Kazakhstan Adoption

It is hard to believe that there is finally news on the adoption front for Kazakhstan. Recently, a notice was released by the Central Authority of Kazakhstan regarding the status of adoption in their country and the progress of the Hague certification process they are in. It states: The Ministry of Education and Science, the Central Authority of Kazakhstan, has confirmed that the governmental decree approving its new policies to process intercountry adoptions and accredit adoption agencies in Kazakhstan goes into effect on Thursday, April 5, 2012. The Government of Kazakhstan will begin accepting applications for accreditation from potential adoption service providers on April 9, 2012, on a first-come, first-served basis. Information on the new accreditation process and the new adoption procedures will be… [more]

I know this will seem foreign to many of you but I want to focus on the premise that 'no news is good news' in regard to Kazakhstan adoption. As frustrating as the wait can be, no major information has been released involving issues of any kind. This is actually a plus at this point of the process because a lot of the legal stuff occurs behind closed doors and is only made public when an agreement has been fully reached and implemented OR an unresolved issue remains. Kazakhstan appears to be in neither of these 'boats,' if you will. I do know that the Marriage and Family Act was put into place in Kazakhstan in January of 2011. This opened adoption under… [more]

Unfortunately, there have been no changes in regard to adoption from Kazakhstan. This adoption program has signed their new Marriage and Family Act into law but continues to work toward firming up its program in order to reach an agreement with its adoption partners. Though this may seem like it will never end, take heart. When adoption acts are signed, the next order of business is to work on an agreement. This takes a lot of time, effort and patience. These agreements are not easy to do because both countries must make a working plan and show how it will be enacted. This is not a day long process. Kazakhstan has been working on the re-open of their program since January of… [more]

There is so much to write about in regard to the Kazakhstan adoption program. In January, the officials of this country released two notices. The first notice dealt predominately with the New Family and Marriage Code that was signed into law on December 26, 2011. The president of Kazakhstan signed the law and moved it to the governmental houses for approval. The majority of this law deals with the new policies that are being enacted to accredit agencies and process adoptions under the Hague Convention requirements. This is a great advancement for Kazakhstan as it is an indicator of the adoption program's moving forward in its desire to be Hague Certified and re-open its program. All of the requirements for agencies and prospective… [more]

It has been way to long since I touched base with you on adoption from Kazakhstan. I wish I had information of great changes but that is not the case. At this point, Kazakhstan is not in an adoption relationship with the United States as they are seeking Hague Convention status and have not completed the agreement portion with the US. They are processing the remaining adoption cases that were grandfathered in from the previous adoption relationship. So in 2011 there were 86 adoptions completed between Kazakhstan and the US. As these older cases are completed this number will dwindle unless this adoption relationship re-opens in the near future. Many of you are probably wondering what needs to be done in order for… [more]

The adoption program in Kazakhstan continues to be on hold awaiting its Hague Convention status. This process seems to drag on and on. Yet, other countries who were working toward the same status are re-opening. They have to finish all of the qualification paperwork and are anticipating the restart of the adoptions under the Hague Convention. For that reason, it is obvious that Kazakhstan will get there. I know that waiting for that to occur can get frustrating and long though. If you are awaiting the 'good news," consider researching all information regarding this country, its adoption program and others who have completed adoptions prior to its re-opening. There are many people who have been through the process and come out on the other… [more]

It seems as though a change has been on the horizon for a number of months in regard to adoption from Kazakhstan. Yet, nothing has surfaced about that prospective change being a reality. For those of you who are just joining us, Kazakhstan is in the process of ratifying itself to Hague Convention statutes. This ratification is not an easy process- so a timeframe is not possible but there have been many releases stating that this country is going to re-open in the near future. These releases gave us hope. I do believe that Kazakhstan is close to re-opening its adoption program with the United States. In order to re-open though, it has to reach a suitable agreement with both parties. With the… [more]

As with the rest of you, I continue to watch Kazakhstan adoption knowing that there will be a change in their adoption status. Unfortunately, that change has not occurred. The last published information showed that Kazakhstan, though party to the Hague Convention, was not fully certified and would continue to work toward becoming a valid adoption partner with the United States. Kazakhstan has had a long-standing adoption relationship with the United States completing over 840 adoptions in 2003. That has fallen to 181 in 2010. It would come as no surprise to see the adoption relationship rebound with this country and the higher numbers begin to surface again. This will take time to rebuild though.  Kazakhstan has been processing their adoption requirements for a fairly large number… [more]

I do not know about the rest of you but I wait (impatiently at best) for news that Kazakhstan adoption has re-opened. This has not occurred yet and seems not to be on the horizon. Kazakhstan is currently closed in order to facilitate its Hague Convention partnership status with the United States. While it does not appear that anything is happening- I believe that it is. In a world where there are presently [approximately] 153 million orphans, protection of children and adoption programs should be applauded. That is what the Hague Convention offers. It is a way that all countries involved in a adoption relationship can have a say in the care and keeping of the children who are orphaned and looking for… [more]

Kazakhstan adoption continues to be on hold. As of now, I do not know whether this country is matching any of their children. I was asked about that question back in July and cannot find any information that supports this. All of my sources state that Kazakhstan is not using intercountry adoption as a source "of permanency" at this time. I am not certain when or if this country will re-open its program to allow for these adoptions to start in the near future. I see no leaning in that direction. Though, I know that they are working to fulfill their Hague Convention certification and become a partner with other countries. This is a huge legal process that requires both countries to be… [more]