|
 Just like the city Washington, DC in States, Moscow City in Russia is considered as an independent subject of Russian Federation equal with other regions of Russia like Tomsk region or Tver region. Moscow City has its own Government, Ministries and Court. If you plan to adopt from Moscow City, you’ll spend the entire time of your trip within its limits. We’ve opened Moscow City for adoption last December, thought our Moscow City Representative has many years of experience in international adoption. Her drivers and interpreters are very professional and make a wonderful team dedicated to help our adoptive parents on every step of their journey.
Moscow is a beautiful city; it is called “the heart of Russia”. With its Red Square, Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Church of Christ the Savior (please see page Sightseeing) Moscow is one of the most important places in the world for all Russians. There are many museums, theaters, monuments, parks, universities and other attractions worth to discover. Founded in 1147 it has become a modern European city with more then 10 million inhabitants with the territory of more then 400 sq. miles. As a capital of Russia it attracts millions of visitors every day. Many adoptive parents compare Moscow with New York with same chaotic busy streets, traffic jams, metro and advertisement. It is major economic, financial, cultural and educational center in Russia. In 2007 Moscow was named the most expensive city in the world. Indeed, living costs here are very high, please, be prepared for overpriced hotels, taxes and restaurants rates.
Moscow has a continental climate with warm, somewhat humid summers and long, cold winters. Typical high temperatures in the warm months of July and August are around +22+25 C (+72+80 F) ; in the winter, temperatures normally drop to approximately -12-18 C (10-2 F). You’ll need warm clothes, hats, gloves and scarves from November till April. Usually it is snowing everyday during winter in Moscow.
To know more about the city, its history and traditions, please check this page
Below you’ll find detailed information about adoption process along with some facts about the travel, hotels, documents, etc. Please, always keep in mind, the plan we propose is just a plan. Every adoption case is different, some changes in the procedure will occur in each and every case. Please, think about how flexible and tolerant to changes you can be. Once in the region try to stay open, go with the flow and listen to yourself. Trust our regional representatives and let them do their job, they are high professionals. Think of adoption as of GOAL-ORIENTED process. There might be bumps on the road, but at the end you'll have your child in your arms, and that is what matters.
HOW TO GET HERE:
There are three international airports in Moscow city. Most probably you will arrive to Moscow International airport “Sheremetievo-2” or “Domodedovo” airports. Our driver will meet you at the airport holding a sign “CHI” to take you to the Hotel and help you to check in.
There are several nice hotels in Moscow city, but be prepared, all of them are very expensive. We do not recommend you to stay at any other hotel not from the list, because the location might not be safe or not convenient to your adoption plan. Please, study the page Hotels on the left-side bar of this web-site. You may rely on CHI for hotels reservation, but often you can get much better deals if you book accommodation together with your tickets over the internet yourself. You may choose to rent an apartment in Moscow, but please, remember, you are doing it at your own risk and you are in charge of all negotiations and payments. The CHI does not provide any facilitation or negotiation help. The only thing we request is the location – your apartment should be within the center of the city in a safe district (preferably within the Garden Ring). We’ll need to know your address or hotel reservation in advance to arrange your transportation.
1st VISIT
There are two required trips to Moscow city; first one is to meet with a child referred to you and the second one is to participate at the Court Hearing. The CHI Moscow Representative will provide you with the guidelines and itinerary for your visit. We will also explain what to expect at the official meetings, for example, what to wear, how to address the orphanage personnel and the judge, etc.
In most of cases next morning upon your arrival you will go to the Ministry of Education of the Moscow City to get the referral, which is brief personal information about the child. If you are satisfied with the information provided, you may then go to the orphanage to meet the child personally. There are over 20 orphanages in Moscow city (different types of orphanages for children of different age and medical diagnoses). Please, be prepared, the traffic in Moscow is very heavy and chaotic; expect lots of traffic jams at any time of the day. It may take one to three hours to get to the orphanage, depending on the district. You’ll have your interpreter and driver accompanying you during all legal steps and visits to the orphanage. On your leisure time using metro may be more convenient, but only if you are experienced travelers (Moscow metro system is quite complicated).
At the orphanage you’ll meet with the chief doctor of the orphanage to talk about child’s medical history and diagnoses. Meeting with the caretakers/nurses are also very useful, as they can provide more information about the current health, interests, and behavior of the child. PLEASE BE SURE TO ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS CONCERNING YOUR CHILD'S HISTORY AND MEDICAL INFORMATION WHILE AT THE ORPHANAGE. Be prepared that some information may be missing. The officials' goal is that the adoptive parents are informed as much as possible to help them make their decision. Please, prepare the list of questions you wish to ask and have it ready before your trip to Russia. Be prepared to answer some questions about your family and your motivation for adoption as well.
