Bulgaria

Who can adopt from Bulgaria?

  • Married couples and single people may adopt from Bulgaria.
  • Adoptive parents must be at least fifteen (15) years older than the adopted child
  • Upon consideration, Bulgaria often shows a great flexibility (in age of parents and family size) for children with special needs, sibling groups and those at risk of ‘aging out’ of the younger orphanages and being required to move over to the older orphanages.  


Children Available for Adoption

  • Children become available for international adoption from Bulgaria due to economic hardship, lack of acceptance of unwed mothers and medical reasons where parents lack the financial resources to meet the needs of their biological children.
  • Children available for adoption are 12 months to school-age children.  
  • Children are primarily ethnic Roma or of Gypsy decent (and may include those of Turkish heritage). There are occasionally children of “true” Bulgarian decent but on a much less frequent availability; no children from Bulgaria are considered “Caucasian” and children of fair appearance cannot be specified.
  • Siblings and special needs children are available.

Two trips are required (one to visit and one to come home, approximately five days each). 

The process is not considered started until your dossier arrives in the country; the time to receive the referral is 6-18 months depending on age and gender of child desired. Referrals will be given by priority to and balanced by several variables; order of dossier received, child you are requesting (age, gender, health status), and the needs of the child will be placed first. Once the referral is accepted, the adoption will take approximately 4 to 6 months to complete.  When the adoption is complete, parents can return to Bulgaria to bring the child home or the child can be escorted home by MLJ staff


Why adopt from Bulgaria?

The Bulgarian adoption process is very stable and predictable.  Bulgaria is party to the Hague Convention and has a very transparent adoption process.  Recent law changes have opened the opportunity for younger children to be placed more quickly. Innovative programs like THE GRANDMOTHER FROM THE HEART have helped children form attachments to caregivers, helping them to be better adjusted.
 
Bulgarian children who are available for adoption are typically of Roma descent – or commonly referred to as a “gypsy” child.  While the word “gypsy” to us may drum up images of romantic and colorful fortune-telling characters, in Eastern Europe it is an extremely derogatory term and the Roma people are highly discriminated against. They are often thought of as highly uneducated, thieves, or social parasites. These children are not typically adopted by Bulgarian families.
 
In reality, these beautiful children with dark soulful eyes are born to families that are uneducated, poor and have little opportunity. Their parents are often thought of as retarded and they receive very little access to basic public services, such as health care, public transportation, or sanitation. Due to poverty, the majority of Bulgarian children, upwards of 90% are abandoned at birth. Their lack of prenatal care often is the perfect setting to cause an onslaught of special needs. These special needs are often treatable or correctible in our country.
 
To learn more about Bulgaria please request information.

Country information is to be considered general information and subject to change. The information is based upon state, federal, foreign, and international law, as well as our own business policies.