What happens after I arrive in Kazakhstan?
With FTC, when you receive your letter of invitation, both parents (if married) will travel to Kazakhstan and have the opportunity to receive a referral and then meet the child. The first two weeks of your trip are spent visiting with the child daily at the orphanage. This is a mandatory bonding period required in Kazakhstan. After visiting with your child for two weeks, you will sign a formal letter of commitment to adopt the child.

Is it possible to receive a referral before I travel?
No adoption agency is legally permitted by Kazakh officials to make a referral of a child before the parent travels.

What if I become aware of a specific child in Kazakhstan?
Under Kazakh laws and regulations, there can be no guarantee that this same child would be available upon your arrival in country. 

Can I decline a referral?
Yes.  If the child you meet does not meet your requested description or has health issues beyond your ability to parent, then you may respectfully decline and ask to review another child referral. 

What if I have concerns about the child's health or don't understand his medical records?
You should not expect to understand the medical records you will be shown.  We strongly recommend that you work with an international adoption pediatrician. These are US specialists who will correspond with you while you are in Kazakhstan and help you to assess your child's medical and health status. These doctors are familiar with the terminology, common practices, and philosophies of eastern medicine. They can assist you in interpreting the medical information you will receive. FTC will assist you in locating one of these professionals if needed.

What happens to my documents after they arrive in Kazakhstan?
Once your dossier is sent to Kazakhstan, it will go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for registration. Then on to several other ministries, including the Ministry of Education, to process and prepare your file for an invitation to travel.

What are my travel options with FTC?

Option 1 – One Trip.  7-9 Weeks (8 weeks is most common, and one spouse may return home after 4-5 weeks).

Parents stay in Kazakhstan until the adoption is finalized and the child can travel home to the US.  For married couples, once the court hearing has happened (about 4-5 weeks after arriving), one parent may return home while the other parents stays with the child in Kazakhstan to finalize.  After court, there is a fifteen day appeal period before the adoption is finalized. This 15 day period could be waived by the judge, but this is uncommon. When everything is set for you to return home with your child, you will leave your region and go to Almaty for your US Embassy appointments. After your Embassy appointment and Consular registration, you and your child can return to the US (about 3-5 weeks from your court hearing). 

Option 2 - Two Trips

Trip 1  Parents travel to Kazakhstan for 4-5 weeks for the referral, the bonding period, and court. After court, parents can immediately travel home.

Trip 2  Parents return 4-6 weeks later for a short (one week or less) pick-up trip. If married, only one parent is required to travel for the second trip.  Parents travel first to the region to receive their child, then back to Almaty for the Embassy appointment and Consular registration before returning home.

Option 3 - One 4-5 Week Trip and Escort Service

Parents (both if married) travel to Kazakhstan for 4-5 weeks for the referral, the  bonding period, and court. After court, both parents may travel home.  Four to six weeks later your child will be escorted to the United States by one of our FTC staff members. The fee for our escort service is $2,000 plus the cost of travel expenses for the escort and your child.

This is definitely the most popular option due to work and family obligations that most have here in the US.

I’ve heard I would have to carry a large sum of cash to Kazakhstan?
FTC parents carry traveler’s checks (not cash) in the amount of $7500.  This represents your second in country fee and does not include your personal or other in-country expenses.

What are some of the fees and expenses I should expect to incur while in Kazakhstan?    
After your court hearing in Kazakhstan, there are various fees that will be needed to obtain the documentation needed to complete your adoption and get the child’s vital documents and visas. Here are estimated amounts:   

Court taxes $150

Translation fee for court transcript and other documents $200

Child’s birth and adoption certificate $150

Child’s US passport $400

Child’s regional exit visa $200

Child’s adoption registration fee (by courier to Astana) $350

US Embassy visa fee and medical exam $480

Why are there no newborns in need of families in Kazakhstan?
In Kazakhstan, each orphaned child is required to be on a national adoption database for six months before he or she is eligible for international adoption. Allowing time for the baby's paperwork to be submitted for registration and more time for eligibility paperwork after they come off the registry, you are not likely to be matched with a child under 7 months old.

Why is there a "post adoption report deposit”?
Kazakhstan requires post adoption reports until the child is 18 years old. If these reports are not submitted, the country’s adoption program will be jeopardized. Kazakhstan has stopped processing adoptions in the past due to delinquent post  adoption reports. It is in the best interest of the children and adoptive families for every agency to ensure these reports are timely.

How many post reports are required? 
A social worker must complete the first four reports (at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after the adoption). Subsequent reports can be written by the parents, and will be required until the child is 18 years old.

Must I travel to Kazakhstan? 
All parents must travel to meet the child. There is a mandatory 14 day bonding period before committing to the child and then a court hearing.  In the interest of meeting parents’ needs, FTC is able to offer several unique travel options in our Kazakhstan adoption program.

Which travel option is best for my child?
Some parents embrace extended travel while others find it quite difficult. Parents should evaluate FTC’s travel options with a view towards what best serves their unique needs.

One long trip makes for a relatively slow and easy transition for the child and also allows parents to absorb the child’s country and culture. This does ultimately help in the transition at home, but is simply not possible for many parents.

Escorting is a very popular option, as it eliminates another international trip. Many families feel better knowing that one of the FTC staff will be escorting the child home.

We strongly encourage parents to look closely at all factors before deciding on a travel option. Your FTC case manager will be a big help in this process.

What is the Ministry of Education or "MOE"?
The "Ministry of Education Committee of Guardianship and Care" (commonly called the MOE) controls and maintains the databank of all orphaned children in the country.  Each orphaned child must be registered on this databank for six months before becoming available for international adoption.