Bulgaria

Overview

Bulgaria’s Standard Adoption Program

Families wishing to adopt from Bulgaria through its standard adoption program can expect the referral process to take approximately 1 to 5 years depending on the level of special needs, age, and sex of the child being requested. Small World’s experienced staff will lead you through the process step by step. Our staff, through Family National Association in Bulgaria, is English speaking and is dedicated to making your trips to Bulgaria informative and memorable experiences.

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Bulgaria’s Waiting Child Adoption Program

In the waiting children program, children (boys and girls) with special needs are available. Adoptive parents can expect a 9 – 18 month process from application to picking up your child in Bulgaria. The special needs program is a very organized and ethical adoption program.

Bulgaria has reached out for help to find families for these precious children, and they have worked to streamline the process for these children recognizing that the faster the children get into a stable family environment with proper medical care, the better for the child. They have also included healthy children that are 8 or older as a special need, something Small World strongly encourages and praises Bulgaria for doing.

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The adoption process in Bulgaria

Small World walks with you through the entire process of your adoption. Small World employees communicate with you throughout the process of your home study and dossier. Small World English speaking representatives meet each family at the plane upon arrival in Sofia, Bulgaria and guide and accompany you through every step of the adoption process.

You will be in Bulgaria approximately one week for your first trip and 6 to 10 days on your second trip. Our representatives will walk you through the entire process in the city your child is coming from as well as in Sofia, culminating in your child’s visa from the US Consulate. Small World representatives will accompany you to the airport for your departure from Bulgaria back to your home with your child.

Small World, Inc. prohibits its employees and agents from giving money or other consideration, directly or indirectly, to a child’s parent(s), other individual(s), or an entity as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child.  Any attempt to do so is grounds for immediate termination and report to all authorities necessary.

If permitted or required by the child’s country of origin, Small World may remit reasonable payments for activities related to the adoption proceedings, pre-birth and birth medical costs, the care of the child, the care of the birth mother while pregnant and immediately following birth of the child, or the provision of child welfare and child protection services generally.

Under no circumstances shall permitted or required contributions be remitted as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child. For any further questions concerning our Bulgaria program please contact the Bulgaria Program Director, Wade Williams at wade@smallworldadoption.com.

Requirements

• Age

  The age requirement for our Bulgaria program is that each applicant be at least 25 years old and at least 15 years older than the child. The younger spouse can not be more than 50 years older than the child and the older spouse cannot be more than 55 years older than the child. In the case of a single woman she cannot be more than 50 years older than the child.

• Finances

  Our Bulgaria program requires that a family’s income can support the addition of a child and is subject to a Home Study investigation. The family will need to meet the US Citizenship and Immigration Services income requirement which is that you must show that your household income is equal to or higher than 125% of the U.S. poverty level for your household size. Your household size includes you, your dependents, any relatives living with you, and the child or children you are adopting.

• Children

  Our Bulgaria program does not place any restrictions on how many children are in the home, but it is subject to your Home Study investigation.

• Marital Status

  Married heterosexual couples who have been married for at least 2 years and single heterosexual females only may apply to adopt from Small World’s Bulgaria program.

• Faith

  In accordance with Small World’s mission statement, our Bulgaria program is open to Christian families only.

• Post Adoption

  Post Adoption Reports are due at the 6, 12, 18, and 24 month anniversaries of the adoption court hearing date in Bulgaria.
  -All reports require a social worker visit.
  -Photos must be submitted with each report.
  -Photocopies of any significant screenings and/or medical information may be requested.

  For further information, please contact Kerri Tracy, Director of Post Placement Services.

Fees

Fees for Bulgaria adoption paid to Small World:

Application		$300
US State Dept. Monitoring (per child)		$900
Home Study		$2,250
Home Study Review (for families living outside of TN & MO)		$225
Home Study Update (if needed and is not reflected in the total cost below)		$1,200
Agency		$7,500
Dossier (Includes shipping all documents, Authentication, Registration, and Translation of all documents throughout the adoption process)		$3,800
Letter of Intent (per child)		$2,700
Foreign Program (per child unless indicated)		$13,000
Post Placement/Post Adoption Services* (per child)		$1,800
Childcare		N/A
Contributions		N/A

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US Estimated expenses associated with Bulgaria adoption not paid to Small World:

Document procurement		$500
USCIS Application		$775
FBI Fingerprints ($85 per adult living in the home)		$170
Adoptive training & further training		$145 – $630

Travel and in country estimated expenses associated with Bulgaria adoption not paid to Small World:

Travel Visa – per person		N/A
Immigration Visa – per child, traveling to the US		$325
Passport size photos for US Immigration Visa		$25
Visa medical exam – per child		$240
Vaccine – Yellow Fever (if applicable)		N/A
Airfare from US (2 adults)		$4,000 – $6,000
Airfare from country (2 adults & 1 adopted child)		$800 – $1,000
Hotel/Lodging		$3,000
Ground Transportation		Unknown

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Total Adoption Cost:

