[jmchowat]

Disclaimer: THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON THE LATEST GUIDANCE THE
EMBASSY HAS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE. IT IS PROVIDED FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC
UKRAINIAN ADOPTION LAWS OR SPECIFIC CASES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO FOREIGN
LEGAL COUNSEL OR YOUR ADOPTION SERVICE PROVIDER.

Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On January 31, 2006 President Yushchenko signed the law giving interim
authority over adoptions to the Ministry of Education's National
Adoption Center (NAC) until the new adoption authority is legally established
under the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports. This law will go into
effect upon its publication in Parliament's official newspaper "Holos
Ukrainy," which should occur in a matter of days. According to this
law, the NAC will have full authority to process adoptions in Ukraine
until May 1, 2006 -- the final date by which the new adoption central
authority must be established under the Ministry of Family, Youth, and
Sports. The NAC has stated that they will now resume normal processing --
not only of the suspended cases, but also of the cases that had been
previously scheduled through the end of January.

The NAC has not yet released a notice to the international adoption
community explaining details regarding processing of adoptions during the
transition period. Absent NAC written guidance, we cannot confirm
processing plans or details. The information below, keyed to frequently
asked questions on the part of adoptive parents, reflects our
understanding of likely procedures, based on preliminary discussions with the NAC
administration. For case-specific information or clarification,
contact the NAC or your adoption service provider directly.

Q: We are currently in Ukraine, waiting for the NAC to issue the
consent letter required by the court (or waiting for the referral
letter/second appointment/etc). When can we expect to have our document
issued/case processed?
A: The NAC requests that all American adopting families currently in
Ukraine contact the Center directly or through their representatives to
obtain case-specific information, such as new appointment date or the
official consents required by Ukrainian courts. The NAC has stated that
the consents for the courts will be issued immediately on the day the
law becomes effective.

Q: Due to the suspension, we missed our scheduled appointment with the
NAC in January. When can we travel to Ukraine for a new appointment?
A: According to the NAC, adopting families who had been scheduled for
appointments in January will now be rescheduled in February on the same
(or closest working day) to their original date (for example, January
24 would be shifted to February 24). Contact the NAC directly or
through your local representative to confirm your appointment date prior to
traveling to Ukraine.

Q: We are registered at the NAC and were supposed to receive an
appointment this year. When can we expect our appointment?
A: The NAC has advised that after the center reschedules all January
appointments, the NAC will focus on priority cases such as those
involving children with severe medical problems, older children and sibling
groups. The NAC will contact families directly.

Q: Will the NAC accept all new adoption dossiers after it re-opens?
A: The NAC has advised that previous restrictions on acceptance of new
dossiers will remain in effect. (See our earlier notices regarding the
Government of Ukraine's concern about the non-compliance rate by
American adoptive parents with regard to post-adoption reporting, which is
required under Ukrainian law.) The NAC will only accept dossiers filed
by U.S. citizens on behalf of certain categories of orphans: siblings of
previously adopted children; older children; and children with serious
health problems.

Q: We have our adoption dossier ready for submission. Should we send
it to the NAC or wait till the new adoption authority is open?
A: If your case falls under one of the special categories listed
above, you may submit your dossier to the existing NAC. However, officials
of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports have recommended that
prospective adopting parents wait to submit new applications until the new
adoption authority is open and operational after May 1, 2006.

Q: How does the new law affect those families whose dossiers were
accepted and registered by the NAC months ago, but whose adoptions were
neither suspended in mid-December nor already scheduled through the end of
January?
A: The NAC advised that there are over 1,000 registered adoption
dossiers from foreign citizens, including over 600 from Americans, waiting
to be scheduled. According to the NAC, these families will be scheduled
for appointments per regular NAC procedures. Any dossier that is not
scheduled for an appointment with the existing NAC during the transition
period will be transferred to the new adoption authority.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional
questions.

Sincerely,

Adoption Unit/Immigrant Visa Section
Consular Section
American Embassy
Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel: 38-044-4904422
Fax: 38-044-490-4570
adoptionskiev@state.gov
http://kiev.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html

In accordance with E.O. 12958 this message is not classified.

[Mykidsmom]

Jane

I hope you travel soon !!!!!!!!!!!

[charlotte16]

Hurraaay!! This is such good news. I suppose that the same director will be overseeing everything until May 1. I was surprised to see that there are currently 1000 registered dossiers waiting for appt's. Wow! I am among the 1000. I wonder how long it will take for me to get an appt. Jane, you must be very excited. Good Luck!!!

[jmchowat]

We are leaving for Ukraine on Tuesday, we should be in Kramators'k by Thursday morning, if all goes well. We have to be there in person to ask for a court date and we're hoping we'll get one on the 10th or 13th of February. If we find out anything about the NAC and what's going on there, I'll try to post

[Mykidsmom]

Wonderful News

[MICHIGANMOMx2]

What great news!

[ZIPPY]

Jane,
Wonderful news!!! We wish you a safe trip and a quick court date so you and your new family can be together forever! God bless you!!

[catlover2]

Good luck with your travels... and if you can't get information on to the boards while you are in Ukraine, try to keep us posted when you get home. Congrats!! I hope everything goes as smooth as possible.

[Gweneth]

Jane I'm so glad to hear that you are going to get to see your kids again soon. I know it must have been heart wrenching. Hopefully they have been able to keep high spirits also. We were getting discouraged with all that was going on in Ukraine and my wife started looking at photolistings in her boredom. She was really looking at girls but she said this one little boy kept calling to her. We signed a contract Jan. 2 and we just just back from our first visit of him Feb. 2. It was a whirlwind pace to go but he is AWESOME and worth every moment we had to jump through a hoop. He is in Russia and now we have to wait, they are saying. 4 to 6 weeks to go to court and get him home. We named him Alex Cole, after a little mutual little boy we knew. I would post a pic or 2 but for some reason I get them to save from my email so that I can load them.
We are still registered in Ukraine also and hope to find our daughter there. Good luck with you rtravels and we will be watching for you and your progress reports.