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The Latest
News on our Adoption (July 21, 2006)
Kazakhstan Adoption is complete! Dimitri is home as planned
Dear Friends,
Everything went as planned (from the schedule given in our previous
e-mail), and our adoption of 6-year old Dimitri Joseph Woolley is
complete. He arrived home on Wednesday evening, July 19th. The household
members greeted Dimitri and I at the Tampa Airport along with my mother,
Sigrid. Everyone in our family and extended family is very pleased with
Dimitri. He is excited about life and about being in our family. He
charms almost everyone with his friendly personality and his
enthusiastic exploration of his new world.
Marsha did a great job arranging Dimitri's room while I was gone for one
week. We missed each other very much but kept in touch via phone. What
an experience it was for me to be with a new child (who only speaks
Russian), 24-hours a day, for 6 days! While it was good, it is very good
to be at home now with the support of others!
I thank you for your prayers. I thank God for his help and guidance. I
thank the authors of the two books I read on parenting and setting
boundaries for kids, since it greatly prepared me (and consoled me) for
some unexpected things. I thank the orphanage workers (in the city of
Rudny) for their excellent care of Dimitri over the past 2 years,
after the death of his mother (and father is unknown - and no family in
Kazakhstan). I also thank the Adoption Ark staff and their in-country
workers for their help in all the logistics of the adoption.
I have attached seven pictures of our trip home (from the moment of
arriving in Kazakhstan to the moment of arriving in Tampa, Florida). I
will be updating the web site with more information in the days to come
at www.DougandMarsha.com.
Thanks,
Doug (& Marsha) Woolley
View all E-mails
sent to our Friends during our adoption journey (documents our
story)
NATURALIZATION: Under the Child Citizenship Act
of 2000, which became effective on February 27, 2001, orphans adopted
by U.S. citizens automatically become U.S. citizens themselves when all
of the following requirements have been met:
- at least one parent is a U.S. citizen;
- the child is under 18 years of age;
- there is a full and final adoption of the child;
and,
- the child is admitted to the United States
as an immigrant.
A foreign-born orphan who enters the United States
on an Immediate Relative (IR) -3 visa automatically becomes a U.S.
citizen upon admission.
Our Decision to Adopt
After years of marriage without a child of our own, we have
decided to adopt a child or two to be a part of our family. Deciding
between a domestic adoption and an international adoption was not easy at
first.
-
In a domestic adoption, you are matched with a
birth mother and are with her through the whole process, and she can change
her mind at any point and not proceed with the adoption (about 20% do
change their mind from what I've heard). There is no definite time when
you will be a parent since you are waiting for a birth mother to choose
you and that could take time (especially if you are an older couple and
have a child or two in your home already; many birth mothers look for
couples in their 20's with no children). On the plus side, you could get an infant. To
obtain a child two to four years of age is harder, unless it is a
"special needs" child. There is also a foster-care to adoption program,
but it could be heart breaking if you become attached to the child and
he/she becomes ineligible for adoption. Also, most domestic programs are
"open adoptions" to some degree, which can be an uncomfortable
situation. There are custody issues in domestic adoptions that don't
exist with international adoptions.
-
In an international adoption, there is no waiting
to be chosen by a birth mother, nor any involvement with a birth mother.
There is a requirement to travel to the country of the child. Newborn
infants are not available, and younger children are harder to find.
Because of life in an orphanage, children are often underdeveloped or
unhealthy in some respects. According to Bureau of Consular Affairs,
"With the reduction in children available for adoption in the United
States, more and more U.S. citizens have adopted children from other
countries."
Considering our international experiences and our desire
to be loving parents without the risk of someone changing their mind about
giving a child up for adoption, we decided to pursue an international
adoption. Next, we needed to decide on a country. We would prefer to have
a child that looks somewhat like us and blend in with our family and not
stand out as "adopted" (also, less questions are asked by
others). With that in mind, Ukraine and Russia were possibilities, where
most of the children are Caucasian.
