To apply to SRC, mail us a completed and signed SRC application form,  a family photo, and a check or money order for a $75.00 application fee, payable to Sense Resource Center, Inc.  We will send you a packet of information with our contract, language resources,  tips from adoptive parents, and research on health and attachment issues.  We will guide you through assembly of your dossier and put you in touch with other parents who can share their experiences with you.  Just before travel, you will receive "Level Paths," Our step-by-step guide to your adoption in Ukraine, with tips for surviving the cultural and emotional stress of your journey, as well as emergency contact information for our staff in the US and in Ukraine.

One new service we are now providing is a private, invitation-only e-mail group for SRC families who are contracted, waiting to travel or who have traveled.  This group has been a great blessing as parents fellowship together sharing family photos, laughter & tears in a safe, private forum.

Meanwhile, if you are not signed with us, but have particular questions regarding paperwork or other issues relating to Ukraine adoptions, you are welcome to call us at (757) 622-4692 during business hours or email us at infosrc@earthlink.net. 

Let's get started! Here is the summary of the paperwork to be submitted to BCIS, your Home Study Agency and the National Adoption Center in Ukraine. Do not be overwhelmed - you will find a lot of resources on our web site to guide you through the paperwork maze!

Step .  BCIS (INS) forms. You need to obtain the form I-600 A. One easy way to get it is to call 1-800-375-5283. Follow the instructions on the phone. You will be asked to give your name, address and other information. Another fast way to get the form is to download it from the Internet. Form I-600A.

Once you get it, accurately complete it and sign it.  In Block II, for #10, put "National Adoption Center, Kyiv Ukraine" as the organization assisting you to identify an orphan, for #13, put an approximate date of departure, for #15, "yes", and for #16, 2nd line, the "American Embassy at Kyiv, Ukraine."

Step 2.  A Fingerprint check by the FBI should be done at your local BCIS office.   You will receive a fingerprint appointment notice after filing the I-600A. 

Step 3.  One Certified Copy of Marriage certificate, any Divorce decree, and Birth Certificates. You can order these at the Court House or Bureau of Vital Statistics (www.vitalchek.com). Many states require you to order the marriage certificate at the state level since you will be authenticating it for your Ukraine dossier. Your Secretary of State's office can tell you if this is true in your state. You will need a photocopy of each document for BCIS and for your home study.  You will need a certified marriage certificate or divorce decree (if single) for your Ukraine dossier.  These do not get notarized since they are certified copies.

Step 4. Mail to BCIS - to your regional office

1. Completed and signed BCIS (INS) form (I-600A) 

2. Birth Certificates* (photocopies are acceptable)

3. Marriage Certificate* (photocopies are acceptable)

4. Divorce Certificate (if any - a photocopy is acceptable)* 

5. Cashier's check or money order for the total $545 payable to BCIS (INS) plus fingerprint fees of $70 per person living in the home over age 18.

6. Cover letter stating that your home study is to follow

*TIP:  To keep your paperwork moving, you can file your I-600A with only the form and payment so you can get your fingerprint appointment right away.  Then you can send in the rest of your documents when you receive them.  Since fingerprint results can take from a few days to several months, this helps you avoid delays waiting for those results.

Step 5. Contact a local adoption agency for an international home study. If you live in Virginia, Sense Resource Center can provide the home study as well for your adoption.  If you live in another state, you can find one through the Yellow Pages or contact us or other adoptive parents for information about licensed home study agencies that have reputable home study services. Once committed to a certain agency, you will be given a list of the required documents necessary for registering with them and pursuing your home study. We listed the most common documents, but it may vary from one agency to another. 

Step 6. References. Get your three or more references from friends, relatives or coworkers recommending you as adoptive parents (check with your agency because most adoption agencies have form letters for these). These references are needed for your home study agency as well as for SRC application.

Step 7. Child Abuse Report. The home study agency will ask you to sign a paper requesting a check for child abuse charges. It takes about 3 weeks to get the report back.

Step 8.  Police Clearance Report (Criminal record inquiry). Your home study agency will direct you to obtain this.  Please be sure that it is issued from a state level authority (i.e. State Bureau of Investigations).  Ask them to issue and notarize two copies. One is for your home study and the other for your Ukraine dossier.  You can usually use the same report the home study agency requests, just be sure you have an original signed report, notarized, on letterhead.  Contact your facilitator or agency if you have questions about how to get a state level clearance or how to authenticate one which did not come notarized.

