[mamsie]

Hi - I've been trying to find info about adopting from Hungary and so far it's hard to come by - I've even been getting this idea from stuff I've read that it's "rare" - as in not many people choose to or qualify to adopt from Hungary. ??? Yet several agencies have programs placing children from Hungary so I don't understand. ??

Even the threads here on adoption.com seem to be scarce when it comes to hearing about people who have successfully adopted from Hungary. Is there a reason for this?

[mommytoEli]

Hungary


some light reading about adoption from hungary i haven't heard anyone be successful taking this route.....but this says only NINE kids were adopted from Hungary to the US in 2009....so i'd go with yes, it is rare. it also says on this page there are very few children in need of homes...so that may be one reason why there are such low numbers.

[Mykidsmom]

This may or may not apply I couldn't find anything to back me up.

I remember researching many years ago for adopting in Slovakia. Slovakia is the country to the north of Hungary, at the time you were required to be of Slovak decent. We have relatives in Slovakia and have been told that the children for adoption are usually of Roma decent.

The countries of Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and others in the Central Europe location have been economically more stable then the Eastern Europe countries.

[mamsie]

Also from what I've read most children are in "well regulated" foster homes and well cared for. If this is true I'd hate to think if they are happy and provided for in their foster home of taking them away. I was hoping to adopt a child who is in, say, more of an orphanage where they are not getting the love or care that a child really needs (especially if they have special needs I think sometimes they are even more neglected if in an institution). I know there are some good orphanages in the world (like US daycares) but I know there are some I'd NEVER expect any child to thrive in. I had thought about Bulgaria - from what I've read a lot of children are being abandoned there and placed in orphanages. I've been told it's a longer wait and they may not like that we already have children but I am sort of hoping they'll still allow us to adopt from their country if we're adopting children that nobody else will. What other countries does anyone know where there are more children in great need of forever homes/being adopted? I'd consider Russia or China but we'd have to fund-raise for-ev-er. I'm new to the world of International adoption so if anyone wants to fill me in - I'm just trying to find out what is right for our family and what's right for the child(ren) we'd be adopting.

[Mykidsmom]

Check out the State Dept web site if you have not done so. It gives requirement for each country. Then maybe work from there.
Welcome to Adoption.State.Gov
If you have not done so you may get on the FRUA.org website Chat and ask these questions

[sak9645]

Be aware that even the best foster homes do not offer permanency, and permanency is what children need most. Moreover, any situation where the government pays foster parents to care for the children is not the same as a situation where a child is with people who have truly committed to raising their bio or adopted child.

There are many things wrong with the American foster care system, and it is considered the best in the world, because it is well-funded and supposedly supervised by trained people. Children are routinely moved from home to home, abuse and neglect are not uncommon, and some foster parents are just "in it for the money", although there are many excellent ones who truly care about the children. Just think what the situation is in less affluent foreign countries, with less money and fewer trained staff to recruit, train, and monitor foster parents.

The U.S. refused to sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, because it was based on the premise that foster care in a child's home country was preferable to international adoption. Certainly, if a child can find a PERMANENT loving family in his/her country of birth, that is preferable to international adoption. And well-regulated foster care is preferable to life in an orphanage, when a child cannot be cared for by permanent loving families and is awaiting adoption. But it is the U.S. position that, when a child cannot achieve permanency in his/her own country, then the best option is international adoption.

Hague Convention # 33, in respect to intercountry adoption, was developed to provide protection to children, their birth families, and their adoptive families. The treaty was developed with inputs from a variety of health and child welfare professionals, and was developed, in part, to address the problems inherent in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Hague treaty very clearly indicates that international adoption is preferable to impermanent foster care, if a child cannot be raised in a permanent situation in his/her birth country.

All in all, I would urge you to consider adopting any child who is in an impermanent setting and is unlikely to find a home in his/her birth country. It really doesn't matter where he/she is living temporarily, although some situations are clearly better than others. What really is important is finding a home for a child in his/her birth country or, barring that, finding a permanent loving family overseas.

