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EmailPublic Notice on Changes in Adoption Requirements for Ukraine
On March 20, 2007, the Parliament of Ukraine passed bill #2562 On Legislative Amendments to Ukraine's Laws (regarding adoptions). The bill will come into effect after the President's approval and its publication in the official newspaper of Ukraine's Parliament. This process can take at least one week. This bill introduces the following major changes to current Ukrainian legislation:
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The minimum age of prospective adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old;
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The maximum age difference between adoptive parents and adopted children cannot exceed 45 years;
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Unmarried foreign citizens cannot adopt Ukrainian children.
The age requirements apply to both parents in the family (if one of the adoptive parents does not meet with these requirements, the family cannot be approved for adoption).
The law is not retroactive. Those adoptive parents whose dossiers have already been approved and scheduled for appointments will not be affected by this law and should be able to complete the adoptions until the date this law becomes effective.
The final text of the bill will require additional consideration and approval by the Parliament before it can be submitted for the President’s approval. After the President has approved the bill, the final text bill will be published in the official newspaper of the Ukraine Parliament.
The law most likely will not go into effective until May or June of this year
