The one
trip requirement was changed in January
2005. Two trips are now suggested. Both
parents are required to travel for the
first trip only! Adoptive parents will
travel and stay in the country for
approximately three weeks for the first
trip. The reason for this is that both
parents are required to visit the child
for a minimum of two weeks at the
child’s place of residence in Kazakhstan
prior to adoption (“the Bonding
Period”). The pre-adoption bonding
period CANNOT be waived. In about 3-5
business days after the bonding period
is up, you will have a court hearing,
which is about 2-3 weeks after the
family starts visiting with the child.
Both parents are required to attend the
court hearing after the two weeks of
visitation. After the court hearing you
are free to return home. The law of
Kazakhstan also provides for a 15-day
waiting period (“the Appeal Period”)
after the court hearing before the
adoption becomes final. A judge can
waive this period by his or her
discretion. The court decision, adoption
certificate, post-adoption birth
certificate and Kazakhstan passport
cannot be obtained until the adoption is
deemed final by the judge and if “the
Appeal Period” in your case was not
waived – you will need to wait 15 days
before being able to proceed with any
documents. With the new changes, the
passport processing will take up to 30
days. That is why families will be
traveling back home for a month. Prior
to traveling, families will prepare
necessary paperwork allowing all of the
necessary documents to be prepared on
your behalf by our representatives
between your trips. Once everything is
completed, you will travel for a second
trip. The second trip will last
approximately 2-4 days. Only one parent
is required to return for the second
trip. All families will need to go
through the U.S. Embassy in Almaty,
Kazakhstan to process the immigrant visa
for the child. Most of the immigrant
visas for children from Kazakhstan are
IR-3 immigrant visas.
Many families enjoy the “bonding period”
as it allows them to actually see, hold
and interact with their child prior to
acceptance of the referral. The family
received first-hand, detailed and
current information about the child. We
can also coordinate, for a nominal fee,
the assistance of a physician
in-country, (in addition to the
orphanage doctor) to give a private
consultation on the health and condition
of the child. The family is also allowed
to take videos and pictures of their
child for their doctor in United States
(who is familiar with international
adoptions).
The Kazakhstan’s government wants to
insure the best possible placement for
their children and they feel that if the
parents meet their child and interact
with him/her, it will only work to
enhance the adoption process in the
end. That is why they require the
“bonding period”.
