On September, 1 2002 Bulgaria ratified the Hague Convention on protection of children and co-operation in respect of intercountry adoptions. This imposed radical changes in our domestic law. The Family Code was changed in its section "Adoptions" and the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice issued the new Ordinance #3 organizing in detail the order, the conditions and the persons who have the right to take part in intercountry adoptions.
The procedure is changed.
The adoptive parents must sign an Authorization of Representation, with which they authorize our association to represent them before the competent authorities in connection with the adoption.
Apart from that they have to send all standard necessary documents (see Required Documents).
After the signing of the contracts and the transfer of the first payment into our association's bank account, we completely undertake the serving of the dossier of the adoptive parents - from the applying with the documents in the Ministry of Justice to the end of the adoption. The adoptive parents only have to make a five-day contact with the child, who will be referred to them by the Bulgarian Council for Intercountry Adoptions in our Ministry of Justice. If the parents like the child, the second payment has to be made. The third payment is made after the judgement and before the parents take the child to their country of residence.
Our fee does not include plane tickets and the expenses for accommodation and food for the adoptive parents. During their stay in Bulgaria, our association provides them with a translator and companion, as well as transportation.
With a referral the adoptive parents will be provided by the Ministry of Justice and via our association with an official record about the physical and psychological condition of the child.
Our association provides the candidate adoptive parents with the following services:
- prepare and submit to the Ministry of Justice the candidate adoptive parents' registration application and all adoption documentation;
- perform promptly, with due diligence all necessary intermediary actions, such as: filing applications, paying fees, charges, taxes and commissions, hiring and empowering attorneys, and all other actions and services required by law.
- update the candidate adoptive parents on the progress of the adoption procedure, and all other actions, which must be taken;
- provide the candidate adoptive parents with the report on the child /translation/, photographic and video material if necessary;
- facilitate the personal contact between the candidate adoptive parents and the child;
- organize the travel and accommodation, if the adoptive parents request so and if they transfer the necessary funds to cover these expenditures;
- procure a new birth certificate, international passport and visa for the child, and all other documents, necessary for the travel of the child to the country of the adoptive parents.
