Adoption Associates, Inc: Domestic Infant and International Adoption Agency

Adoption Associates, Inc. has had one of the most successful and active adoption programs in Russia since 1994, being one of the first agencies to receive full accreditation in Russia. The Director of the Russian program, Alla Dickson, is Russian by origin. Her 30 years of experience and bilingual skills keep our Russian program well organized and up-to-date with enthusiastic and excellent support staff in Russia. AAI has the privilege of being the preferred agency to work with one of the largest and most active adoption regions in Russia, as well as with several smaller regions. Referrals of children for adoptive parents arrive monthly and adoption court hearings are ongoing. AAI’s Russia program should be a top choice for families considering international adoption.

Russian adoption law does not have any age requirements.

While this is not a requirement, we strongly recommend families learn some common Russian phrases before seeing their child. Once children leave the orphanage, they can be intimidated by the changes they face, and it can improve adjustment to maintain some familiarity in their lives. You will look, sound, smell, and act differently than the caregivers the child has known, and being able to bridge the communication gap in even the smallest way can help the child relax. In addition, using some words in Russian and English is a wonderful way for a child to keep another link to their country of origin as they age.

Many families have spent some of their waiting period learning the Russian language, and have found this to be beneficial during this challenging time. It is advantageous, too, as it can help you communicate during your stay in Russia!

Travel to Russia will require a visa for all of your trips. You will obtain a tourist or business visa. Your consultant will instruct you when it is time to apply for your visas, and provide you with directions on how to apply.

Many families are unsure about the type of gifts they should bring for the child(ren) when they visit on the first trip. We advise families to bring three or four small gifts, including a small, soft doll or stuffed animal and one or two additional age- appropriate toys. Attachment therapists suggest sleeping with the soft toy the week before you travel to Russia; this way, it will smell like you when you give it to the child. Smell is one of the most powerful senses, and it can be used in this manner to encourage your child’s attachment to you. It is also a good idea to purchase a child-friendly photo album and fill it with pictures of the people, places, and pets that will be a part of the child’s new life. You should label the photos simply in the event they can be translated at the orphanage.

Do not expect to have these toys returned to you when you bring the child(ren) home. Many families purchase two of each toy and make an identical photo album to bring with them on their second trip, just in case the original items have been separated from the child. In this way, you will be sure to have some familiar toys that can be used to comfort and reassure the child.

No. This service is incorporated into the foreign fee that you pay. Once your dossier is completed, you will send it to AAI, and we will forward it to our St. Petersburg office. At this point, our staff will translate and authenticate the documents.

No, each region within Russia presents a unique climate for adoption. AAI’s Russian staff is informed about you and the type of child(ren) you prefer as soon as you submit your Formal Application for adoption, and even before your dossier is finished, they are evaluating the regional situations to find a good match. Once your dossier is received, they spend additional time analyzing your preferences and family dynamics as well as the current situation in each region.

With many years of experience and hundreds of successful adoptions, our Russian staff are true experts in selecting the best region for each family.

After you formally apply to AAI, you will receive a packet of information including a dossier packet and a travel packet. You will also be assigned an international consultant, and if you are utilizing AAI for your home study, a caseworker. Your consultant will assist you during the dossier process, and will even review your documents before you get them apostilled.

This is indeed a very serious topic, and I commend you for taking the time to learn more! Many families have found a variety of books to be helpful in their quest. Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky of the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio are thought to be experts in the field of attachment, and have written a number of related books. We frequently recommend their ever-popular, “Parenting the Hurt Child,” and, “Adopting the Hurt Child.” “Attaching in Adoption,” by Deborah Gray, is another valuable resource, and provides families with a lot of solution-focused tips.

For Michigan residents, we suggest linking with the Attachment Coalition of Michigan. It is comprised of several adoption therapists within Livonia, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids. They can provide psychotherapy, education, training, and support for adoptive families and agencies. They can be accessed via their web site: http://www.adoptionparenting.net/page38.html.

Families should apply for their passports at the beginning of their adoption process. Sometimes it can take time to have them processed and returned to you, and several of the documents required for your Russian dossier will need your passport numbers. Actual copies of your passport will also be necessary for your dossier.

