[verba]

I tried to search on russian web sites if RUSSIAN citizens can adopt children from other countries (such as Africa, Ethiopia etc.) and I couldnt find ANY information. All I have found was info for those who want to adopt a child FROM Russia.

Where can I find information if I can adopt a child from Africa or Ethiopia?? Anywhere? Please!

[DPline]

You are a Russian citizen but living in the United States? Or a Russian citizen living in Russia?

[verba]

I am a Russian citizen living in Russia. I am temporarily in the US, but so far I cant be a US citizen or a resident, so I guess that technically I live in Russia.

[sak9645]

Remember that all international adoptions, from any country and to any country, involve two separate actions --adoption and immigration.

With regard to adoptions, you must adopt under the laws of the CHILD's country of citizenship. So if you are Russian and living in the U.S., or if you are Russian and living in Russia, you have to look at a specific foreign country, such as Ethiopia, and determine whether that country will place a child with you.

Countries' laws regarding who may adopt from them vary widely; here are just a few examples:

1. Islamic countries, in a few cases, "may" allow a family to take guardianship of a child if the family is actively Muslim or holds citizenship in a Muslim country. Shaaria, or Islamic law, has a different concept of adoption from U.S. law, and generally permits only guardianship, not adoption as Americans know it.

2. Some countries, such as China and Korea, may require that the prospective parents be living in a country that has signed a formal agreement with them. The citizenship or ethnic heritage of the adoptive parents is less important than their country of residence, although the parents will have to be permitted by their country of residence to adopt and immigrate a child. Neither China nor Korea has an adoption agreement with Russia, to the best of my knowledge, although both have an adoption agreement with the U.S. China also has agreements with countries such as France, Italy, the U.K., Canada, and so on.

3. Some countries, such as China and some of the Latin countries, may allow adoption only by people residing in countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption. Again, the citizenship of the parents is less important than the country of residence, although parents who are non-citizens of their country of residence must be permitted by that country to adopt and immigrate a child. As an example, it is highly unlikely that you could adopt from most Latin American countries, if you live in Russia, because most Latin American countries have ratified the Hague Convention and Russia has not. However, people living in the U.S. may be able to adopt from at least some Latin countries, because the U.S. has ratified the Hague.

4. Kazakhstan will not allow an international adoption if one spouse holds citizenship in one country and the other spouse holds citizenship in another, regardless of where they are living. It is concerned about what would happen in a divorce situation, with regard to custody, visitation, and the child's citizenship status. So it is possible that Kazakhstan would let you adopt as a Russian citizen with a Russian spouse, but it would not allow you to adopt as a Russian citizen with an American spouse.

Immigration poses its own complexities. Any time you bring an adopted child INTO a country in which you reside, you must comply with the immigration laws of that country, whether or not it is your country of citizenship.

If you live in the U.S., but are a citizen of another country who is here on any sort of visa, you CANNOT bring a newly adopted child into the U.S. on an adoption visa, unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen.

The only way to immigrate a newly adopted child would be for you to leave the U.S., live abroad with the child for two years, and then apply to return to the U.S. with the child on a regular dependent visa. Unfortunately, this is virtually impossible for most people who are in the U.S. on visas -- even those with permanent resident (green card) status -- since they would lose their visa status by leaving the U.S. for two years.

In other words, if you are a Russian citizen living in the U.S., but unmarried or married to another person who is not a U.S. citizen, you cannot immigrate a child on an adoption visa. However, if you are a Russian citizen living in the U.S. and married to an American, you can immigrate a child on an adoption visa, as long as that child and you qualify on other grounds.

Each country has its own immigration laws. So if you are a Russian citizen living in Russia or Canada or France or Turkey, you would have to comply with the rules of those countries regarding immigrating an adopted child. Some countries make immigration of a child fairly easy. Others make it very difficult. If I had to guess, I would say that Russia is likely to have fairly strict immigration laws, but that is something you will have to check out with an immigration lawyer in your country.

