Russia is a country of approximately 144,000,000 (July 2005 est.) and contains an area approximately 1.8 times larger than the United States, making it the largest country in the world in terms of land area. The ethnic makeup of Russia is: Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census).

World Child is an accredited adoption agency in Russia. The Russian program has been one of World Child’s most successful and popular programs since its inception in 1994. More than one thousand children have found loving families through this program. World Child places children from many regions in Russia. We will assist you throughout the entire adoption process, including the preparation or review of your home study and post-adoption reports, the preparation of all required dossier documents, the provision of all adoption education, the screening, evaluation and review of child referrals, travel, and dealing with any issues that arise during the adoption process or post-adoption. Children are referred for the Russia program by the Ministries of Education at the time of travel.

We have worked continuously in Russia since 1994 and are immensely proud of our Russian adoption program. Our coordinators in Russia are among the best there are and we know our families will always be well-represented there. We work in many orphanages in Russia, in regions including Tver, Borovichi, Novgorod, Vologda and Kemerovo, among others. Russia currently permits the adoption of children after they have been on local and national registries for a combined period of 8 months. Generally, this means that an adopted child will be at least 10 months old by the time the adoption is finalized.

We place children from Russia from 10 months and up and have placed children as old as 14 years. We have placed many older children and special needs children, through our general adoption program and through our Cherry Orchard Project.

Although the paperwork for Russia (the "Dossier") is the most difficult to complete of any international adoption program, with our dossier package and the assistance of our staff, our families are able to complete Dossier quickly, completely and, most importantly, correctly. In the Russian adoption process, it is imperative that all paperwork be completed perfectly or it will be rejected by the Russian authorities, delaying your adoption. Our thorough paperwork review process assures that all documents leaving our office are done right and that you will not have a paperwork problem either before you travel or while you are in Russia. Unfortunately, the Russian Dossier varies from region to region, and the courts from region to region regularly change the paperwork required to finalize the adoption. Trying to complete the dossier becomes a moving target, so it is important that you have an agency that will be with you every step of the way until your paperwork is accepted and approved by the court.

Adoption from Russia requires that an adoptive family travel three times to Russia, with the first trip of about 5 days and the second trip of about 5 – 6 days and the third trip of 10 – 14 days. Depending on the region, a Western-trained doctor may be permitted to accompany you to the orphanage to evaluate a child. On the third trip, it is possible for only one parent to travel. On the first trip, the family will travel to the orphanage to meet a prospective child. On this visit, the family has the opportunity to request additional information about the child from the orphanage doctor and, if everything feels right, the family will accept the referral of the child on this trip. The second trip will be for the purpose of completing the legal process, and at this time the family will go to court and the adoption will be finalized. The third trip will be the pick-up trip, during which the family will return to Moscow and, after the child has undergone a medical exam required by the US Embassy, the family will go to the Embassy and receive a visa for the child to return to the United States (on a Russian passport, although when your child arrives back in the United States, he or she automatically becomes a US citizen).

You will not be alone on your visits to Russia! Generally, our families will travel in groups with other adoptive parents and our coordinators will meet you at the airport or at your hotel in Moscow and will take you to the region in which you will meet your child. You will also have a translator with you. The coordinators will submit all documents to the courts and the Ministry of Education on your behalf, and will attend Court with you to finalize your adoption. In Moscow, they will take you to the US Embassy to assure that your visas are issued properly prior to your return home. You will never feel alone during the adoption process, and if problems do arise, you can be sure that they, and we, will be here for you.