Visas will also be required for travel to Russia. However, these will not be obtained until travel dates are provided. Your consultant will guide you through this step.

We have had families with medical conditions or even past arrest records who have successfully adopted children from Russia. However, it is important to realize that each case must be treated individually, based on specific strengths and circumstances. Be aware that such issues must be disclosed at the beginning of the process, in order to best devise proper courses of action. Although it may seem redundant, you should be prepared to address such circumstances with your home study caseworker, your AAI consultant, U.S. Immigration, and Russian officials. Keep in mind that this is merely part of the process, and not designed to cause you any discomfort or anxiety.

Remember that the Russian officials and judge always have the final say in whether a family is approved to adopt, regardless of health issues or unusual circumstances. We can make no guarantees about the outcomes of specific cases.

While it is important for your child’s future pediatrician to be fully aware of any potential and existing health conditions, AAI cautions you against basing your initial opinions solely on your local pediatrician when you are first considering a referred child.

Obviously, there can be substantial differences between the Russian and American system of diagnoses in the medical realm. Additionally, it is probably best to rely on professionals who are familiar with the types of diagnoses commonly found in medical reports obtained from the orphanage doctors. AAI can recommend British and American trained clinics in St. Petersburg who can evaluate children personally, or who are prepared to consult with you by phone or fax. There are also a number of medical professionals in the U.S. who have experience in deciphering the medical information prospective parents often receive.

Keep in mind that many families locate other professionals from the Internet and word of mouth who advertise such services. This can be an excellent and convenient way to locate independent evaluators, but be forewarned that AAI might be unaware of the practices of such individuals and will not be able to recommend them.

No. Russia does not require specific immunizations before entering the country. However, we suggest that families contact their local health department for immunization recommendations. It is best to contact them early in your adoption process, because some immunizations are given in a series over several months.

Ask yourself these questions and be very honest in your answers. If you can answer the majority of these statements below with a YES, you are ready for an international adoption experience.

• I am goal oriented. Once I make up my mind to do something, I almost always accomplish it.
• I feel I handle stressful situations well. I’ve found ways to reduce my stress level before I “blow up.”
• I consider myself to be a patient person in situations that others find trying.
• I have a good sense of humor. It helps me keep things in perspective.
• Differences interest me. I find it rewarding to try new things. I like travel, meeting new people, trying different foods, etc.
• Challenges make me determined to succeed and I do not give up easily.
• When faced with a problem I become a problem solver. My motto is, “where there is a will, there is a way.”
• My friends, family, and coworkers would say that I am a loyal person.
• I am realistic in my expectations of myself and others. When things don’t go as I’ve planned, I can adjust.
• Even though my family and friends sometimes let me down, I can overlook their shortcomings and accept them as they are.
• I am usually an optimistic person. I like to look on the bright side of things.
• I like to do things my way but can accept the fact that some things are out of my control.
• I have a lot of support in my life from family and friends.
• I am pro-active. I value the advice of others and seek help when I need it.

Dossier preparation takes two to three months, depending on the how quickly the family is able to gather the necessary information. This estimate includes home study preparation. The wait for a referral can vary anywhere from three to 12 months, with the longest wait being for families interested in children under 24 months, particularly females or two young children. After a referral is offered, a family can often travel quite quickly (two to four weeks) to visit the child. Upon arriving home, court appointments are generally assigned after two to four months. In most cases you will take three trips to Russia. The second trip will be your court trip where you are recognized as the legal parents of the child. The third trip will be to complete the visa process and bring your child(ren) home with you. All in all, the process typically takes nine to 18 months from start to finish, although there can be delays or times when the case moves faster than expected.

Two trips are required for the Russian program. The first trip will last about a week (two days in region), and will enable you to see the child/children who have been referred to you. This is when you will make the decision about whether or not to accept this particular referral.

The second trip could be as long as three weeks; however, there are several options and the trip could be divided into two trips. The family can decide to stay all three weeks in Russia or choose to come back to the USA on the third day (right after the court hearing). Only one parent needs to make the third trip to pick up the child and finalize the adoption process at the USA Embassy in Moscow.

