A Brief Overview On Adopting In Estonia

Link to International Adoption Information

A Brief Overview On Adopting In Estonia

Parents interested in adopting a child in Estonia should send an application letter to an accredited adoption body (requirements for for accredited bodies are outlined in the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption) in the parents' country of residence, which will manage all arrangements during the adoption process.

According to the new adoption law, international adoptions may be processed through an adoption agency in the parents' home country that has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Social Welfare. At the moment we know of one of such U.S. adoption agencies:

Adoption Hope International, Inc.
284 Shoreward Drive
Myrtle Beach, SC 29579
Phone: (843) 236 7520
Diana Adams
adopt@erols.com
http://www.adopts.com

The application letter should indicate the number, sex and age of the children the parents would be interested in adopting. This letter may be written in English and should include information about the parents' age, profession, and any other useful information for prospective adoption. As foreign parents with Estonian backgrounds may receive preference over those without, such parents should explain their ties to Estonia.

This letter should be sent to Ms. Kersti Puhm of the Social Welfare Department in the Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA), through an accredited U.S. adoption agency that has signed an agreement with Estonia.

The MSA cautions that parents should not attempt to visit orphanages to locate a child; as long as the child is not defined by the MSA and parents will visit certain child, whom they possibly will adopt.

After receiving this letter, MSA will send information to the prospective adoptive parents about adopting a child from Estonia. If the parents are still interested, they are instructed to send the MSA the following original documents, which should also be translated into Estonian by a certified translator. Documents (originals and translations) should be certified by the Estonian Embassy in the residence country of prospective parents or should be legalized according to the requirements of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents.

1. Home study, reflecting the material ability of the prospective adoptive parents to bring up a child, their suitability as adoptive parents, and consent (or recommendation) for adoption;

2. Medical examination results indicating the prospective adoptive parents' state of health (including mental health);

3. Documents pertaining to the financial condition of the prospective adoptive parents;

4. Documents asserting that the prospective adoptive parents have no open criminal records;

5. Photocopy the prospective adoptive parents' marriage certificate;

6. Photocopies of the prospective adoptive parents' passports;

7. Copy of the law or extract of the law regulating adoption in the residence country of the prospective adoptive parents;

8. Any other information the parents feel would be useful for the MSA to know, including family heritage, ties to Estonia, letters of reference, photos, etc.

Once the parents are approved for adopting in Estonia, the MSA places them on a list and begins the process of locating a suitable child. The MSA warns that this process can take long time (several years or more), as the number of children that can be adopted by foreigners is quite limited. Then the MSA sends information about the child to the prospective adoptive parents either directly or through the authorities.

If the parents would like to proceed with the adoption of the specific proposed child, they must send the MSA a notarized application (special form) stating their request to adopt the child, indicating the new first and last names of the child, and documenting the parents' names in the child's new birth certificate.

The MSA then prepares the entire package of adoption documents for approval, first by the Minister of Social Affairs and then by the county or city court. There is a one month appeal period. This is the MSA's final stage of responsibility, as the adoption process will be completed in the residence country of the prospective parents.

Estonia has a maximum limit of 30 adoptions annually to parents from abroad, and these are children whom Estonian authorities could not place with families in Estonia. The reasons why the children cannot be placed into Estonian families are usually connected with the age of the child and the health condition of the child. The average age of children adopted by foreigners has been 7 years; Estonia does not have newborn children available for international adoption.

Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs
Social Welfare Department
Ms. Kersti Puhm
Address: Gonsiori 29
15 027 Tallinn
Estonia
Phone: 6 269 220
Fax: 6 269 743
E-mail: kersti.puhm@sm.ee