And expect that the lawyer may be surprised and may have to do some research. In general, as I'm sure you know, there is a stigma against adoption, even domestic adoption, in Russia, because of a cultural belief in the importance of the "blood tie". People do adopt, but often in secrecy. I talked to a group of visiting Russian judges who process adoptions, at one point, and they told me that many Russians who are unable to conceive still pretend to be pregnant, by putting padding under their clothes, then go away from home for a while, presumably to the hospital, and come home with an adopted child who looks like them. They do not tell others, or even their child, that he/she is adopted. They were quite startled to see how Americans adopt kids of other races, talk openly about their adoptions, and teach their children to appreciate their birth heritage. In such a setting, it is highly unlikely that the country has extensive experience with international adoption, especially from countries where the children do not "look Russian", so a body of law about immigrating an internationally adopted child is likely to be scanty and hard to find.

Sharon

[DianeS]

Originally Posted by verba

I am a Russian citizen living in Russia. I am temporarily in the US, but so far I cant be a US citizen or a resident, so I guess that technically I live in Russia.

I can answer part of your question, then. As long as you are residing in the USA, you can not adopt internationally. USA law prohibits it.

If you are in the USA legally, and will be here for some length of time, then the USA will permit you to adopt domestically in the USA (of a USA citizen), and then Russia might let you bring that child back with you when you return to Russia. (Obviously, check into Russia laws for that first, to be sure you could legally take the child back with you as your child.)

I still don't know if you could adopt internationally once you're back in Russia or not. I've looked and can't find any information on that, either. I know in the USA, it's the department of state that tells us where we can and cannot adopt from. Does Russia have an equivalent department?

What about the department that regulates citizenship and visas? That citizenship/visa department ought to be able to tell you the rules for entering the country and becoming a citizen, and internationally adopted children might be mentioned if they need a special type of visa or special application, or if they have a special route to becoming citizens. It's one place to look, at least.

[verba]

Thank you Sharon for such a detailed answer.
Unfortunately I couldn't find ANY laws that Russia has regarding international adoption by Russian Citizens. I guess it is much more common that citizens of other countries adopt children from Russia so Russia has many laws for parents from other countries, but apparently Russian citizens do not adopt from other countries. But I really want to adopt a child from Africa of Ethiopia. I was thinking - what about independent adoption? Would that be any easier? Like if I actually meet some family who would be willing to give me a child to adopt, would that be possible?

[DianeS]

Originally Posted by verba

Thank you Sharon for such a detailed answer.
Unfortunately I couldn't find ANY laws that Russia has regarding international adoption by Russian Citizens. I guess it is much more common that citizens of other countries adopt children from Russia so Russia has many laws for parents from other countries, but apparently Russian citizens do not adopt from other countries. But I really want to adopt a child from Africa of Ethiopia. I was thinking - what about independent adoption? Would that be any easier? Like if I actually meet some family who would be willing to give me a child to adopt, would that be possible?

Whether you use an agency, a lawyer, a facilitator, or do it independently ... it would still be an international adoption, if the child is a citizen of the other country. It doesn't matter if you know the other family or not.

Now, if you're talking about finding a child of Ethiopian descent who happens to live in Russia and is a citizen of Russia, then that would be a domestic adoption for you, and I know those do happen in Russia.

[sak9645]

Many countries do not allow independent adoption.

With Ethiopia, for example, you can't just go there and find a child on your own, and you can't have an unlicensed facilitator go there and find one for you. Your child must be living in an accredited orphanage, and you have to work with a licensed agency in your home country that the Ethiopian government accredits to place children with overseas families.

Because independent adoptions have traditionally had a higher rate of unethical situations than adoptions through agencies, countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption do not allow them.

Sharon

[verba]

Thank you all for the answers!

[DenzilDragon]

We're British citizens currently in the US on a work visa, & we'll be adopting domestically here. In order to find out how to arrange for our child's UK citizenship, I emailed the British embassy here & they pointed me in the right direction. It's worth your while contacting the Russian embassy - they've probably dealt with Russian citizens adopting abroad before & can tell you what you'll need to do, or which department you'll need to contact. (In our case it's the UK Border Agency - I'm sure Russia must have something similar)