We strongly recommend that you limit yourself to no checked luggage or limit yourself to one checked bag and one carry-on when you travel. The vehicles in Russia may be smaller than those to which we are accustomed, and oversized luggage can be problematic, especially when you also travel with a driver and a translator. Domestic flights have different size or weight restrictions than those for international flights. Additionally, in-country flights may require you to carry your own luggage onto the planes, and there might not be enough room if you are overloaded. Consider investigating ways to maximize the limited space you have. You won’t regret it!

You can bring additional people along on your trips to Russia. It could add some complexities, but it is possible. There will be an extra $200 required for one or two additional people traveling, and another $100 for each person beyond that. This amount can be included with the designated portion of your foreign fee, and covers the extra ground transportation needed for a larger party. Additional fees could be assessed for the sightseeing excursions as well.

It is important to consider some critical factors when deciding whether or not to bring guests during your adoption-related travels. First of all, family members might not be allowed to be present during the court proceedings or meetings with Department of Education officials or orphanage staff. Also, serious consideration must be given to opportunities for the newly- adopted children to meet and begin attaching to you as their parents. The second trip can be a critical time period for attachment formation, and it is preferable for this to begin solely with the parents, without being concerned about the impact of additional adults.

You shouldn’t depend solely on using credit cards while traveling to Russia. In larger cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, hotels will often advertise that they accept major credit cards, although this can be uncertain. The decision is yours, but we strongly advise you to bring cash to pay for your hotel accommodations. Your in-country flights and sightseeing excursion fees will be expected in cash. The U.S. Embassy fees paid on the last trip may be paid in cash or with a credit card.

No it is not. Both parents must meet the child on the first trip and appear at the court hearing on the second trip.

When both parents travel, it provides an opportunity for the officials and orphanage staff to personally meet the family to evaluate the parental skills of each parent. Furthermore, it allows the orphanage staff to observe each parent interact with the child to assess how well matched the parents and the child are.

AAI has an office based in St. Petersburg, which helps to coordinate all of the in-country details, such as transportation and hotel accommodations. We have representatives employed by AAI in each of the regions with which we work, and this representative will assist you during all of your official appointments in the specific region. You will also have drivers and someone to assist in translating while meeting with officials. Finally, if you are interested in sightseeing, our staff can arrange this for you. You will definitely receive the attention you deserve!

Adoption Associates, Inc. has a travel agent in our office in St. Petersburg, and she handles all of the accommodations while abroad. She will make sure that you have lodging wherever you are required to stay, and tries to offer various options from which to choose. (Keep in mind that during the main tourist seasons, choices may be somewhat limited.) Marianna is dedicated to locating hotels that are adoption-friendly and English-speaking, in order to make your stay most pleasant.

This is not necessary. Carrying these items from the U.S. just adds weight and bulk to the luggage you already have. Your AAI driver and/or regional representative can direct you to places where you can easily purchase anything you need.

We recommend seeing the sights while in Russia, and our travel agent in St. Petersburg can assist in this. Families have been able to visit the Hermitage (The Winter Palace) and Tsarskoye Selo (Catherine’s Palace). Special attention should be made to the reconstructed Amber Room in Tsarskoye Selo, with its intriguing stories and priceless nature. Families have also enjoyed the history of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Naval Cathedral. Tickets can be purchased for a ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre or a folk show in town.

If there is a special request you would like to make about some aspect of St. Petersburg, feel free to ask. Marianna, our St. Petersburg travel agent, tries her best to accommodate you.

Although the children adopted through AAI come from a variety of regions, all families adopting from Russia will end their journey in Moscow. At a minimum, you will need to go to the U.S. Embassy and submit paperwork for your child to obtain a visa to enter the U.S. However, we also encourage you to take time to appreciate the city’s cultural and historical significance, as both the current capital of Russia and, formerly, the capital of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Moscow has much to offer those who would like to see its sights. Almost everyone takes a trip to Red Square, where you can see both the Kremlin and famous splendor of St. Basil’s Cathedral. If the weather is nice, one can spend some time at the Moscow Zoo or strolling on Arbat Street, which is known for its street artists and shops. If there is something particular you would like to see or do, please don’t hesitate to ask AAI’s Russian staff. Marianna, the travel coordinator in our St. Petersburg office, can work with our staff in Moscow to arrange a tour or activities to suit your individual needs and interests.