Although we were led to pursue an
adoption in Ukraine from October 2004 through August 2005, it seemed
that the adoption process became much less efficient and there have been
far fewer healthy children from which to select (based on the group
newsletters that are distributed daily from
Ukrainian Angels, Inc.). Many more couples were coming home from
Ukraine without having selected a child they could live with.
Additionally, we received a letter from the National Adoption Center (NAC)
in July 2005 stating that an invitation letter will be sent to us in
December or January for an appointment in 2006 since all appointments in
2005 are taken. Disappointing. You may view our
Adoption in Ukraine page for
details.
Additionally, it seems that the NAC is
experiencing many organizational changes. Also, just recently, the
president of Ukraine announced that there would be organizational
changes in his government to combat existing corruption, with several
top-level persons being fired or resigning. Due to the delay of our
appointment, our dossier documents will be expiring and need to be
redone prior to traveling to Ukraine. Thus, since the documents need to
be redone anyway, it seems that now would be a good time to simply
switch to a different country that would require us to update our
documents as well. Previously, independent adoption in Ukraine was ideal
as it saved much money. However, since finding out that our companies
and the IRS will cover $44,000 in expenses for 2 children, money is not
as big an issue. Thus we are willing to work with a reputable
adoption agency that works in another Eastern European area. At
this point, we feel that by going through our adoption agency and
changing to Kazakhstan, we have a much better chance of adopting healthy
children and having a pleasant experience.
In the latter part of August 2005,
Marsha was directed by a coworker to checkout an adoption web site
called www.precious.org. From
there she and I found two adorable children that could be unofficially pre-selected
from Kazakhstan via Adoption Ark,
Inc. These two children are siblings. As of August 2005, Russ was 6
and his sister Vita was 7 1/2. They are described as healthy and
intelligent. After thought and prayer, we believed that God was now
guiding us in this direction and that these two children should be part
of our family.
After visualizing our two children and
praying for them, we were disappointed to hear in January that they are
no longer adoptable because their mother "visited them," thus they
were
no longer considered "abandoned." (We've since heard that she
has reclaimed them and taken them home--most likely a good thing for
them!) We then planned to go to a region
that had a good orphanage of really young children where we could
select on the premises a boy and a girl, though not necessary biological
siblings. God often guides step-by-step, allowing circumstances to alter
our paths in accordance with his ultimate plan. So, we trusted that
God will guide us to adopt the children that He wants to be a part of
our family!
We arrived in Kostanay, Kazakhstan on
May 9, 2006.
After having 2 great weeks with 2 babies (boy & girl), we were told of a new law that had just been passed down. This
law says that only 1 child may be adopted. Our Social Worker in
Kazakhstan tried to appeal this to allow us to return home with both
children since we had ALREADY BONDED with both children and one of the
children needed medical attention, but the authorities would not make an
exception. We were heart-broken as we had to choose one child to leave
behind. You may read more about
our journey from our e-mails, but to make a long story short, we
then decided to revisit a little boy that we had briefly met in
another orphanage the first day we arrived. He is a healthy 6-year old
boy that is intelligent, athletic, and socially beyond his age.
After 2 more weeks of bonding (this
time with Dimitri) and a favorable court hearing, the judge ruled in
favor of us being Dimitri's parents! We appreciated all the support of
our friends during this journey! Although the change of the law
in Kazakhstan took us by surprise, it did not take God by surprise. We
believe that God used it to direct us on the path He wanted us to take.
In the beginning of July, we will
return to Kazakhstan to pick up Dimitri and come back home to Tampa!
Time Line for Adoption & Expenses
Date |
Description |
Cost |
Nov. 10, 2004 - July 22, 2005 |
Pursued an adoption in Ukraine,
but changes in country caused delays and problematic situations.
Some documents could be used for another adoption. |
$5229 |
August 26, 2005 |
Found pictures of Vita and Russ and inquired further
with Linda of Adoption Ark,
Inc. Children are healthy and can be pre-selected. |
Free |
August 29, 2005 |
Began Kazakhstan Adoption process with
Adoption Ark, Inc. Signed
agreement form and mailed check
via Fed Ex |
$#***
$ 18 |
August 29, 2005 |
Began Home Study Update process, signed form and mailed check
to Lori, social worker and president of
Adoption Support Services of Florida;
Fed Ex items to Lori |
$ 500
$ 12 |
August 30, 2005 |
Background check by Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement
(3x$23) |
$ 69 |
August 30, 2005 |
Child abuse check by Dept. of Children & Families ($6)
+ ($1 m.o.)
