|
HAPS is thrilled to announce our new Bulgaria Program. Bulgaria is a small fascinating country of ancient culture, scenic beauty and friendly people located in Southeastern Europe. It is located to the north of Turkey and Greece, set on the Black Sea, with beautiful landscapes and majestic buildings. In the past, Bulgaria was slow in placing children for international adoption, but recently since becoming a Hague country, they now offer a more consistent and predictable option for adoptive parents. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is the central adoption authority located in the capital of Sofia. HAPS proudly works in a partner relationship with A Chance for Every Child Foundation. We are looking for new families for our Bulgaria Program and we welcome you to the world of adoption.
|
Meet our Director: Our Program Director, Andrea Lee, is excited about this new opportunity to help some of the children of Bulgaria find loving families. She is an adoptive parent of a daughter from China. Andrea works closely with our families through all stages of the adoption: immigration, preparing the dossier, referral of a child, travel preparation, the adoption process in Bulgaria, and follow-up upon returning home. Please feel free to contact the Program Director at any time during the initial or ongoing adoption process.
About the Children: Children that are available for adoption include healthy and special needs boys and girls, generally between the ages of 2 to 15 years. These children reside in orphanages or foster homes. While most children are of Bulgarian descent, there are a number of children of ethnic Roma (Gypsy) heritage. Siblings (possibly twins) must be adopted together and are considered special needs.
Special Needs Children: There are a number of special needs children who are hoping for forever homes with wonderful parents. They are boys and girls, with needs ranging from moderate to major. HAPS is able to obtain medical information and pictures, which the adoptive parents would review with a physician.
Eligibility of Adoptive Parents: Bulgaria accepts married couples or single women. Typically there is no age requirement, but the adoptive parent should be no more than 45 years older than the child. Families 50 years old and up should be willing to accept a child age 6 or older. Bulgaria often shows flexibility in age of parents and family size (4 or more children at home) for children with special needs, sibling groups and those children at risk of “aging out.”
Timeframe & Travel: Once the dossier is received in Bulgaria, to adopt a younger child or healthy child, it will take approximately 1˝ years for a referral. For a child with special needs or an older child of more than 8 or 9 years old, the process will only take several months. There are 2 trips to Bulgaria; the 1st is about 5 days to visit with the child in the orphanage. The 2nd trip is about 7 days to go through the final adoption process and obtain the US visa.
|
For New Jersey residents who DO NOT have a homestudy completed or in progress, you will need to:
- Complete the website Contact Form or call the HAPS Teaneck office to obtain a Homestudy Packet.
| For New Jersey residents who DO HAVE a homestudy completed by another licensed NJ adoption agency or one is in progress, you will need to:
- Complete the website Contact Form or call the HAPS Teaneck office to obtain a Homestudy Review Packet and begin a homestudy in your state of residence.
- Complete our Data Sheet and send it to HAPS, along with the homestudy review fee to begin your Homestudy Review. Our homestudy review packet will guide you on the additional documentation needed to complete your homestudy review.
| For out-of-state residents, you will need to:
- Complete the website Contact Form or call the HAPS Teaneck office to obtain a Homestudy Review Packet and begin a homestudy in your state of residence.
- Complete our Data Sheet and send it to HAPS, along with the homestudy review fee to begin your Homestudy Review. Our homestudy review packet will guide you on the additional documentation needed to complete your homestudy review.
|
|
