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Parental Age
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There are no formal, legal restrictions on the perspective parents’ ages, but in practice, prospective adoptive parents must be at least 25 years and may be up to 40 (for the mother) or 45 (for the father) years older than the child.
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Length of Marriage
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3 years. Parent can start the adoption process before they have been married for three years, so long as they have been married three years when they submit their paperwork with the Polish Central Authority.
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Divorce
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No country requirement, but some agencies impose a requirement. Some couples have found the Polish judges look unfavorable on divorce, and multiple divorces are problematic.
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Children in Family
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No official restrictions, although in practice, agencies are not able to place children with families that have more than three children. Some preference is given to families without children.
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Single Applicant
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Females allowed.
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Sexual Orientation
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Does not knowingly place with homosexuals
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Children Available
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Toddlers, older children, sibling groups and special need children. Sibling groups cannot be separated.
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Ethnicity
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Caucasian
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Gender
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Girls and boys; can request gender.
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Adopting more than one unrelated child at same time
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No
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Travel in Country
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Poland requires two trips. Polish law requires both parents to see the child before the adoption. Parents meet their child on the first trip, which is 3 to 5 days in length. Both adoptive parents are required to take this trip. The second trip is for the bonding period and the court hearing, and is 7-20 days long. The bonding period ends with the court date, and both parents are required to be in the country for it. After the court hearing, at least one parent is required to stay for two to three weeks |
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Referral Method
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Standard; once the Polish Central Adoption Commission approves a child for adoption, they identify an adoptive family who meets the child’s best interest. Parents have two weeks to accept the referral.
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Wait for referral (after dossier submitted)
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3-10 months
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Wait after referral
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See above Travel in Country; approximately 3 weeks before first trip and then 3 – 4 months wait between the first and second trip.
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Approximate Cost
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$28,000- 32,000 (includes travel)
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Adequacy of medical reports
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Usually receive several photographs and 2-3 pages of medical information. It is possible to have the child evaluated by an independent doctor during the first trip.
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Youngest Age Upon Arrival Home
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12 months
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Orphanage/Foster Care
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Orphanage; parents report that quality of care is good; some children may reside in foster homes.
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How children enter government care
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The majority of children available for adoption were removed from their birth parents due to abuse, neglect or poverty.
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Prevalence of FASD
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Too few children placed for IA doctors to reach a consensus.
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Program
Stability
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Stable
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Number of children placed in the US 2002- 2009
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35
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Growing/Declining
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Holding fairly steady, with a slight decrease since the early 2000’s
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Post Adoption Reports
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Poland requires 3 post-adoption reports at 2 weeks, 3 months and 1 year after the adoption is finalized.
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Hague Treaty
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Yes
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Health Restrictions for Adoptive Parents
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No additional health restrictions.
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Additional Information
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- The adoption is completed in Poland, with a final adoption court decree
- There are three agencies in Poland that place children internationally Public Adoptive-Guardian Center, National Adoptive-Guardian Center of the Children’s Friends Society, and Catholic Adoptive-Guardian Center.
- Polish heritage is not required
- It is not required that the adopting family be Catholic, but it is viewed favorably by some of the Polish agencies.
- There is a great deal of variance between regions within Poland and with different judges in each region; therefore, choose an agency with experience in Polish adoptions.
- In addition, it is important to inform the adoptive parents that the agency they pick must be Hague Accredited in Poland in addition to being Hague Accredited in the US
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Useful Links
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US Department of State
U.S. Embassy in Poland; e-mail:
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Yahoo Polish Adoption Group
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| Great Blogs |
On Our Way to Poland ~ Again |
