The adoptive applicant is entered in the register of foreign adoptive applicants on the basis of the documents filed and is given a number according to the order of document filing with the Ministry of Justice.

     The Office of International Adoptions studies the children and the adoptive applicants, then prepares a motivated report and submits it to the International Adoptions Council, together with the respective adoptive applicants’ dossiers to be considered and resolved.

     Where the foreign adoptive applicant is decided, the Office of International Adoptions prepares a report on the child and forwards it to the Central Authority of the host country and respectively, to the National Agency for Protecting Children At Risk and Cooperation in International Adoptions, together with a full-length photograph of the child or a video tape.

     The Agency then notifies the adoptive applicants and sends them a copy of the report and when they receive it, they are required to answer whether they approve or do not approve the child referred to them for adoption.

     If the adoptive applicants approve the child referred to them for adoption, they must travel to Bulgaria within two months from the receipt of the report, to contact the child in person and to answer whether they want to adopt that child or not.

     An adoptive applicant, who has explicitly waived the referral, is entered in the register ex officio under a new number, on the date of receipt of the express waiver at the Ministry of Justice.

     If no answer is received at the Ministry of Justice within these two months, the adoptive applicant shall be stricken off the register.

     Upon giving the express written consent, accompanied by a written application, which states that the adoptive applicant agrees to adopt that particular child, that they are aware of child’s health condition, that they know the consequences from the adoption, that they have met with the child, and that they agree to start the court procedure, the Ministry of Justice forwards their dossier to the court to initiate the adoption procedure.

     Sofia City Court considers the application within 14 days and pronounces its decision. Upon the decision becoming effective, we start preparing child’s documents necessary to leave the country and join her/his adoptive parents.