Sent forms and money order to Lori via Fed Ex |
$ 7
$ 12 |
August 31, 2005 |
Obtained County background check at the Hillsborough
County Sheriff's Office for Doug, Marsha, and Margaret (3 x 0.15 =
$0.45) |
$ 0 |
September 2, 2005 |
Ordered 4 marriage certificates from
Vital Chek
($15+$12copy+$5 s&h) |
$ 32 |
September 7, 2005 |
Completed multiple forms for Home Study and Dossier
and had them notarized by Nancy at our church.
(for Doug, Marsha, Margaret) |
|
September 8, 2005 |
Sent Marsha's Employee Verification letter to
Secretary of State of Connecticut for apostille since it was
notarized in Hartford ($5) |
$ 5 |
September 9, 2005 |
Doctor's appointment to fill out medical form for
Doug,
only co-pay. |
$ 15 |
September 12, 2005 |
Doctor's appointment to fill out medical form for
Marsha,
only co-pay. |
$ 15 |
September 17, 2005 |
Received from State of Connecticut apostilled letter,
reg. mail (9 days) |
|
September 19, 2005 |
Doctor's appointment to sign forms in front of notary,
only co-pay. |
$ 15 |
September 19, 2005 |
Mailed 5 form items to Lori for the Home Study via Fed
Ex
Life Summary Update, financial
form, County Background Check, Affidavit of Good Moral Character, Physicals,
(also Employee Verification & Post-Placement) |
$ 13 |
September 28, 2005 |
Home Study approved
(9/24)
by Lori and sent to us
(1 month elapsed) |
|
September 28, 2005 |
Express Mailed Home Study & license & former
I-171H approval letter to BCIS in Tampa
for I-600A plus fee for updating doc |
$ 195
$ 14 |
October 10, 2005 |
Obtained Fingerprints at County Sheriff's Office
(free); FedEx f.p. cards to FBI CJIS Division - Record Request with
$36 money order |
$ 20
$ 37 |
October 12, 2005 |
Sent 17 documents (notarized in FL) to be apostilled
by Secretary of State [16x$10 + 1x$20]
via the Miami Regional Office, via courier service by
Stratos
Vranas [$50]. Docs
sent via FedEx to Stratos. |
$ 50
$ 17 |
October 13, 2005 |
Secretary of State of FL apostilled 17 documents at
Miami office.
Courier service by
Stratos
Vranas
sent docs to be via FedEx
(21.35) |
$ 180
$ 21 |
October 18, 2005 |
Photo-copied FL apostilles (17 x 4) and color-copied
family photos |
$ 30 |
October 25, 2005 |
Received 2 approved FBI fingerprint documents via
FedEx (20.42) |
$ 20 |
October 25, 2005 |
Photo-copied FBI Fingerprint docs (received today) at
Kinkos
(1.63) |
$ 2 |
October 25, 2005 |
Secretary of State of WV to apostille 2 FBI
fingerprint documents.
Sent docs via FedEx
(18.42) |
$ 15
$ 18 |
October 31, 2005 |
Received apostille from W.V. for 2 FBI f.p. docs via
FedEx (12.86) |
$ 13 |
November 7, 2005 |
Doctor's appointment to sign forms in front of notary,
only co-pay. |
$ 15 |
November 7, 2005 |
Ordered 4 vital certificates from
Vital Chek
($15x2+$8copy+$19.50 s&h) |
$ 58 |
November 13, 2005 |
Photo-copied FL notaries/apostilles & pictures at Kinkos
(7.50+1.72) |
$ 9 |
November 14, 2005 |
Received 2 additional docs from Social Worker;
Photo-copied 8 notary documents x 4 copies
(3.05) |
$ 3 |
November 15, 2005 |
Apostilled the last 13 documents in Tallahassee [13x$10];
Marsha traveled with Sigrid to Tallahassee and hand-delivered
the docs since the Miami office is closed due to lack of funding. |
$ 130
$ 28
|
November 15, 2005 |
Made 4 photo-copies of each of the 13 apostilles,
then collated all documents for the dossier along with 3 copies of
the original and sent them to Adoption Ark, Inc.
