Kazakhstan is situated in Central Asia, deep in the Eurasian continent. In fact the territory of Kazakhstan exceeds that occupied by twelve countries of the European Union. Kazakhstan borders China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation. The capital is the city of Astana. Administratively, Kazakhstan is comprised of 14 regions. Even though Kazakh is the official language, Russian is spoken quite officially in all State institutions and local administration bodies.

Prospective adoptive parents must register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to indicate their intention to adopt. The documents first have to be submitted to the Kazakhstan Embassy in the U.S. The Embassy will issue a registration letter, which allows the family to obtain the Kazakhstan visa. The file then is forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Astana for processing. Kazakhstan law requires that adoptive parents have a minimum two weeks of personal contact with the orphan who they hope to adopt.

All orphans must be registered with the Ministry of Education Committee of Guardianship and Care for at least five months before they are eligible for adoption. Once the dossier has cleared each stage of the processing, the adoptive parents will be invited to travel to Kazakhstan to apply for adoption in person. The Government of Kazakhstan will refer children after the adoptive parents arrive in Kazakhstan. Once all legal requirements are fulfilled and the child is selected, prospective parents may submit their adoption application to the civil court. There is a fifteen-day waiting period before the court decision is final. In some areas it is waived. The whole process may take up to four weeks. In many cases escorting child home is available.

Children available for adoption are 7 months and older. All children live in orphanages. Kazakhstan is a multi-national country. Children may be of Asian, Caucasian, or mixed (Euro-Asian) ethnicities. After adoption all children must be registered with the Kazakhstan Consulates in the United States.

After the court hearing, parents or their representative in Kazakhstan may apply for the child’s new birth certificate, passport and an “exit” stamp/permit from the Passport agency. The US visa is issued in the United States Embassy located in Almaty. A pre-visa physical is required. This process may take up to 5 days. You will be assisted with every stage of the process in Kazakhstan.

Click here to view the Kazakhstan Adoption Dossier Insructions at the US Department of State Website.