ATTENTION!
If you have any concerns about child’s health condition, you have the right to make an independent medical examination. There are several Medical Centers and independent Adoption Pediatricians providing qualified examination in Moscow. If you choose to do so, expect to pay for the doctor's visit. If, for some severe medical reason, you feel that you cannot adopt your first referred child, you will then get a second referral in the region. Our goal is that a family will not leave Russia until a positive decision about a child is made. However, this may cause you to stay in the region longer than originally planned. That is why purchasing exchangeable airline tickets back to the United States is so important.
Be sure to take pictures of yourself with the child, as you would have to show them at the court. We suggest, especially for families adopting children over the age of two, to prepare a small photo album with pictures to leave with your child. Include some photos of yourself, your other children if any, of the room you have prepared for this child, a family activity shot, your home, and family pets. If you can bring some toys, dolls, table games, crackers and sweets to the orphanage for your meeting with the child, it will be helpful too!
During the first trip you’ll stay in Moscow for about one week visiting your child at the orphanage. As soon as you make a final decision to adopt you will go to the notary office to certify the necessary documents. Once you are back home, you’ll need to fill out the Petition to Adopt, apostil it and send it back to Russia where your CHI Regional Representative will submit it to the Moscow City Court.
The Russian Law says the judge has the right to study the adoption case for two months and request any additional documents. Once all the documents collected, she/he will set the court hearing date. Please, expect 1-3 months between your first and second trip. In some rare cases the waiting time may be even longer.
2nd VISIT
Both parents must be present to attend the Court Hearing. Ask your adoption consultant in the USA what documents must be updated for your second visit to Russia. Please check if your fingerprint record is still valid.
For the second visit you should arrive few days before the court hearing to meet with your child. Our interpreters and representatives will be able to tell you what questions are typically asked in court. We are glad to tell you that the court hearing never lasts too long – about an hour or so. The petition to wave 10-day waiting period is no longer granted in Moscow city unless the child has severe medical problems which require immediate medical help. During 10-days waiting period your child will remain at the orphanage. At this point you have the option either to go back to the States and come again for the third trip OR to stay in Moscow for the whole time visiting your child at the orphanage several times during the waiting.
On the 11th day you will be able to get a copy of the Court Decree and the rest of the documents including the Adoption Certificate and amended Birth Certificate for your child. To collect all of these documents you’ll need to visit the Vital Statistic Office and other official institutions. The CHI Regional Representative will organize everything and your interpreter will accompany you during all legal steps. You’ll be provided with the transportation during all adoption activities.
All of these documents are extremely important. Be sure to keep them in a safe place, don’t put it into your luggage, keep them with you all the time. As soon as you have all official documents in your hands, you may pick up the child from the orphanage.
Note: We strongly recommend that you adhere very closely to the same diet and routine for the child until after you are back at home - and then change it gradually and under medical supervision. Ask your CHI representative to help you buy some Russian formula, if needed, before taking your baby on the plane back home. Don't forget to bring a warm outfit for your child: from October until April a snowsuit would be appropriate.
The next step is to apply for theInternational Passport for your child. To sum it up, after the 10-day waiting period you will stay in Moscow 4-5 days more to complete all the necessary paperwork; altogether it makes 17-20 days in the region during your second trip.
Note: Our representatives are usually very busy working on the family's behalf to complete the last minute documents for the court and, after the court, to obtain the new identification documents for your child. During this period of time you may see your interpreter more than the representative, but be assured that she is reachable if you run into some problems.
The following step is preparation for the visa interview in the US Embassy. You will have to fill out some forms and the CHI representative will help you put together all the necessary documents and submit them to the Embassy. A medical examination of the child is required for the US immigrant visa. You’ll need to visit the Medical Center in the morning the same day. The interview at the US Embassy is the final step of the adoption process. Usually the interviews are scheduled from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. The interview itself usually lasts from 20 to 50 minutes, depending on the number of adoptive families invited to the Embassy on that day.
Having all the documents allows you to travel back home with your child. If you plan to have a stop-over somewhere in Europe on the way back to the US, please, be advised you’ll need to obtain a transfer visa for your child beforehand, which requires additional day or two to process. If you’ll have a short connection at the same airport and will not leave transfer zone, then no other documents are necessary, except the US Immigration Visa for your child.
The CHI Moscow team is looking forward to have you in out hospitable city.
|
|
|