Sharon

[sak9645]

REPOSTING FROM THE OTHER THREAD WHERE I POSTED THIS RESPONSE:

It is very true that few Americans adopt from Hungary, these days. There are several reasons, but the following should be noted:

1. At present, the Hungarian government will allow foreigners to adopt ONLY:

a) Healthy single children who are 8 years old or older.
b) Younger children with significant special needs, such as heart defects, orthopedic problems, or vision/hearing issues.
c) Sibling groups of three or more children, regardless of age.

Most Americans seek to adopt healthy infants and toddlers, which are simply not going to be available.

2. Hungarian law requires a family to spend a bonding period of at least 30 days, living with the child in Hungary. This 30 day period does not start until a family is actually in Hungary and has visited the child, officially accepted the referral, and moved into a "family-like dwelling" (not a hotel, generally). Some time is also required after the residency period, to finalize the adoption.

As a result, the actual travel time may actually be 35 to 45 days or longer. Many American families cannot spend such a long time overseas, because of family or work responsibilities. In some cases, however, one spouse in a couple CAN visit for a week or so, go home, and then return for the finalization.

3. Many of the children referred to Americans will be Roma ("Gypsy") or part-Roma. There is a great deal of prejudice against the Roma in Hungary, so these children do not generally get adopted domestically, and the Roma are also stigmatized in other European countries, where people often adopt children.

Occasional American families adopt from Eastern Europe because they want children who are Caucasian and "look like" them, so that they do not have problems with racism and nosy questions from strangers. Roma children tend to have tan skins, dark eyes, and dark hair so, while they are Caucasian, they may not resemble more "typical" Eastern European children. The Roma actually originated in India.

The good news is that, if you are comfortable with the travel times and are open to older children, children with special needs, sibling groups, and/or Roma children, the process is likely to be fairly smooth. Hungary is a Hague-compliant country, which means that, although there are many paperwork requirements, you can be reasonably sure that your rights, and those of your child-to-be and his/her birthparents, will be protected.

Sharon

[mommytoEli]

there are also many many waiting kids in foster care in the US who desperately need permanency. in many cases, you can process their adoptions for free, and some children qualify for monthly subsidies until they are 18. some people seem to think there are no orphanages in the US>....but my oldest children were adopted from a "facility," which was a large building with MANY children and a few adult caretakers who rotated in and out of the facility. they were schooled on campus and only left the facility for scheduled "outings." they desperately needed permanency AND a home and family...rather than roommates and a rotating teenager watching them. they were only 8 and 9, and there were children there that were younger.

this is not me saying US is better than International....all kids need homes. i'm just offering another idea up. I've done both and am beyond blessed in both ways.

[mamsie]

What good info and great points have all been brought up!

I think the main hurdle we'd have with Hungary is that long stay (for many reasons). We're still considering if that is possible and a good thing to be able to spend such time with our child(ren) before heading home.

I think this is like going to a garden that's wilting and trying to decide which beautiful flower I'll take to my home garden - in that - some flowers might not be getting enough sun, some not enough water - as brought up - even children in the USA in foster care (or in Hungary) still need permanent families (we know all too well because two close relatives were both in foster care - one was adopted and one "aged out" - was kicked to the curb at 18 basically). It's such a tough decision - we're just going to have to figure out which child(ren) we think are meant to be here in our home (wherever they are from, whoever they may be). Right now I'm just trying to gather information to see if these children (Bulgaria or Hungary) are whom we feel are a good match for us. (SOOOO hard - I'd take every child in the world if it was humanly possible, but of course we can't so advocacy for orphans will probably always be part of our life).

[jas1223]

Where did you obtain this information? I can't 'find' this anywhere and when I read the adoption requirements on the Embassy of Hungary's website it doesn't mention any of this except for the 30 day stay. We are interested in Hungary, however, we would prefer a child between ages 3-6. Just curious the origin of this info?
Embassy of Hungary - Magyar Nagykövetség - Washington DC
Some agencies state what you are saying and other's say younger children are available. So is it based upon their in country support that it differes or are we being mislead? We don't know what to think and information on Hungary is so hard to find.

[jas1223]

Mamsie,
Did you end up pursuing Hungary? Interested in where you ended up.
JAS

[sak9645]

There are few adoptions from Hungary, because there are almost no children eligible for international adoption under Hungarian law.

