Kazakhstan is located south of Russia in Central Asia, northwest of China. The Republic of Kazakhstan gained independence from the former Soviet Union in December 1991. Before independence, it was the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory. The breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp decline of the economy since 1991. The economic decline has contributed to the large number of children now in orphanages.

Children Available: Children of all ages are available. “Infant” generally refers to children 6-12 months at the time of referral. Most of the children available for adoption are Asian or Eurasian descent. The children live in orphanages and have been relinquished, orphaned or abandoned.

Requirements: Couples (both must be US citizens) and single women may adopt. Applicants must be 50 or under to adopt an infant. Families with other children in the home may apply. There are no requirements regarding length of marriage. Divorced persons may apply.

Process: Families hoping to adopt a child from Kazakhstan should have an approved home- study, a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) clearance, and the adoption dossier specific to Kazakhstan. The referral of a child takes approximately 4-6 months from the time WCI receives your dossier. During that time, the dossier is processed at the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. and then through the government in Kazakhstan. Dossier processing takes approximately 3-4 months. Once a potential child is found, WCI will contact you to give you the available information on the child. This information may be limited depending on the region. Travel is generally four to six weeks after dossier approval by the government of Kazakhstan. Both parents must travel to adopt the child. Parents travel to the local region for court and the adoption process, then back to Almaty for the child’s visa interview at the U.S. Embassy. The trip generally lasts seven-eight weeks; or two trips may be made: first for 3-4 weeks and second for 1 week. (Both parents must be present on 1st trip when adoption occurs).

The Kazakhstan rules for adoption are undergoing some changes. Please call for additional information.

A schedule of program fees are available upon request.