Adoption » Intercountry Adoption » Europe
Location: Russia
Moscow local time:
NOTE: Please be advised until further notice, all new Russian registrations will be put on a waitlist.
Visit the Russia Adoption site.
Amendments to the Russia Family Code
On January 10, 2005, new amendments to the Russian Law pertaining to adoptions came into effect. The principal amendment is the extension of the period of registration of orphans in the Federal Databank from 6 months to 8 months. According to Article 122, Para 1(3) of the Family Code, the 8 month waiting period is spread out as follows:
One month is given to local child welfare authorities for placement of a child without parental care locally.
One month is spent in the Regional Databank if the child is not placed locally within the first month of registration.
6 months must be spent in the State, or Federal, Databank for Children Left Without Parental Care. If no acceptable option for placement has been found locally, regionally, or state-wide, then the child can be proposed for adoption to foreigners.
Given this, the youngest a child will be at the time of proposal to CHOICES clients is 8 months. The youngest a child will be at time of placement will be closer to a year old.
This new law will not affect cases retroactively (ie, applications of children that have been matched to adoptive parents before December 20, 2004, will be completed in accordance to the old procedures).
CHOICES is currently the only BC adoption agency accredited to do adoptions in Russia. CHOICES facilitates adoptions from several regions in Russia, including Perm, Nizhniy Novgorod, Pskov, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Saratov. There is an additonal fee for the Russian program. All post placement fees must be paid prior to travelling to Russia to adopt. Applicants should spend additional time reviewing information of post institutionalization issues for children.
CHOICES is pleased to now be offering in-house facilitation services for families wishing to adopt from Russia. For details about the service or to request a registration package, please contact the office directly.
Facilitators charge a fee for their services. Please contact them directly for a current fee schedule.
Available Children
- Orphans in Russia are required to remain on a data bank registry for domestic adoption for at least five months prior to being released for international adoption. There are over 180,000 children waiting to be adopted. There area approximately 14,000 adoptions done in Russia annually. With just over 7000 adoption in Russian being completed by Russian families and 7000 adoptions in Russia being completed by non Russian families.
- Children are typically born in maternity hospitals and transferred to orphanages when they are several weeks or months old.
- Many families wish for a child "as young as possible." Realistically, the child you seek, if it is an infant, will be between 10-14 months of age when you bring him or her home.
- It is common for children in Russia to present some sort of problem or condition on their medical reports. Sometimes this is accurate. Other times it is a diagnosis that is more reflective of the Russian medical system than of a condition we would understand in North American medicine. Medical interpretations and terminology vary country to country. Consequently, we encourage families to consult with international pediatricians. They are the professionals familiar with foreign medical jargon and best equipped to assist you in making a commitment to a child.
Travel Requirements
- Two trips are required, since the time between trips is approx 4-6 weeks. Families who do wish to stay will be required to stay in the country this whole time.
- The Court hearing to finalize the adoption is often, by Russian law, succeeded by a "ten day wait." Some regions waive this requirement; others do not.
- Largely, your adoption will be completed according to the prerogatives of Courts and Judges, and not what would be most convenient for you or the agency. Your stress will be less if you are prepared to be flexible.
Health:
| Special Precautions | Certificate Required? | |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Fever | No | No |
| Cholera | No | No |
| Typhoid and Polio | Poliomyelitis occurs. Immunisation is advisable. |
n/a |
| Malaria | No | n/a |
Food & drink
All water should be regarded as being a potential health risk. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Contaminated tap water contains a high prevalence of gastrointestinal infections. The water supply in St Petersburg especially has been linked to giardiasis. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Other risks
Dysentery is common throughout the country. Hepatitis A occurs. Widespread outbreaks of diphtheria have been reported. Consult a doctor regarding inoculation before travelling to Russia. Tick-borne typhus has been reported from east and central Siberia. Tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease occur in forested areas throughout the Russian Federation. Vaccination is advisable. Outbreaks of Japanese Encephalitis have been reported from the southeast. Leishmaniasis occurs in the south, and in 1999 an outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever occurred in the area north of Stravapol. Outbreaks of meningitis have been reported from Volgograd.
Rabies is present and increasing. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information consult the Health appendix.
Health care
The highly developed health service provides free medical treatment for all citizens. If a traveller becomes ill during a booked tour, emergency treatment is free, with small sums to be paid for medicines and hospital treatment. If a longer stay than originally planned becomes necessary because of the illness, the visitor has to pay for all further treatment. This can be very expensive; air evacuation can cost up to £80,000. All visitors are strongly advised to have full medical cover that includes medical evacuation. It is advisable to take a supply of medicines that are likely to be required (check first that they may be imported legally). A reciprocal health care agreement is in operation between the UK and Russia, allowing citizens to receive free treatment. Private medical care can be expensive.