[mommytoEli]

i still don't know where i want to adopt from next...and we jsut met a couple whose little girl is coming from kyrgyzstan. we have called a couple of agencies and have been quoted everywhere between 20-FORTY thousand dollars for everything...including travel estimates. i'd LOVE to know what is realistic.

would anyone be willing to pm me how much they ended up spending??...or post it here if you feel comfortable.

THANKS!

[dr.mommy72]

Hi

I amg getting ready to travel on my first trip. I was originally on a one trip process but the rules changed last month. Kyrgyzstan had become increasingly more expensive. There are the basic costs...homestudy (which differs from agency to agency), the USCIS paperwork which just recetly went up (it was around $600 and now is more), the agency fee which differs - mine is a little less than 4K. The country fee is 8500. The cost of certification is a lot now - this is a new cost. For each document in your dossier you have to get it certified at the Kyrgyz embassy and it is $100 a document - so 22 documents and 2 copies of each document adds up. Travelling is about between 1500 and 2500 per person x 2 trips. Depending on which agency you choose you will be in country between 3 days and 3 weeks for the first trip...so there is lodging costs. There is the cost of visa's (Kyrgyzstan is $70 per person for a one month single entry visa), the medical exam and visa for your new child. There is a trip to Almaty for immigration stuff and hotel there...there is the cost of gifts to the orphanage and facilitators.

I think that pretty much sums it up. I would say the total cost is between $25K and $35K depending on some of the factors I mentioned earlier. If you are a single mom adopting - like me - you save money with the document certification and travel expenses.

I don't have any complaints about the process so far - although it has been a little crazy with lots of changes in the last 6 months - such is international adoption I suppose.

Oh yeah, there is someone online who posts that you can adopt cheap from foster care in Kyrgyzstan and that is simply not true. If you don't live in Kyrgyzstan for a certain amount of time - you absolutely have to go through the international adoption process with a Kyrgyzstan approved agency (of which I beleive there are 3)

There is lot of info on adopting from Kyrgyzstan on the yahoo forum for kyrgyzstan adoption.

kyrgyzstanadoptiongroup : Kyrgyzstan Adoption

there a truckload of blogs of people adopting from kyrgyzstan there a lot of links to those on my blog which I think is in my signature

good luck. I think Kyrgyzstan is a really interesting country.

Michelle

[umber]

Wow! Our country fee is $14,500 for an older child/toddler.
Researcg, researcg, research.

[dr.mommy72]

I got an email from someone else about their fees and is was less than yours, but more than mine. I didn't really look at fee schedules of the different agencies before I picked one. I basically picked mine based on "vibe"....yes it is very scientific! It is now that I am realizing how lucky I was to choose them - not only fees, but willingness to go out of their way to help me complete my adoption - I mean way out of their way. It is nice when the vibe thing pays off!

[devildogwife]

Hey drmommy-just wanted to tell you that I checked out your blog and loved it! I'm glad you have the link in your signature. Have a great first trip! I'm sure it will be wonderful.

[dr.mommy72]

I had a great time! It is now all a blur. I just wish I could have brought the little guy home. Now I just get to wait some more. Oh well - I guess that just means there is something to look forward to!

[Waiting4Skip]

What is the general wait time between visits?

[jeni-b]

The required time between trips is 30 days.

[umber]

I just got home the other day from our first trip. My husband stayed for week #2 and will be home on Wednesday. We have court on July 5th, hopefully all we be finalized by August 5th and then travel 2 weeks later. So generally, between getting a court date, the court review, mandatory 30 day waiting period and the time it takes to get a new birth certificate, the time between trips is about 6-8 weeks.

[soontobesix]

I'd say that's realistic! I've talked to many people who have adopted, and $25-$35K for one is a good estimate. KG is on the more expensive end I think, compared to places like Ethiopia and Guatemala.