Yes. By Russian law, the judges are able to impose a ten-day waiting after the court hearing. This is a time period between the court decision and when the court decree takes effect. In some regions, families can request that this waiting period be waived. You may return to the U.S. and one or both parents can take a third trip to bring your child(ren) home. Our staff will assist you in making appropriate plans based on both your individual preferences and the circumstances surrounding your case.

AAI provides families with a welcome home letter soon after they arrive home from their second trip that includes a pre-paid overnight envelope. We ask families to enclose their child’s passport and paperwork received in Moscow, and mail the envelope to AAI. We will then send the paperwork to the Russian Consulate in Washington D.C. for the processing of your child’s registration. After the registration is completed, we will mail your child’s passport back to you. To help cover the cost of the $50 for registration and the overnight mailers, we invoice families for $150 prior to sending their dossier to Russia.

Russia requires adoptive families to attend a court hearing. Once your hearing is scheduled, you will take a second trip to the region where your child lives. Upon arrival, you will visit with your child and spend some time preparing for the hearing. If you are adopting a child from a remote orphanage, you may attend court in the regional center. You will spend additional time in the region following the court hearing while you wait to receive the finalized court decree and obtain the child’s Russian passport. After obtaining these documents, you will be able to travel to Moscow, attend your appointment at the U.S. Embassy, and bring your child home.

Currently, we work with only one region that offers the opportunity to stay with a host family while in the region. Krasnodar offers families this unique privilege. It is comparable to staying in a hotel, and families have valued the attention they have received. The families in Krasnodar speak English and have much experience in working with adoptive families. In addition to having an individual room, AAI families are able to utilize Internet access. It is an excellent opportunity for those who adopt from this region.

Families often ask if there are any particular foods they should bring for their children when they travel on the second trip. Our Russian staff advises that families wait to purchase such things once they arrive in Russia, since they can get the most current information from the orphanage and it helps maximize the ever-expanding suitcase!

Once home, many families try to design meals for their children based on the information they received from the orphanage caregivers. This can help a child become acclimated, and can serve to instill some familiarity for a child. However, do not be surprised if children show some resistance to foods they might have loved in Russia. This can be a common issue once a child arrives home, as he or she is becoming adjusted to new surroundings. Remember to be patient, and to seek advise from your pediatrician, if needed.

Past AAI families have mentioned that they found that food textures proved the most challenging for their children’s adaptation to their new diets. They met the most success when they slowly introduced new textures to their children. Most say that their children initially preferred foods that were more bland, although there can always be exceptions to this.

Finally, keep in mind that parents should focus on being the only people feeding the child, in order to best facilitate attachment between parent and child. This is one of the most basic methods to encourage bonding, while building a trusting relationship with your child.

Of course! The orphanages are quite open to families taking photos and video footage of their prospective child. We always advise being very considerate of the orphanage employees, and suggest that families ask for permission before doing so. Families have been incredibly pleased to have such wonderful mementos of their child’s life before he/she arrives home to the United States.

AAI international consultants encourage families to use credit cards and/or cash when paying for costly travel expenses. Typically, debit cards have a daily maximum limit that can range from $500 to $1,000, and when a debit card is used for payment over the limit, a couple’s credit may be declined. Debit cards may pose a problem particularly when paying for international airline tickets or an expensive hotel stay. Utilizing a credit card or cash will prevent payments from being denied.

The majority of children come home in good health; we also place special needs children. While many children living in orphanages have developmental delays, once they are in a family they often catch up quickly.

Children placed through AAI’s Russia program can be anywhere from 1-15 years in age. Although the majority of children adopted from Russia are considered Caucasian, there are also some children with Asian features, particularly in the more Eastern regions of Russia. The documents submitted to Russia allow prospective adoptive parents to specify the age, gender, and ethnicity of the child(ren) they wish to adopt. These preferences are a primary consideration in determining which child(ren) will be referred to the prospective adoptive family.

AAI recommends that you obtain an independent evaluation from a physician. Our Russia Travel Packet contains a list of U.S. and Russian physicians who are trained and experienced in reviewing referral medical information for the purpose of adoption. These physicians will analyze the medical information you received and offer you a phone consultation regarding their evaluation, prior to you meeting the child. Most of these physicians are also available for a consultation while you are in Russia and have verbally received the complete medical and social history available on the child. After your child is home, you can schedule an appointment with the doctor you have selected for a post adoption evaluation of your child.

