Now what do we wait for?

1. We have completed this first step - approval for our son. We are now waiting for

   a.the Embassy appointment (our lawyer will go for us)

   b.Article 5 letter which will go to the MOJ. They will have to give 2 signatures and then a court date. This is why it takes 6 weeks.

   Did this already:

   After you accept a match with a child, you will apply to the U.S Government, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for provisional approval to adopt that particular child (Form I-800). USCIS will determine whether the child is eligible under U.S. law to be adopted. Learn how.
   
   a. After this, your adoption service provider or you will submit a visa application to a Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy. The Consular Officer will review the child's information and evaluate the child for possible visa ineligibilities. If the Consular Office determines that the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States, he/she will notify the Bulgaria's adoption authority (Article 5 letter).

   Remember: The Consular Officer will make a final decision about the immigrant visa later in the adoption process.
   
   

2. Adopt the Child (or Gain Legal Custody) in-country:

   
   Remember: Before you adopt (or gain legal custody of) a child in Bulgaria, you must have completed the above four steps. Only after completing these steps can you proceed to finalize the adoption or grant of custody for the purposes of adoption in Bulgaria.
   
   The process for finalizing the adoption (or gaining legal custody) in Bulgaria generally includes the following

   Bring Your Child Home-

After Court we it takes 4-5 weeks till we travel because:
Specifically, you need to apply for three documents for your child before he or she can travel to the United States:

Birth Certificate
You will first need to apply for a new birth certificate for your child, so that you can later apply for a passport. Your name will be added to the new birth certificate.

Note: The process of obtaining a birth certificate and passport takes 3-4 weeks. The parents are not required to do anything in order to apply for these two documents. Their accredited adoption agency authorizes an attorney to represent them at court and deposit documents at various Government entities.

Bulgarian Passport
Your child is not yet a U.S. citizen, so he/she will need a travel document or Passport from Bulgaria.

After the new birth certificate has been issued, the representative has to apply for a passport of the child. The process of obtaining a birth certificate and a passport takes 3-4 weeks.

U.S. Immigrant Visa
After you obtain the new birth certificate and passport for your child, you also need to apply for an U.S. visa from the United States Embassy for your child. After the adoption (or custody for purpose of adoption) is granted, visit the U.S Embassy for final review and approval of the child's I-800 petition and to obtain a visa for the child. This immigrant visa allows your child to travel home with you. As part of this process, the Consular Officer must be provided the "Panel Physician's" medical report on the child if it was not provided during the provisional approval stage. Learn more.

The visa interview may be scheduled by the adoptive parents or by their Bulgarian representative over the telephone as soon as the child obtains a Bulgarian passport. They must first make sure that their fingerprint clearances have not expired. The visa interview may be scheduled a few days before the intended interview date.

Immigrant visa interview appointments should be arranged a few days in advance. Interviews can be scheduled by calling (359-2) 937-5444 each working day from to 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. This is the direct line to the Immigrant Visa Unit. In case of emergency or if the line is busy, adoptive parents may reach the Immigrant Visa Unit through the Embassy's switchboard: (359-2) 937-5100. Embassy conducts immigrant visa interviews Monday through Thursday.

CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT

For adoptions finalized abroad: The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 allows your child to acquire American citizenship when he or she enters the United States as lawful permanent residents.