[Sabra]

If anyone has received an update on adoptions from the country of Latvia please post to the forum.

Appreciate your willingness to share.

Thanks.

[maggie_va]

I spoke to an agency this past week. They said the wait is now closer to 3 years.

[meteor29]

Lately I had been getting very frustrated with no word about/from Latvia, so I had a friend whose mother lives in Riga do some research for me. She (the mom) was told by someone in the ministry that oversees orphans that a new law went into effect on 3/11/03. The orphan court now imposes a residency requirement for adoptive parents. If the child is 18 months or younger, it is up to a month. Older than that, up to six months. The Latvian Government is becoming increasingly nationalistic and opposition to adoption there is mounting, from what I am told. IMHO Latvia is not a good idea right now. We are switching our dossier to Ukraine. Good luck to everyone with the wait.

Julie (Meteor29)

[bobzsem]

My attorney, who is a very honest guy(there are a few) has told us that these requirements are flexible. We are seeking 3-4 children in a sib grp. They told us the wait will be about 2 mos. because most people dont want sibs. They say "Americans only want babies" which for the most part is true there.

[maggie_va]

Are you working with an agency or just an attorney? I am sure that's true if you are able to take a sibiling group. What about toddlers or children with special needs.

Thanks.

[bobzsem]

We are using just an attorney. You have to go thru the Ministry of Justice anyway, like in Ukraine, so we saw no point in using an agency. Yes, there are toddlers and special needs of course. We were told that "all Americans want babies" which just isnt true--but that is the perception.

[maggie_va]

That's intersting. I thought it was a requirement to have an agency. Are you in the US? I am one of those American's who wanted a baby. I think the attitude is unfair though. There is no good reason to keep a child in an instituional setting just because of nationalistic views. I am not absolutely set on adopting an infant but would also consider a toddler.

Do you know if the poster's information from above is correct that for adopting older children you would have to be in country for quite a while? I would think with older children the time limit would be shorter.

BTW Do you know if the incidence of FAS/FAE is as strong in Latvia as it is in Russia?

- Maggie

[bobzsem]

I am in the US. I dont have all the answers and we are not done yet so things may change. Our attorney told us not to worry about the "residency" requirement. Perhaps with 4 and 8 more back in US, it will be waived. I do not know. It is little different than having 2 trips or the 4 required by some countries. There is a very high alcoholism rate in LV so I cant say about that.

I only know that is where the Lord has directed us to go to get our children--otherwise, I would have gone to Lithuania (for a baby) or Ukraine long ago!

[maggie_va]

I wish you the best with the adoption. I do hope everything goes smoothly and the process doesn't change again. It seems to be a beautiful country and I am hoping that they relax their laws somewhat.

[latvian_liene]

Info that I know from first hand experience...

I am a Latvian-American, first generation. My parents were born in DP (displaced persons) camps in Germany, but my grandparents and several of my aunts and uncles were born in Latvia.

I was there for about 3 weeks in 2001. This is what I know. The alcoholism is high among men, not women. There probably are women who are alcoholics as well, but not quite like the men. So, I doubt there is a high risk for FAS/FAE children.

I've been asked a million times why I haven't tried adopting from Latvia before. When my husband and I started our adoption journey 3 years ago, we could've probably had a child by now. But there's no guarantee.

I also am at a slight advantage because I have family still there and many friends that I could stay with because of the residency requirement...plus I know the language and have since I could speak. That doesn't bother me so much.

I hate to say this, but Latvia has a huge problem with outsiders...and in a sense, who can blame them. Most of their existence over the past 200 years has been under the Germans, the Russians, the Swedes, etc. But, I think that they need to lighten up a bit too. Rather than letting children sit in orphanages, they need to let them go to good homes.

I've tried to get in touch with a few agencies that deal with adoption through Latvia and have yet to hear back. We are currently pursuing domestic adoption and if that works out anytime soon, we'll be right on track to adopt from Latvia if it's going to take 2-3 years. Whoever posted that they are working with an attorney, I would love to get more info from you about it.

I'm not sure if I would have an easier time because I am Latvian and plan on raising my child in a Latvian home, learning the language, etc. I have an aunt who has lots of connections, particularly in Riga doing some searching for me. I talked to her a few weeks ago and have yet to hear back.

Sorry this is so long. If anyone has questions about Latvia, etc...I will try to answer them.

[bobzsem]

the process in Latvia has a few quirks that are unpublished and important to know. You must be able to id the child you want and send them gifts via the orphanage for a few months...after that you may request visitation and further contact, ie. adoption. The problem seems to be making the initial contact as the orph directors arent very good at advertising their kids. After this contact there are 2-3 courts and Ministry of Justice to go thru. They say the process usually takes 6 mos. after initial contact. We found mostly sib groups at the orphanages. And many of the kids are wonderful, Our adoption should be final in Sept. Then we will begin process for the rest of the sib group we are adopting. Latvia aslo would prefer that you have a plan for keeping their Latvian culture as part of their life and also requests some kind of foloow up so they know what happened to their children you have adopted.

An agency is NOT required.

[maggie_va]

bobzsem:

I was wondering how things are going for you? Have you gotten any closer to brining your children home?

I have heard that Latvia has relaxed the residency requriements for adoption and that they are trying to make easier to adopt.

[bobzsem]

We have returned from Latvia--it did take 3 trips. One was rather long but would have been shorter if we had had longer previous contacts--or if the children were younger. Our 4 new children are 12, 10, 5 and 3. They are adjusting well and have the usual issues anticipated by one who has been in their situations. They must learn to trust before the rest can begin.

As to the process. It is as follows:
An attorney is not required--nor even recommended. A translator we found was indispensable. Apply to the Sekretariat for permission to adopt.Then you id the children and apply to local orphan court and Sekrtetariat for permission to adopt those children--must be done in person at court(but not Sekretariat). Court will stipulate time period for you to "bond" with child/ren. After time is up, return to court for decision, which goes to Sekretariat for signature. They you must apply to regional court for permission to adopt; when that is granted, with you in attendance, you have a 20 day appeals period, after which paperwork (passports etc) takes about 8 days.

VERY important--the more rural the orphanage, the less corruption you will likely encounter. We adopted from Likumi near Jekapils. It is imperative that you be in the orphanage directors good graces--as they are major players in getting the courts moving...any questions!! ASK! I have only been home since early Oct.But the time I spent there was an excellent investment. I have many pix of kids available --and the directors permission to post them!!
jo

[maggie_va]

Congratulations! I am happy to hear that you are home with your children.

From what you are describing, it seems the process is almost too simple. How did you locate a translator? Also, what about the court proceeding? Did you not need a lawyer for that? How did you locate the orphanage?

Were they mainly older children or younger children? What was the orphange director's attitude towards international adoption? Did they seem put off by it or encouraging?

Thanks!

[bobzsem]

I have an excellent translator who is very honest. I would recommend her highly! you may need an attorney for the final court--just for the hour of the court--the translator can find one for there as well.
I found the orphanage on the internet and have put pix up with the orphanage directors permission on a private website. There is a bit of info on each child. This orphanage has children 3-18. I mostly was with the 9-14yo kids. They all have baggage to deal with --seems the little ones sometimes had more than the older ones. But my older ones are adjusting as well as the younger ones. We are working thru the sub-conscious anger they have about their childhoon which comes out in odd situations sometimes.

The Director, Zenta, is very very pro-adoption and really will help to move the process forward. They know its the only chance these kids have. If they are not adopted, they will have the orphanage stigma all their lives. I recommend the book "Holding Time" and the recommendations it has are excellent.

any more questions?? It is a simple process--but can be lengthy! Once you ID the kids you want, the process begins!