MLJ Adoptions has been serving vulnerable children in Bulgaria since 2010. Our team has had the privilege of introducing over 70 children to their forever families!
The children in our Bulgaria program are typically of Romani descent. The term “Romani” may be unfamiliar to you, but you’ve almost certainly heard the more common (and derogatory) term, “gypsies.” Throughout Eastern Europe, the Romani are often highly discriminated against, giving them little opportunity for advancement. Many Romani families live in poverty, and receive very limited access to basic public services, including prenatal care. This leads to the high incidence of known medical needs seen in Bulgarian children, many of which are treatable or correctable. Sadly, when Romani children enter governmental care, they become casualties of the pervasive stereotypes surrounding their people, and are not typically adopted by Bulgarian families.
Children in Need of Families
- Age: 12 months to school-aged.
- Children reside in either orphanages or foster families.
- Children are rarely clinically healthy, and often have known needs. Families who adopt from Bulgaria are able to indicate what specific needs they are open to. If they are seeking to adopt children with fewer known needs, they will likely wait longer to be matched with a child.
- If a child is unable to be matched with a family currently waiting, usually due to age, medical needs or sibling group size, he or she becomes a waiting child. To learn more about waiting children, visit our Waiting Child Photolisting.
- Children may be placed for adoption due to economic hardship, lack of acceptance towards unwed mothers, or an inability to meet a child’s medical needs.
Adoptive Parents
- Single women and married couples may adopt from Bulgaria; there is no marriage length requirement.
- There are no set age requirements, but Bulgaria prefers 15-45 years age difference between parent(s) and child.
- Bulgaria often shows great flexibility (in age of parents and family size) when seeking the adoption of children with special needs, sibling groups, and older children.
Adoption Timeline
- Home Study and Dossier Preparation: approximately six months.
- Approximate Wait Time: 18-36 months once the family’s dossier arrives in Bulgaria. The process may be expedited if a family is open to an older child, a sibling group of three or more, or a child with special needs.
- Completion of Adoption: 4-6 months after the family accepts a referral.
- Travel: two trips to Bulgaria are required; one approximately 7 day trip upon receiving a referral, and one 10-12 day visit to finalize the adoption and bring the child home.
- Bulgaria is a Hague Convention country, which introduces stability and predictability into the international adoption process.
Learn more about Bulgaria at the CIA World Factbook.
Contact us to learn more about how to adopt from Bulgaria.
Country information is to be considered general information and subject to change. The information is based upon state, federal, foreign, and international law, as well as our own business policies.