The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UK

Information

Kazakhstan adoption authority

Ministry of Education Committee on Guardianship and Care.

Age and civil status requirements

There is no age or marital status requirement stated in Kazakhstan regulations at this time, except that an unmarried prospective parent must be at least 16 years older than the child she intends to adopt.

Kazakhstan adoption procedures

Foreign citizens hoping to adopt a Kazakhstan child begin the process in the host countries. Once prospective adoptive parents are cleared for adoption in their home state, and have completed processing with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the next step is to select a child and to plan a visit to Kazakhstan. In advance of visiting Kazakhstan, prospective adoptive parents must register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Kazakhstan to indicate their intention to adopt a Kazakhstani orphan. An adoption agent normally assists with the registration process by submitting the file of documents to the Kazakhstan Embassy in the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. These documents must be notarized, have an apostle, and be translated in Russian. The Kazakhstani Embassy then conveys the file to the MFA in Astana for processing (approximately two to three weeks), and sends it to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan which forwards the file to the Guardianship Body in the town where the parents wish to adopt. The Guardianship Body will then issue a letter (which is used to apply for a Kazakhstan visa) inviting the parents to travel to Kazakhstan to apply for adoption. The Guardianship Body does not, match a child to the parents or in anyway "assign" a child to adoptive parents until the parents arrive in Kazakhstan, select a child in person, and apply to the court to adopt the child.
Before formally submitting an adoption application, Kazakhstan law requires that prospective parents have a minimum two weeks of personal contact with the orphan whom they hope to adopt. This means that prospective parents must stay in the town where the orphan is living and visit the orphan on a regular basis during the two-week period. Kazakhstan law requires that orphans be registered with the Ministry of Education Committee of Guardianship and Care for at least three months before they are eligible for adoption. Once all legal requirements are fulfilled, prospective parents may submit their adoption application to the civil court that will decide whether to grant the adoption.

Application

The adoption application to the Kazakhstan court should include (but is not limited to):

a. A formal application to the guardianship entity where the child to be adopted currently resides. The application should contain the full name and address of the prospective parent(s) and indicate the child they intend to adopt;

b. Written commitment of the prospective parent(s) to allow visitation of the adopted child by Kazakhstan authorities post-adoption;
c. Copies of the parent(s)' passports or other identification documents;

d. Copy of the parent(s)' marriage certificate (if applicable);

e. Documents certifying financial means (annual tax returns, employer's statement showing the annual salary/income);
f. Prospective parent(s)' medical examination report issued by a medical entity;

g. Home study report prepared by a competent authority of the prospective adoptive parents' country. Family photographs must be attached to the report;

h. Approval from the adoptive parents' country of residence allowing the child to enter and permanently reside there.

After the court makes its decision there is a 10-day waiting period before the decision is final. In some cases this waiting period can be waived by the judge. After the court's decision is finalized, parents may apply for the child's new Kazakhstan birth certificate and passport. In addition to the passport, the child will need a permanent exit visa from the local Office of Visas and Registration (OVIR) office where the child resides. Due to processing time for the birth certificate, passport, and exit stamp (all of which must occur consecutively), parents should allocate at least 3-5 days after the adoption.

AUTHENTICATIONS:

All documents submitted to the Kazakhstan government/court must be authenticated. Kazakhstan is a party to the Hague Legalization Convention. Generally, civil records, such as birth, death, and marriage certificates, must bear the seal of the issuing office and an apostle must be affixed by the state's Secretary of State. Tax returns, medical reports and police clearances should likewise be authenticated. Prospective adoptive parents should contact the Irish/UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs of their home state for instructions and fees for authenticating documents. Documents issued by a federal court must be authenticated by a clerk or deputy clerk of the federal court system.
All English language documents must be submitted to the Kazakhstan government/court accompanied by a certified Russian translation.

Your visit to Kazakhstan

In addition to a valid Kazakhstan visa (obtainable from the Kazakhstan Embassy in London, please, see below), travellers are required to register with the local Office of Visas and Registration (OVIR) in the city of their point of entry or the first city in which they are visiting if their stay in that city is three days or longer and each subsequent city if the stay is longer than three days. The fee for registration is nominal (currently 20 USD but subject to change) and requires the traveller's passport. Visa registration is usually handled by the local legal counsel facilitating the adoption case. Travellers should also have written proof that they have passed an HIV test within one month prior to their arrival in Kazakhstan. The HIV test can be conducted locally, but it is advisable to have the test conducted prior to arriving in Kazakhstan.

Contact information

EMBASSY OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (CONSULAR SECTION):

33 Thurloe Square
London
SW72SD
Tel: +44 (0)207-5903485
Fax: +44 (0)207-5849905
E-mail: consulate@kazembassy.org.uk