via FedEx along with 4 checks:
* Adoption Ark - for 2nd installment
* Adoption Ark - for Post Placement deposit
* Visa Obtainers Inc. - for Embassy/consulate fee
* Visa Obtainers Inc. - for Expedite fee |
$ 4
$ 49
$#%**
$ %**
$ 555
$ 345 |
November 29, 2005 |
Dossier was fully translated into the Russian
language by AA. |
|
December 6, 2005 |
AA "Certificate of Approval" and license were
apostilled and added to the completed dossier, which was
hole-punched and bundled. AA sent dossier to Kazakhstan Embassy in
D.C. via FedEx |
|
December 8, 2005 |
Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. received our
dossier |
|
January 5, 2006 |
Kazakhstan Embassy in D.C. approved our
dossier and sent it to Kazakhstan to be reviewed by two
Ministries and the region |
|
January 18, 2006 |
Apostilled updated Certificate of License for
Adoption Support Services of Florida
in Tallahassee. (1/10 - 1/23 via regular mail) |
$ 10 |
January 23, 2006 |
Received sad news from Alla (at Adoption Ark) that our
children in Kazakhstan (Vita
& Russ) are no longer adoptable since their mother has been
recently visiting them in the orphanage.
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails! |
|
January 24, 2006 |
Fingerprints retaken for adults for I-600A Application for Advance Processing of Orphan
Petition to extend the I-171H deadline |
|
February 4, 2006 |
New Power of Attorney form sent via FedEx
($19.70) to courier
Capital Connection
in Tallahassee to be apostilled ($20 + $15
rush) at Secretary of State office
($10). |
$ 20
$ 35
$ 10 |
February 7, 2006 |
Sent apostille to Adoption Ark in CA via Fedex
($23.67) |
$ 23 |
February 10, 2006 |
Received new I-171H with fingerprint expiration date
of 4/24/07.
I-600A was completed on 2/15/05; With the FP, the exp is 8/15/06,
meaning the adoption can be (and must be) complete by 8/15/06. |
|
March 6, 2006 |
3 notarized documents sent via Express Mail
($14.40) to Secretary of State
of FL to be apostilled with return E. M. envelope
($14.40) |
$ 28 |
March 7, 2006 |
Apostilled 3 documents in Tallahassee, FL (3 x $10) |
$ 30 |
March 15, 2006 |
Received 3 apostilled documents from Secretary of
State of FL;
Notified that dossier was approved by Ministry of Foreign Affairs! |
|
March 22, 2006 |
Dossier was approved by Ministry of Education and
Science!
This means we are officially approved by Kazakhstan to adopt! |
|
April 10, 2006 |
Received notification from Adoption Ark that we
will soon receive a Letter of Invitation from the Region to travel
to Kazakhstan in May. |
|
April 19, 2006 |
4 notarized documents sent via FedEx Ground
($5.67) to Secretary of State
of FL to be apostilled and returned with FedEx label.
Sent post-placement agreement to Adoption Ark via FedEx Ground |
$ 6
$ 6 |
April 20, 2006 |
Apostilled 4 documents in Tallahassee, FL (3 x $10 + 1
x $20) |
$ 50 |
April 27, 2006 |
Received our Letter Of Invitation to travel to
Kazakhstan from the city/region of Kostanay. We are requested to be
there on May 10. |
|
April 28, 2006 |
Received via FedEx Ground ($6) our 4 apostilled
documents. |
$ 6 |
April 28, 2006 |
Obtained 2 money orders payable to Embassy of
Kazakhstan for our visas (2 x $125 + $2 m.o.
fee), Sent applications via Express Mail to
D.C. with a return self-paid Express Mail envelope
($14.40 x 2) |
$ 252
$ 14
$ 14 |
April 30, 2006 |
Purchased changeable roundtrip tickets to Almaty,
Kazakhstan on Northwest Airlines & KLM
(tentatively May 6th - June 1st) |
$2327
$2327 |
May 2, 2006 |
Obtained 2 more money orders payable to Embassy of
Kazakhstan for our visas - for double entry and rush service
(2 x $30 for double entry + 2 x $90 for rush
service + $2 m.o.
fee),
Sent m.o. with travel itinerary via Express Mail to D.C.