Hungarian law requires that a child be a true orphan before he/she can be referred to a foreigner. Private adoptions, directly from biological parents, are not permitted. In fact, no independent adoptions, even from orphanages, are permitted; all foreign families, even those of Hungarian descent, must work through Hague-accredited adoption agencies in their home country, and must be referred a child by the Hungarian government.

Hungarian law also specifies that attempts must be made to place the child domestically, before he/she is made eligible for international adoption. In practice, with most countries that have this rule, this often means that most available children will be of school age or will have special needs, since healthy infants and toddlers are generally placed with domestic families.

According to the U.S. State Department, families can wait years for a child of the age and gender requested to be referred.

Once a child is referred, a family must remain in Hungary for a month, living with the child and under the direct supervision of the Hungarian authorities , before an adoption can be processed. This may also deter some families.

Hungary is a Hague country, so you will need to comply with the laws of the U.S., Hungary, and the Hague in order to complete an adoption. The good news is that Hague compliance reduces the likelihood that the child you adopt will have been bought or stolen.

Please go to the website of the U.S. State Department, at adoption.state.gov, to learn more about adoption from Hungary.

Sharon

You can read further information about Hungarian adoption on




Sharon

[mamsie]

Originally Posted by jas1223

Mamsie,
Did you end up pursuing Hungary? Interested in where you ended up.
JAS

No. We found a special needs little boy on a site/ministry called "Reece's Rainbow" and decided to adopt him. Because we have photos of him posted we are not sharing his country of origin until the adoption is completed. He is in Eastern Europe, but not in Hungary. We have our homestudy done, USCIS approval (I-171H form), and just sent our completed dossier to be apostilled at the state capital then it will go to his country and hopefully we'll have a travel date to come in September, maybe earlier!

You can see him on our blog:
Adopting "Wallace" into our rily sily family: About "Wallace"

-rachel
Adopting "Wallace" into our rily sily family

[jas1223]

Originally Posted by mamsie

No. We found a special needs little boy on a site/ministry called "Reece's Rainbow" and decided to adopt him. Because we have photos of him posted we are not sharing his country of origin until the adoption is completed. He is in Eastern Europe, but not in Hungary. We have our homestudy done, USCIS approval (I-171H form), and just sent our completed dossier to be apostilled at the state capital then it will go to his country and hopefully we'll have a travel date to come in September, maybe earlier!

You can see him on our blog:
Adopting "Wallace" into our rily sily family: About "Wallace"

-rachel
Adopting "Wallace" into our rily sily family

Thank you Rachel - he is a cutie! Blessings to yor family and I hope it goes quickly for you and you have him home soon. Thank you for sharing. Please post when you do have him home.

Jill

[jas1223]

Originally Posted by sak9645

There are few adoptions from Hungary, because there are almost no children eligible for international adoption under Hungarian law.

Hungarian law requires that a child be a true orphan before he/she can be referred to a foreigner. Private adoptions, directly from biological parents, are not permitted. In fact, no independent adoptions, even from orphanages, are permitted; all foreign families, even those of Hungarian descent, must work through Hague-accredited adoption agencies in their home country, and must be referred a child by the Hungarian government.

Hungarian law also specifies that attempts must be made to place the child domestically, before he/she is made eligible for international adoption. In practice, with most countries that have this rule, this often means that most available children will be of school age or will have special needs, since healthy infants and toddlers are generally placed with domestic families.

According to the U.S. State Department, families can wait years for a child of the age and gender requested to be referred.

Once a child is referred, a family must remain in Hungary for a month, living with the child and under the direct supervision of the Hungarian authorities , before an adoption can be processed. This may also deter some families.

Hungary is a Hague country, so you will need to comply with the laws of the U.S., Hungary, and the Hague in order to complete an adoption. The good news is that Hague compliance reduces the likelihood that the child you adopt will have been bought or stolen.

Please go to the website of the U.S. State Department, at adoption.state.gov, to learn more about adoption from Hungary.

Sharon

You can read further information about Hungarian adoption on




Sharon

Thank you Sharon. That tells me any agency that says they will have a child in 6-12 months is not an agency that is trustworthy... Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it!

Jill