[SadieAnn]

First of all I'm totally a Type A person. Paperwork doesn't intimidate me, and as fast as something lands on my desk it's on its way. But I am looking for the experience of those who've come this way before.

I know there are services that assist you in completing your dossier? Are they worth it? I've gotten the impression from some that they can actually slow down the process (which might make me crazy). But once we get our packet of information I may have more questions than answers and think a service like this is a great idea?

How much did your placing agency assist you with questions about paperwork? Did you find you had LOTS of questions about how to complete the paperwork? Or was it just a matter of "you knew what was required BUT it just took time"?

Any feedback is appreciated.

[prechrswife]

Our agency didn't have the dossier service option (smaller agency), but it really was not that difficult, especially if you are organized. For us, it was a matter of knowing what was required, but it just took some time.

[rmillerridlon]

I wouldn't bother with the Dossier service. The paperwork really wasn't as intimidating as they make it out to be. Our agency sent us a nice check-list of what was needed and when to start working on it. This made it more managable and I never felt overwhelmed.

Ramona

[kff]

I'm about to do my own dossier for China it seems pretty sraight foward to me. I had Dossier prepared by an agency before it was supposed to be turn key which I payed a premimum for but did not get the level of service I hoped for. For This Adoption I feel no one is more motivated than the parents to get the adoption done so it probably will be faster if you do it yourself. But this is just my opinion ask
others that did their own dossier for China.

[mkinzie]

I agree with the above posts. If you get organized a dossier service isn't worth the money. You also have to get organized to work with them anyway. Once you get started you'll be amazed at how easy it is. The hard part is waiting for everything to come in, and there isn't anything they can do to improve that unfortunately. Hopefully you can get help from your agency. My agency is a bigger agency and I called them continuously. I sure they were sick of hearing from me but I didn't care. I just kept calling. Good luck! Melissa

[TrixieBelden]

My agency offers this service and I asked several questions during the interview about the service. In the end both the rep and myself felt that the value was just not there for us. The rep felt that it was worthwhile for couples who travel a lot, have extremely busy schedules, or already have an active family life. She didn't think it would be faster and felt that for families or couples who were already overwhelmed with their lives, the service had the benefit of taking this one thing of their hands. For us, it just seemed to be an added cost with no real gain. So when you talk to your agency, ask them how many or what % of their clients use the service, what type of profile those clients fit, and what their feedback has been regarding the benefits of this service. You might be surprised by what they said - - I sure was ! Both the agent and I had a good laugh after discussing the service and our respective personalities and abilities to handle the paperwork.

[jenjram]

I guess I am interested in knowing what they do for you that you don't have to do. Can anyone help me out with that? I am still new the process...Can you walk me through what you still have to do versus what a dossier prep would do for you? Thanks.

Jen

[Tsmom]

YOU gather all of your documents, notarize them and send them to the service.
THE SERVICE sends them to the appropriate state for certification (some states require two certifications), then they send them to the appropriate Consulate to be authenticated. (I am not sure if you write the cover letters or if the service does that)
THAT'S IT!
If you are Type A (Like me) you will enjoy seeing your progress and you will get it done faster. All you need is a FedEX account (go to FeDEx.com) and you are on your way!! If you ever have any questions about anything (states, certifications, consulates, courier services) just post or you can PM me. We are all here to hep each other out! My dossier went to China back in June. We are hoping to travel in a few more weeks for our Waiting Child!
Nona

[morsedonna]

I agree with everyone here. I did not pay for the prep sservice. I work much more than full time and found the time to do it myself. I started my own Fed Ex account and even got e-mails so I could track each doccument my self. I knew my paperwork was not just setting on someones desk while they were on vacation etc. I felt very much in controll and even felt sucess with each form I received.

[mythreesons+]

Many states such as mine, Alabama, will convert your documents, birth certificates and marriage license from other states to an Alabama document thereby allowing you to notarize and certify only in your state.



This cut down on the dossier workload.

[SadieAnn]

Thank you for all the great feedback. My instinct was telling me to do it myself, but I knew there would be plenty of experienced people out there to steer me in the right direction. Thank you!!!!

[waitingforabby]

I agree with all the other posts - do it yourself - it will save you lots of money, and it's not all that bad if you break it down and do it yourself. If you can try and get all the documents notarized in the same county, you will make it alot easier on yourself also. I just overnighted things with a return overnight envelope, and we got everything back quickly. Good luck
!

[smbcpc]

I must be one of the few people who did use the dossier service and was happy that I did. The process was fast and smooth and my dossier was just sent to China. It was one less thing for me to worry about since my husband and I have a busy work schedule.
I certainly recommend it.

Sue

[Katia555]

We also used the dossier preparation service. We travel so much (work-related) and would have been delayed if we had done everything ourselves.... . For us, it was definitely worth it, but I think it really depends on the individual circumstances.