($14.40) |
$ 60
$ 180
$ 2
$ 14 |
May 3, 2006 |
Country Assignment fee--3rd U.S.
installment for Adoption Ark, Inc.
(refund of $%** given on 6/21 for adopting 1 instead
of 2 children) |
$#*** |
May 4, 2006 |
Received our Passports with double-entry Visas for
Kazakhstan |
|
May 5, 2006 |
Received global phone (via
Verizon affiliated Global Rental 1-800-711-8300)
Received cash in $100 bills |
|
May 6, 2006 |
Fly from Tampa, Florida to Almaty, Kazakhstan |
|
May 8, 2006 |
Stopover in Amsterdam Hilton, Holland & breakfast
350.72 EUR |
$ 458 |
May 9, 2006 |
Plane tickets from Almaty to Kostanay, Kazakhstan;
$199 x 2
Fee for extra baggage (only 40 pounds per person allowed free)
Fee for Almaty coordinator |
$ 398
$ 66
$ $** |
May 14, 2006 |
Regional fee for adoption |
$(*** |
June 8, 2006 |
Global phone from World Roam, 30 days & use = $840 |
|
June 10, 2006 |
Kazakhstan Ministry Foreign Affairs registration of
child
Meals for 33 days (May 9 - June 10), about $21/day, (81,230 total) |
$ 65
$ 676 |
June 11, 2006 |
Rent for Apartment (May 9 - June 11); 33 days x
$50/day
Plane tickets from Kostanay to Almaty, Kazakhstan; $208 x 2
Fee for extra baggage (only 40 pounds per person allowed free)
Meals in Almaty (4,202 tenge / 120 = $35) |
$1650
$ 416
$ 55
$ 35 |
June 12, 2006 |
Hotel in Almaty (10,900 tenge /
120 = $90) |
$ 91 |
June 24, 2006 |
Purchased changeable roundtrip ticket to Almaty,
Kazakhstan on Northwest Airlines & KLM
(for July 12 - 19);
Doug - adoption fare (class Y); Dimitri - one way adoption fare
(class Y);Marsha's cancelled |
$3149
$1062 |
June 26, 2006 |
Obtained money order payable to Embassy of
Kazakhstan for Doug's visa ($125 + $1 m.o.
fee), Sent applications via Express Mail to
D.C. with a return self-paid Express Mail envelope
($14.40 x 2) |
$ 126
$ 14
$ 14 |
July 12, 2006 |
Flew to Detroit then to Amsterdam |
|
July 13, 2006 |
Spent day at Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
hotel; ($238.67)
Flew to Almaty, Kazakhstan |
$ 239
|
July 14, 2006 |
Flew from Almaty to Kostanay; Picked up
Dimitri in Rudny;
Country assignment fee for help in Almaty
Country assignment fee for help in Kostanay |
$ 208
$ !**
$ !** |
July 16, 2006 |
Stayed 2 nights at Medeo Hotel in Kostanay,
Kazakhstan;
Meals at Medeo
$41.27;
Flew from Kostanay to Almaty with Dimitri
(adult + 1/2 price for child) |
$ 251
$ 41
$ 320 |
July 17, 2006 |
Physical exam for Dimitri with American doctor in
Almaty |
$ 105 |
July 18, 2006 |
Interview with American Embassy for Immigration
Visa for Dimitri |
$ 380 |
July 19, 2006 |
Stayed 3 nights at Kazzhol Hotel in Almaty;
Meals at Kazzhol Hotel;
Flew together: from Almaty to Amsterdam to
Memphis to Tampa |
$ 226
$ 165
|
|
Total for adoption of Dimitri: |
$42,775 |
How to pay for expenses?!!
|
Verizon |
Doug's company - reimburses expenses up to $10,000
per child
|
$10,000 |
IRS - Government |
IRS - Government - reimburses expenses up to $10,960
per child
|
$10,960 |
|
Total adoption expenses eligible for reimbursement
for 1 child
|
$20,960 |
In order to take advantage of the tax benefits and
company contributions, an international adoption must have
been completed (unlike a domestic adoption where expenses
may be reimbursed without having the adoption finalized).