Russian physicians from the city of St. Petersburg can provide a variety of services, depending on your needs. Physicians can offer a phone or fax consultation based on the medical information you received, or you can even arrange to have the physician travel to the orphanage to evaluate the child directly. The physicians with whom we work are trained in Western medical practices but are familiar with the Russian system of diagnoses. This is a valuable tool, and many families have benefited from this service.

The Russian government allows prospective adoptive parents to specify their desire for a child with a specific hair or eye color, but this almost always significantly increases waiting time. The staff of AAI strongly discourages being too specific in your preferences, as it limits the number of children available to you. Also, it is important to remember that a child’s appearance can change as they age.

Your child will travel home with a Russian passport and a U.S. visa. Because both parents have seen the child prior to the adoption being finalized, they will travel on an IR-3 visa, which enables the child to be granted automatic U.S. citizenship upon arrival in the U.S. You will receive the documentation regarding this once you arrive home. This can take several weeks, or even possibly months, to arrive. When your child reaches age 18, the Russian citizenship status remains unless he or she makes an attempt to have it revoked. Their U.S. citizenship remains.

No. At the end of your first trip, you will complete the child’s acceptance form and a court petition at the Department of Education. Many choose to keep the child’s Russian first and/or middle names. However, if you want to change your child’s name, you will provide the new name before leaving Russia. If you decide on a different name after this, you may re-submit the court petition with the new correct name. The name on the court petition, which will include your last name, becomes the child’s new legal name. During the third trip your child’s new Russian birth certificate and Russian passport are issued in the region, and a U.S. visa for your child(ren) is purchased at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. All of these documents will have the new legal name as it was noted in the Court Petition. This will be the child’s legal name in the United States.

No. Russia has strict laws when it comes to the type of information provided prior to an official referral. You will not be getting a video at any point, unless you choose to videotape the child when you travel to Russia to meet your preselected child.

We strongly recommend the use of an independent evaluation when you receive medical information on your child before or during your first trip. We currently work with clinics in St. Petersburg where the physicians have knowledge in both Russian and U.S. medical practices. For a fee, they can offer advice about the child who has been referred to you. Many families utilize the clinics’ services, whether through a phone or fax consultation, or even by arranging a direct visit to the orphanage. Our Russian staff has helped the clinics to formulate cooperative relationships with the orphanages, and can recommend a particular clinic for you.

There are also clinics in the United States who are prepared to evaluate photos and medical information. A list of these providers can be located in your Russia travel packet, provided when you sign up with us.

Many families prefer to adopt Caucasian children, and this can be requested. Speak with your consultant regarding child preferences.

Your first trip to Russia should be utilized to obtain as much information about the child’s health and social history. This is the opportunity to speak with your child’s orphanage director and doctor and gather all of the necessary details. You will receive this information verbally, and will be responsible for writing down all that the professionals provide.

Once your adoption has been finalized, you will be given a number of documents about your child, including a summarized medical report written in Russian. This will be generated from a number of specialists who have evaluated the child personally. We can recommend a reputable doctor here in the United States who can translate this report for you.

Occasionally, you can request a copy of your child’s medical records from the orphanage. However, this must be done in person on your first trip, with the understanding that they will be provided to you only after you are granted legal custody on the second trip.

You can find a number of medical questionnaires and developmental checklists in the travel packet AAI provides at the beginning of the process. Such guides are written in English and Russian, to ease any communication gaps, and can serve as a good start to finding out the information you desire. You will want to write down your own individual questions in advance, as they can be easily forgotten when you are sitting in front of the orphanage staff. All of the information you obtain will be provided verbally, and you will be responsible for writing down the responses.

The first trip is utilized to obtain all of the information you desire about the child’s health, developmental and social history, as well as any specific history on the child’s birth family. Take full advantage of this opportunity, as one cannot be sure that answers can be provided past this period.

Russia requires that post adoption reports are submitted at six, twelve, twenty-four, and thirty-six months. You will work together with your home study agency to ensure that these reports are completed in a timely manner. AAI notifies your home study agency before these reports are due, and offers you the format in which they should be completed. It is important to remember that your individual home study agency may have additional post adoption requirements in addition to those required by Russia.

