Our Bulgarian representative in country have been working diligently for years to attract the public’s attention to the problem in Bulgaria of the delay in registration of the children for intercountry adoption. A group has been formed to develop clear and precise rules for the social services within the Ministries in Bulgaria to allow the children to become registered for adoption quicker. This video tells an amazing story of a 16-year-old girl who recently traveled home with her forever family to the United States! You can watch the video here.
CHILDREN AVAILABLE
- View Children AvailableÂ
- Both boys and girls are available for adoption
- Children as young as 2 years and as old as fifteen are available for adoption. (wait time for a referral of a child under 8 years old can be up to 5 years)
- Most of the children are of Roma descend and have olive skin and dark hair
- Children over age 7, Sibling groups of older children, and children with special needs are readily available.
ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT
PROCESS
- Make application to Nightlight Christian Adoptions.
- Complete the home study and File I-800A with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Prepare dossier while completing home study
- Accept a referral of a waiting child once home study is nearly complete and awaiting Immigration approval (I-800A Adoption Approval)
- Complete commitment documents to “hold” a child for a pre-approval before Immigration Approval and dossier are complete
- If waiting for a referral of a child instead of selecting a waiting child, complete dossier and include I-800A Adoption Approval from Immigration
- Dossier sent to Bulgaria, where it is translated and legalized and then submitted the Ministry of Justice.
- Â Once matched, must commit to the child within 1 month from official referral
- Once committed to a child, both parents (if married) travel within 2 months to visit child
- Visit child for 5 business days
- At the end of the visit, while in Bulgaria, both parents (if married) sign a commitment letter to adopt the child and Power of Attorney to file adoption case with the court
- Travel home
- File the I-800 form that includes the child’s information with Immigration here in the United States. Immigration will forward the approval to the Consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Sophia, Bulgaria.
- The attorney will pick up Article 5 from the U.S. Embassy and take it to the Ministry of Justice in Sophia.
- The attorney sets up a court hearing, which the attorney will attend on behalf of the family.
- Â The court will issue an adoption decree.
- Â Once the court hearing takes place, the attorney will electronically submit the DS-260 with Immigration.
-  The family travels to Bulgaria for 7-10 days to receive their child, get the official medical exam, and obtain the child’s U.S. visa at the Consular section of the U.S. Embassy. (Only one parent needs to go to Bulgaria for the second trip.)
TRAVEL
NIGHTLIGHT’S COMMITMENT
POST ADOPTION
Please contact Savana Rowe, savana@nightlight.org, (502) 423-5780 with any questions.
Visit our Waiting Children Page
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Start Your Adoption Inquiry Today
Get Started
To learn more about our Bulgaria Adoption Program, you may contact us, call our office at (502) 423-5780, or email inquiries to Savana Rowe, at savana@nightlight.org
Bulgaria Adoption Program Details:
- Children will be 2 years of age or older
- Adoptive parent age requirements will be determined by the agency
- Referral time will be an estimated 1 to 5 years depending on the family’s openness to age, gender, and special needs.
Bulgaria is an excellent program for families open to adopting older children. Learn more about adopting an older child HERE.
More Information on Bulgaria Adoptions
Bulgaria Adoption Overview and Fees
Bulgaria U.S. Relations
Intercountry Adoption Information on Bulgaria
WELCOME HOME!
Families that have adopted through the Bulgaria Adoption Program.

Peter, Age 11. Arrived home on 12/23/2015

Ava, Age 7. Arrived home on 12/16/2015.