Tax Benefits for Adoptions are
explained in IRS document
Publication 968. Three notes of explanation to the figures given
above:
-
The maximum limit that
the IRS will reimburse (per child) often changes each tax year.
For 2005, the maximum amount is $10,630. This is also the maximum
amount that may be contributed by companies (per child) without
being taxed on the money as income.
-
Companies (e.g. Verizon
and Casual Corner) are free to contribute as much money as they
like toward the adoption expenses, but any contributions over
$10,630 per child will be taxed by the IRS. Thus, if Verizon and
Casual Corner give $12,000 towards expenses, then ($12,000 -
$10,630 = $1,370) $1,370 will be taxed by the IRS as income. Most
companies are not as generous as Verizon for adoptions, thus the
charitable $10,630 tax-free limit will not be reached for most
couples. Check with your company for their adoption expense
policy.
-
The IRS will reimburse
expenses by reducing your taxes for the year in which the adoption
is finalized (for international adoptions). If your tax for that
year (based on gross income minus deductions) is less than the
adoptions expenses to be covered by the Government, then only the
tax amount is given to the tax payer. The remaining expenses (owed
by the IRS) can be reimbursed in the following year(s), based on
the tax owed. For example, suppose after the companies contribute,
there are $10,000 in further expenses that are allocated for the
IRS to reimburse: If my taxes amount to $8,000 for that year
(based on taxable income), then my taxes will be reduced by $8,000
and the other $2,000 ($10,000 - $8,000) will be reimbursed a year
later on the next year's income tax.
For additional clarification, see
the following site that further explains
Tax Credits for Adoptions! |
Listen to Patriotic "America" songs in midi format
including "Coming
to America"
Upon entering USA., Dimitri will become
a U.S. citizen according to the
Child Citizenship Act of 2000
Post-Adoption
Items
Post Adoption Items
|
July 19, 2006 |
Obtained stamp in Kazakhstan passport for admittance
as an IR-3 immigrant from Dept. of
Homeland Security upon entrance in U.S.; Used to obtain Social
Security #
|
|
July 3, 2006 |
Add child to Health Insurance and Dental Insurance
(retroactive to June 28, 2006 -- date of Certificate of Adoption);
Adoption became FINAL on 6/9/06.
|
|
July 20-?, 2006 |
Have family meeting to establish household rules in
order to establish a feeling of security
(he is accustomed to rules and schedules)
|
|
July 21, 2006 |
Apply for reimbursement from company (Verizon),
$10,000 per child |
|
July 21, 2006 |
Apply for Social Security Number (form SS-5) using
I-94 or I-551
Official help at this site. |
|
July 20-?, 2006 |
Take swimming lessons (or simply learn to swim) [doing
the latter] |
|
July 25, 2006 |
Have physical exam with Doctor for school enrollment
requirements |
|
July 25, 2006 |
Enroll in elementary school (first day is
Aug. 3rd) |
|
August 1, 2006 |
Have dental exam with children's Dentist |
|
August 13, 2006 |
Obtain Social Security Card (number) in mail (and provide
to school) |
|
August 19, 2006 |
Obtain Certificate of Citizenship automatically within
45 days of entry in U.S. for newly entering IR-3 children;
for others use N-600 application and apply at USCIS sub office for
$215. If the Certificate of Citizenship (N-560) gets lost, file Form
N-565 to obtain Replacement of Citizenship document. |
|
August 24, 2006 |
Obtain $10,000 from Verizon for reimbursement of
expenses.