Russian law requires that families register their newly adopted child(ren) with the Russian Consulate. A document in AAI’s formal application and a portion of your dossier will include signed contracts where you agree to complete this registration within one month of your child’s arrival home in the United States.

It is an incredibly exciting time when you bring your child home, and it is extremely easy to forget this important step in the adoption process. In order to ensure that this is done, and to avoid complication in the adoptions of future AAI families, we provide families with a welcome home letter soon after they arrive home that includes a pre-paid overnight envelope. We ask families to enclose their child’s passport and paperwork received in Moscow, and mail the envelope to AAI. We will then send the paperwork to the appropriate Russian Consulate for the processing of your child’s registration. After the registration is completed, we will mail your child’s passport back to you. To help cover the cost of the $50 for registration and the overnight mailers, we invoice families for $150 prior to sending their dossier to Russia. An additional $50 per child will be charged if more than one child is being registered.

As of the end of June 2011, we have placed 910 children from Russia.

Our agency currently works with the following regions: Arkhangel’sk, Cheboksary, Kaliningrad, Leningrad oblast, Pskov, St. Petersburg, and Tyumen. Each region works independently of one another, and as a result, there can be individual differences in the adoption process of each.

We strongly encourage families to find support groups within their area both before and after the adoption. International adoption is such a unique experience, and we feel that support groups can offer wonderful opportunities to link with families who share your celebrations and your frustrations. At the Farmington Hills, Lansing, and Jenison offices, we hold quarterly International Waiting Families Meetings for those who have opted to select us as their placing agency. These meetings cover an array of topics, including attachment, travel, and adoption stories. These are an informative and fun way to meet other families who are in the process, and often include the expertise of former families. AAI also sponsors a Yahoo group for Russian adoptive parents. Contact your consultant if you have questions!

We have had an international program in Russia since 1994. We have been accredited in Russia since February 2001, and received a permanent license to work in Russia in July 2007.

Russia has over ten time zones! St. Petersburg and Moscow are both eight hours ahead of our offices in Michigan. In order to best meet the needs of our clients, our St. Petersburg office has arranged its schedule to operate its business hours from 12 noon to 8 pm. This enables our Michigan offices to maintain consistent contact with them between the hours 8 am and 12 noon.

Yes! Go to ru.adoptionassociates.net and click on the various links to learn more about our Russian office. In addition, you will find information about the representatives, hotels, transportation, and trip details related to each specific region.

The most common and also quite a time consuming mistake that adoptive families make when compiling their dossier is with the required notary seals. Often families use notaries with expired, or close to, expiring commissions. Another common problem is that the notary is required to sign his/her name exactly the same way it appears on the notary stamp and often they do not.

In the dossier instructions that families receive from AAI, there is a page entitled INSTRUCTIONS FOR NOTARIZATION OF DOCUMENTS. Families should take this with them each time they are getting a document notarized. However, families who do not live in Michigan are responsible for finding out the notary requirements for that state. If the notarization is done incorrectly, the document must be redone, and this is frustrating and time consuming.

A second common mistake is “crossouts” or “write overs.” Because these documents are filed with the Regional Court, the documents cannot have any changes or alterations. If any words, numbers or letters are crossed out, written over or if “white out” is used, the document will need to be redone.

Yes! AAI has a site that allows you to create your own adoption-themed journal and post updates about your adoption journey that your family and friends can respond to with their own comments. Best of all, this service is free to families adopting through AAI.

Families adopting from China, Ethiopia or Russia can customize their journal by choosing a country-specific background. These themes feature children’s artwork created with various types of artistic mediums or international artifacts and will give your adoption journal an international flair. Generic backgrounds are also available for families adopting from other countries.

Have photos that you would like to share? When you create a journal, you will be able to post an unlimited number of pictures to your journal for your family and friends to enjoy without ever leaving their homes. Because all journals are password-protected, you’ll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that only those who have your password will be able to view your postings. Once your journal is set up, simply share the site link and password with friends and family that you would like to keep updated about your adoption journey.

To start your journal today, visit http://www.adoptionjournals.org, or ask your international consultant for more information.