You will be fingerprinted many times as you work toward your adoption in Russia, many times. You'll be fingerprinted at the local level, the state level and by U.S. federal authorities, too. And if your adoption drags on for more than a year, you'll discover what I did: You--and every member of your household over the age of 18--will have to be fingerprinted again.

In the 18 months it took to complete my second adoption in Russia, my recurring trips to get fingerprinted became something of a running joke among my co-workers. "You... more

I put up this post the other day to dispel the notion that the Russian government has, somehow, acted deliberately to shut down adoptions. But I realized, in re-reading the item, that I didn't explain what is, and isn't, possible to do for a Russian adoption right now. So here goes:

1) Can I start a Russian adoption now? In a word: Yes. All the early paperwork takes place on our side of the globe, not Russia. So, spend some time ... more

In the first part of this post, I looked at some of the issues that Russian and U.S. officials will want to see on your homestudy.

Most of the homestudy, however, will be devoted to answering six basic questions: Who, What, Why, Where, When and How. It can speed things along for the social worker if you jot answers to these questions down before your first meeting and print or send a copy.

By "Who", I mean talking about who you are as a person or family.... more

So you've decided to adopt from Russia and you've picked an agency with NGO status and pending accreditation to work with. Now, it's on to the homestudy.

A homestudy is a document required in every adoption, international and domestic. It is, at its most basic, a biography of your adoption journey. Some of the "chapters" will focus on the information required by the state in which you live; others will be written to answer Russian authorities' concerns.... more