, while the rights and obligations between the adopted child and their ascendants and adoptive child's relatives of origin are terminated.

Necessary documents

1. Adoption permission under the Adoptive Parents' national law and Adoptive Parents' law of permanent residence.

2. Document certifying that the Adoptive Parents have not been deprived from their parenting rights, issued by a competent authority of the Adoptive Parents' country.

3. Social report about the Adoptive Parents, comprising also data for their families, including their health conditions.

4. Adoptive Parents' medical certificates, reflecting their physical and mental health, the lack of heavy chronic, contagious and sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis, etc., endangering their lives.

5. Adoptive Parents' conviction clearances.

6. Certificate of marriage.

7. Adoptive Parents' certificates of birth and photocopy of their passports. The Adoptive Parents have to specify their permanent address and address for correspondence.

8. Under the existing law yet other documents are elaborated and submitted to the respective authorities.

• Either document, issued by competent authority and stating that the Adoptive Parents' national law or Adoptive Parents' permanent residence law does not admit re-adoption, or Adoptive Parents' notary certified declaration, stating the child will not be submitted for adoption in case the law admits adoption;
• Adoptive Parents' notary certified declaration, stating the child will not be subject to experimental medical treatment and parts of child's body will not be used for donoring;
• documents for paid state fees.

The adoption procedure can be started by the Ministry of Justice after the Adoptive Parents have signed a contract for mediation with an organization accredited by the Minister of Justice and after the Adoptive Parents have appointed this organization to act on behalf of them through express Letter of Attorney.

All documents coming from abroad have to be submitted to the ministry of Justice under their original form as well as under the form of legalized translation in Bulgarian language.