Total Adoption Cost

$42,455 – $45,140

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Fee and Payment Breakdown

Application	Payment must accompany submission of application.
Pre-Identified Child Investigation	In cases where there is a pre-identified child, payment must be submitted upon submission of the Application, and in addition to the Application Fee. This fee is per child.
US State Dept. Monitoring	In compliance with the mandate issued by the US State Department, this fee is collected by Small World and paid to the agency appointed by the US State Department for Monitoring and Oversight. The US State Department requires that the $900 (per child) fee be remitted following the finalized contract for services with your adoption agency. The payment will not be refunded by the Monitoring agency under any circumstance.
Services Agreement	The signed services agreement must be returned to Small World along with the US Dept of State Monitoring Fee (See Estimated Expenses) as the next step after the client’s application review. Transfer clients submit $1,250 of the agency fee at this time.
Home Study	Payment must be submitted at the initiation of home study services. The home study packet will not be sent, and work will not begin until the home study fee is paid. Payments for updates are due at the time services are requested. For families living outside TN or MO, case worker travel is billed separately and in advance of travel. If additional copies are required or requested, beyond the 2 provided in the home study fee, and additional fee of $50 per copy, will be applied, plus shipping cost.
Home Study Review	All home studies are reviewed by our professional reviewers.  If your home study is prepared by an agency other than Small World, a home study review fee of $225 is due at the time Small World enters into an exempt provider contract agreement with your home study agency.
Home Study Update	An Update is a re-approval of a family which extends the life of an approval by an additional year. Updates require a new medical evaluation, new criminal history evaluations, in many cases a new home visit and a new approval from the social worker. Typical events that require an Update include a change of residence or 1-year expiration since the last approval. An original home study can only be updated annually for 2 years. A full, new home study is required for year 3.
Agency	Payment must be submitted at the time of the completed home study.  No further work may be performed toward the adoption until the agency fee is received by Small World.  The agency fee for each additional child adopted simultaneously with the first child for most programs is eligible for a 50% discount. Transfer Clients Only: $1,250 is due upon contracting with SW, and the balance is due upon dossier transfer completion
Dossier	Includes applicable translation fees. Payment must accompany the first, original documents submitted to Small World for processing. Approved dossier documents will not be sent for authentication/apostille until the Dossier Fee is paid in full.
Letter of Intent	Includes applicable translation fees. Payment to Small World must accompany the document packet indicating that you intend to pursue a specific child for adoption.  Submission of the intent to pursue a particular child for adoption does not guarantee approval by the foreign country.
Foreign Program	The foreign program fee includes funds required by the foreign supervised provider, exit documents, applicable translation fees, and program development. Due to exchange rates and external costs, foreign program fees are subject to change. Half of the Foreign Program Fee is due at the time of I800 approval, and the balance is due prior to travel.
Post Placement/Post Adoption Services	$900 ($450 per report) in Post Placement/Post Adoption Services, per child, must be submitted when the Foreign Program fee is due. The post adoption services balance, per child, is due prior to travel and includes applicable translation fees. For families residing outside of TN or MO, post placement reports should be arranged with your home study provider. The number of reports per child vary by country. Please consult the program director for PAR Schedules.

NOTE: ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE ONCE INVOICED AND PAID.  DOSSIER, REFERRAL, FOREIGN FEES, AND POST ADOPTION SERVICES ARE BASED ON FEES SET BY THE FOREIGN PROVIDER AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ACCORDINGLY.

IF CLIENT HAS A CREDIT WITH SMALL WORLD, ALL FUTURE FEES WILL BE INVOICED AGAINST THAT CREDIT FIRST, BY DEFAULT, UNLESS SMALL WORLD IS OTHERWISE INFORMED BY CLIENT. 

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International travel can be frustrating for even the most seasoned traveler. Small World’s staff will work to make this a very smooth process for you and ensure that your adoption travel experience is relaxed rather than frustrating

We give you guidance and information to help with planning your international travel. At Small World, we allow you to arrange the international flight to accommodate your own travel preferences.

2 trips are required for adopting in Bulgaria. The first trip will take place within 2 months of receiving your referral. This trip is to visit with the child and complete the decision process of adopting a specific child.

You are required to spend 5 days visiting with the child. If you wish to continue with the adoption of that child then you sign paperwork in Bulgaria to pursue the adoption of that child. You will then return to the US.

You will travel a second time to Bulgaria approximately 4 to 6 months after the first trip. This second trip will be approximately 6 to 10 days. On this second trip you will complete your adoption process, get a visa for the child from the US Consulate in Sofia, Bulgaria and take the child home with you.

Upon arrival in Bulgaria for both trips, you will be greeted by one of our partner agencies English-speaking staff members. Our partner agency in Bulgaria prides themselves on 24-hour service to you in Bulgaria. Each step of the process is arranged for you both for the adoption and pleasure.

For information on Bulgaria’s country and culture please click here.

More information on the statistics of Small World’s program is available upon request, including the number of adoption placements per year, number of applicants per year, and where possible, the number of children eligible for adoption. Please contact the Program Director via the info form to the right of this page if you wish to receive to discuss this information.