• Children from 2 years to 15 years old are available although fewer children under 4 are available. The key to a successful adoption from Ukraine is to be flexible on age, gender and health conditions of the child you travel to select. Be flexible!

• Most children are of Caucasian heritage, primarily Christian Orthodox.  Some children are Roma or other ethnicities.

• Many children over 12 years old take English as a foreign language. 

• Siblings as well as unrelated children can be adopted at the same time.  Ukraine has many sibling groups available.

• Parents must be at least 16 years older than adopted child.

• Married couples can adopt from Ukraine.
• Singles may legally adopt from Ukraine but are not given equal opportunities as married couples. We do not recommend that singles adopt from Ukraine at this time and are not accepting singles into the program.
• There is no upper age limit, as long as the parents are physically able to raise the child to adulthood.
• No limitation regarding the number of children already in the home
• Although not specifically stated in the law, families with many children are only considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Previously divorced individuals may also adopt.
• Both adoptive parents must be U.S. citizens.

Parents are usually able to complete their adoption 4-6 months after the dossier is submitted in Ukraine. Political situations can impact this timeline. The governing body for adoptions in Ukraine is the SDA.

However, the timeframe for any adoption depends on several factors, including how fast you complete the homestudy, USCIS and dossier, available children, and the practices in the country and region of the adoption.

Parents complete application to A Love Beyond Borders (LBB) and begin a Homestudy with LBB or a licensed agency in your state.

We guide you through each step of the dossier preparation.

Parents submit completed dossier to LBB. We will send it to Ukraine to be translated and registered at the adoption center, the SDA.

Officials review dossier and invite parents to Ukraine to select a child. You will select a child from the database of children available for adoption, with assistance from an English-speaking staff person at the SDA.

Parents spend two weeks in the region for the bonding period with the child.  Once parents accept their referral, the Ukraine legal process begins and a hearing at the local city court is scheduled. 

After the court hearing, one or both of the parents may leave Ukraine before you return to complete the immigration process, approximately one month later.  Then one parent can return in about two weeks to complete the process at the US Embassy in Kiev and take their child home.   Although several factors can impact the time adoptive parents will be required to be in Ukraine, currently the majority of families are completing their adoptions in 4-6 weeks.

When it is time to travel we will assist you with recommendations for airfare. Accommodations (typically an apartment) and transportation (train, intercountry flights, etc.) in Ukraine will be coordinated by the facilitator. You are responsible for intercountry transportation costs (plane, train). Adoptive parents are responsible for shared accommodations (apartment) with the facilitator, and paying for meals and transportation costs for the facilitator while in Ukraine. This is estimated in the per day/diem fee of $100-150 dependant on region.

We look forward to assisting you with your adoption.

Due to the nature of international adoptions, the requirements, timelines and fees are subject to change without notice.