Anyone had any experience adopting from abroad?

[Kittybaggins]

We are considering adoption and know that either way we are starting down a long, hard road. My mother lives in Bolivia and has suggested we look into adopting from there (there are a lot of children's centres and orphanages). I wonder if there is anyone else out there who has considered adopting from overseas and if so where do you start?

I'm not ure you can adopt from Bolivia easily but The Overseas Adoption Centre will probably be able to help, they have a website.

You need to start by contacting your local council as the first step is being assessed in the UK as it is with any adoption from anywhere in the world. Because the adoption is not domestic your local council are able to charge you - most coucnil charge £5000-£10,000. The DCFS also charge you for processing your papers - not sure how much that is these days but say £2000, you will need your papers translated and apostilled which will probably add another £4,000 then you need to add anything the overseas process costs (legal and administrative) plus flights and accomodation expenses and a donation to the orphanage would be normal. You're likely to need more than one visit.

If Bolivia is Hague compliant then any adoption will be legal here and it's pretty much job done. If not then you bring the child into the country on an adoption visa (which will only be issue if you have a certificate of eligibility from DCFS to make sure you've followed the right processes) and your child will be visited roughly monthly by social workers until they have been readopted in this country.

I'll see if I can find any country specific information on Bolivia for yuou

www.boliviabella.com/adopt.html

Its tough apparently

Yeah I had also read that article and I am prepared for it not to be easy!! The good news is Bolivia is Haugue compliant so that's a positive. Sounds like it could be costly though. Do you think it's worth telling our local agency we are thinking of both?

Only if you are. If its a cost thing don't waste your time - your home study has to name the country you're planning to adopt from.

I really would talk to the IAC. The UK is really quite institutionally anti intercountry adoption it is like wading through treacle.

It took me three years and that was at a time when it was slightly easier. I don't know enough about Bolivia to say how difficult it would be.

There are very very few adoptions from overseas into the UK , as the government ,Social services and public opinion are very much against it ( part of the general fear of immigrants and xenophobia ) .

One option might be to move to Bolivia and complete an adoption there under their laws. Once you have lived in Bolivia with your child for two years , you can apply for a a British visa for your child . The rules on this can change and you would of course need proper legal advice at every stage .

We adopted from abroad, from a Hague country, if your child is legally adopted there they are legally adopted here, end of.

In some areas (such as ours) the approval process is outsourced to a VA who also charge you but who are probably a bit more efficient than the LA.

I don't think the govt problem with intercountry adoption is at all part of the fear of immigrants - when I adopted there was no significant issues with immigration and it was every bit as difficult then as it is now. The increased difficulties in recent years are more down to changes in sending countries legislation.