Step 9. Medical Statement. Get your physical done and ask your doctor to fill in both Ukraine's form and the form required by your home study agency.  The form for your home study and the form for your Ukraine dossier are usually slightly different - you need both!  Children in the home will need medicals for the home study as well typically.

Step 10. Submit the following papers to your home study agency (again, it varies from one agency to another):

1. 3 year Tax Returns

2. References

3. Birth Certificates

4. Marriage Certificate 

5. Divorce Certificates (if any)

6. Autobiographies

7. Police Clearance Report (state level will be required for Ukraine dossier)

8. Medical Statement

9. Employment Statement

10. Other documents required by your home study agency

Step 11.  You or your home study agency should forward a copy of the home study to the BCIS (INS) office, receive your fingerprint appointment,  and wait (4 - 6 weeks) for BCIS approval (form I-171H), which gives you permission to adopt a foreign child.

Please note that if you plan to adopt children who are not biological siblings, you will be required to provide a separate dossier for each child. 

If you reside in:

Step 12.  Assemble your Ukraine dossier.   

The required forms for the Ukraine dossier are listed below.  You should obtain updated forms from your agency or facilitator as these change periodically.  The forms are very specific and you should obtain the correct, current ones before producing them for a Ukraine dossier.

1. Petition for Adoption

2. Letter of Obligation

3. Power of Attorney

4. Home study with licenses

5. BCIS approval

6. Passport copies

7. Employment letters

8. Medical reports

9. Proof of marital status (Marriage certificate)

All of the above papers should be notarized.  Be sure the notary's commission is good for at least one more year.  

Some states require certification at the county level before they will apostille at the State level.  

Step 13. State Apostille.  If you are working with SRC, we will apostille your dossier at the state level for you, and send the original documents to our office.  If not, once you complete your dossier, carry or mail it to the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued for an apostille on each document.  Always use a traceable courier service for your dossier - either UPS, FedEx, or Airborne (US Express Mail will not guarantee delivery and does not track their packages well).  

Step 14. Visas.  Check with us about applying for visas once your dossier is ready to authenticate, and we'll guide you through the process. 

Step 15. Check airfare.  There are several travel companies and agents who have experience with adoption travel.  We recommend starting with Lonnie Rowland, then comparing other rates if you like:

Rowland Enterprises  - call Lonnie at (615) 566-9085, or e-mail him: lonnierowland@earthlink.net

Note: We suggest that you compare rates and choose a company you are comfortable with. Be sure to consult with SRC  about dates to fly to Ukraine before purchasing tickets. Don't pay for your tickets until you have your appointment with the Adoption Center (usually about a month before travel)!

Step 16. Our US staff make all your arrangements for your travel in Ukraine, our staff members meet you at the airport, take you to the hotel or guest flat, interpret for your NAC visit, facilitate your adoption in the orphanage city, translate, notarize and legalize necessary paperwork (court decrees, birth certificate, medical statement) , help you to obtain travel documents for the child (children), assist with medical and US Embassy visits.

One experienced facilitator and a project manager will be assigned to you for the duration of your adoption. Your traveling facilitator will stay with you from the time you leave Kyiv until you return to Kyiv, living with you if you are in a flat, or next to you if you choose a hotel.  He and your project manager will both have cell phones to support quick communication.  The staff will guide you step by step through the adoption process in Ukraine, and be sure that you have all the correct paperwork by the time you leave Ukraine.  Our staff are trained to consult with the US Embassy, the National Adoption Center, and with each other to solve any problems which may arise in the course of your adoption.

In addition, our office manager in Ukraine, Yuri, as well as our US staff, will stay in touch with our staff on a daily basis, and with you as needed, and keep your relatives and friends updated about your adoption while you are in Ukraine. You will get solid support from both sides of the ocean:  in Ukraine and the US.   We are eager to see your new child in his or her loving home with caring parents!

Once you are back home, you register your child with the appropriate Embassy or Consulate of Ukraine assigned jurisdiction over your state: