Activities

The Foundation “SUNSHINE FOR OUR KIDS” is organized and proceeds to serve candidate adoptive parents who are residents of foreign countries to help them adopt a child - Bulgarian citizen, as follows:

• informs the candidates for adoptive parents about the documents they must prepare and present and the time frame within which they must do it;

• eceiving, keeping, translating and legalizing documents sent by the candidates for adoption, submits them and files them at the Ministry of Justice;

• regularly presents information to the adoption candidates about the progress of their adoption procedure;

• presents a report to the adoption candidates prepared by the Ministry of Justice on the personal details, health condition, social status and any other received information about the child proposed for adoption by them;

• mediates for establishing contact between the adoption candidates and the proposed child and  provides them will all kinds of assistance during their stay in Bulgaria;

• if necessary and if the adoption candidates wish so, provide consultations with qualified specialists – doctor, psychologist, pedagogue;

• provides legal representation to the adoption candidates before Sofia City court;

• provides all necessary documents for the child to leave the boundaries of the Republic of Bulgaria: court decision, birth certificate and passport issued by the Bulgarian authorities;

• presents to the Ministry of Justice four post-placement reports regarding the adopted child: one report semiannually during the first two years after the adoption.

About the Adoption

The adoption of a person, who habitually resides in Bulgaria, is allowed in compliance with the Family Code provisions. When the person to be adopted is a Bulgarian citizen, with habitual residence in Bulgaria, the consent of the Minister of Justice must be obtained, and the adoption is performed by the Sofia City Court. .

Only a child habitually residing in Bulgaria and entered in the register of the Ministry of Justice may be adopted by a person habitually residing abroad who has submitted a permission for adoption of a child pursuant to the laws of the country where they habitually reside and entered in the Ministry of Justice register.

REQUIREMENTS TO THE PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE PARENTS:

• They shall be eligible to adopt under their national law; 

• They shall not suffer from serious chronic, contagious or venereal diseases, tuberculosis, HIV and other life threatening diseases;

• They are not and have not been deprived of their parental rights;

• They were never convicted;

• A single unmarried person or a legally married couple only may adopt;

• They must submit all necessary documents required under the Bulgarian legislation;

• They must be registered in the Ministry of Justice register of prospective adoptive parents habitually residing abroad and wishing to adopt a child under the conditions of full adoption;   

• Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 15 years older than the child they apply to adopt. When the child is adopted by a couple at least one of the parents must meet this requirement. 

Main objective

1.   Interaction with State and Municipal bodies;   nongovernmental organizations, natural and legal persons with regard to the child protection activities; including special protection under the legislation in force in the Republic of Bulgaria and the conventions regulating the protection of the children’s rights, ratified by the Republic of Bulgaria;

2. Paying special attention and rendering concrete legal, social, and material support to: lonely children without parents - orphans; children deprived of parental care and family environment; children suffering from physical and mental retardation and disabilities, and giving support and healthcare to such children, as well as improving their way of life.

3. Overcoming the social isolation of socially disadvantaged children, integration of such children in the society through finding the best permanent family for each child to ensure the wellbeing of the children and their development as complete personalities.

Adoption Process

Hague Convention

Bulgaria is party to the Hague Convention on Protection and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, ensuring that adoptions take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights

Central Authority 

The Central Authority for Bulgaria under the Hague Convention is the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for all the activities, related to the intercountry adoptions, such as accepting applications of adoptive parents, keeping the register of children available for adoption by foreign citizens and the register of prospective adoptive parents, preparing draft written consents for adoption signed by the Minister of Justice, etc. 

An  Intercountry Adoption Councilwas established to the Ministry of Justice, which has important consultative powers in relation to intercountry adoptions. The Intercountry Adoption Council is a permanently functioning body, meeting on a weekly basis and among its main functions is making proposals to the Minister of Justice to determine (a) suitable adoptive parent(s) of a child. 

Accredited organizations

The Bulgarian legislation requires the activities related to intercountry adoptions intermediation to be conducted only by organizations accredited by the Ministry of Justice and registered in the Public Register of the Ministry of Justice. In this respect, to be able to adopt from Bulgaria, the prospective adoptive parents should authorise a Bulgarian accredited organization to represent them.