The Process

Below is a brief synopsis of how the adoption process works in Kazakhstan.

Step 1:
- Find your kids

Step 2:
- Spend 14 days visiting you kids. Each day needs to be documented via a log sheet and date-stamped photos. This is called the bonding period. Most Kazakh orphanages allow about 2 hours a day of visitation.

Step 3:
- After the bonding period, you can then petition the court to adopt. It takes about a week to get a court date. You can still visit your kids each day during visitation hours.

Step 4:
- After your court date, you then wait 15 days. This is an appeal period where members of the children's biological family can petition the court to stop the adoption. You can still visit your kids each day during visitation hours during this period.
- After the 15 day appeal period, the kids are yours. At that point you take custody of them.

Step 5:
- Once the kids are yours, you fly back down to Almaty. You then spend a few days at the American consulate. There you get the kids checked out by an embassy doctor, get US visas for the kids, and wrap up final paperwork for the US government.

Step 6:
- Fly home. Once the kids pass through US immigration at the airport, they are 100% US citizens.