Actually, FICA taxes were taken out (6.0% Social
Security; 1.65% Medicare) |
|
Sept. 13, 2006 |
Apply for U.S. Passport
(form
DS11) using Certificate of
Citizenship |
$ 82 |
Oct. 27, 2006 |
Receive U.S. Passport with
returned documents (Citizenship; Adoption) |
|
Feb. 22, 2007 |
Obtain
Tax Credit for Adoption
on IRS taxes when filing for 2006.
Received $10,734 of the full $10,960 credit; $226 given next year |
|
Feb. 26, 2007 |
Obtain
Florida
Identification Card (using passport & ssn) |
$ 3 |
Feb. 27, 2007
April 27, 2007 |
To place Adoption on file in Florida and Obtain U.S.
birth-certificate
- Submit paper work to Legal-Eaze
to produce documents for court;
- Arrange date for Post-Placement Social Worker visit to home;
- Submit notarized paper work to Hillsborough County court;
- Appear in court (parents with Dimitri) for re-adoption in Florida. |
$ 500
$ 293
|
April 9, 2007
April 27, 2007
|
Complete yearly Post-Placement report in accordance with Kazakhstan
Law (based on our adoption court date of 6/9/2006);
Report due to AA one month prior to yearly court date anniversary.
Post-Placement Report # 1
Apostille two original Post-Placement Reports with FL for Kaz. |
$ 250
$ 20 |
Aug. 22, 2007 |
Appear in court (parents with Dimitri) for re-adoption in
Florida;
Obtained 5 copies of Final Judgment Confirming Foreign Adoption;
Filed Certified Statement of Final Decree of Adoption to
Vital Statistics for U.S. Birth Certificate. |
$ 18
$ 20
|
Sept. 1, 2007 |
Received Certificate of Foreign Birth for Dimitri from
Vital Statistics!!
Original birth certificates for adopted persons:
contact the DOH Adoption Unit at (904) 359-6900, extension 9001 for
instructions. |
|
About Kazakhstan
|
Kazakhstan is located south of Russia
and west of China. Russian is its chief language and Kazakh, similar to
Turkish, is second. Many people also speak English or Chinese. Citizens
are comprised of Kazakh, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian, Turkish, German,
Armenian and Korean ancestry. Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in
the world by area, but it only has a population of 17 million
due to its vast deserts. It declared independence from the
Soviet Union in 1991. |
Kazakhstan's largest city is Almaty with 1.2
million people, and its capital is Astana.
Kazakhstan has 14 provinces, including Kostanay that lies in the north
central part of the country and its capital is the city of Kostonay
(same name as the region).
We flew to the city/region of Kostanay after landing in Almaty on May 9, 2006.
Kostanay can be spelt as Kostanai or Qostanay.
Kostanay has a population of 220,000 and lies just south of the central
Russian border. |
Relevant Links
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption
Adoption Ark,
Inc.
Precious in His Sight
(photolisting for adoptions)
Adoption Support Services of Florida (Home Study with Lori)
Kazakhstan Embassy in US
and
Consular Services
US Embassy in
Kazakhstan
U.S. Dept. of
State - Bureau of Consular Affiars
U.S. Dept. of State - Travel/Adoption - Kazakhstan
USCIS
(formerly INS)
Vital Statistics
(order certificates)
Birth Certificate Eligibility and Ordering Info
Tax Credits for Adoptions
(Info)
Department of
State of Florida (click notaries and apostilles)
Go To Russia Travel Agency and
visa service
Travisa
(for Kaz)
Travel Documents
Systems (for Kaz)
Tourist Visa
SnowGrains testimony
Domesticating Foreign
Adoption
More
Kazakhstan links
Kazakhstan video
Learn the Russian alphabet
Kazakhstan News
Verizon affiliated Global Rental of phones 1-800-711-8300, (order
3-4 days before departure)
Rent $3.99/day, calls $2.49/min. in Kazakhstan, $22 shipping, $300 deposit (GSM
is $5.50/min.)
Scriptures about adopted children of God and the
fatherless
Ps. 68:5-6; Deut. 10; Eph. 1:5;
Hos.14:3
|
Doug's Books
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