We are currently seeing families matched with children with Down Syndrome who are 2-3 years old. Families are also matching with children 5 or older with minor to moderate medical special needs. We occasionally see families matched with sibling groups as well as younger children with minor needs.

Families can choose either the traditional or waiting child route. In the traditional route, families receive a direct match from the Ministry of Justice based on their special needs checklist which is included in their dossier.

Bulgaria maintains a waiting child list of older children, larger sibling groups, and children with significant special needs. Families who want to match with one of these children are able to submit a pending application and will be matched unofficially from the Ministry of Justice. once the family dossier is in Bulgaria and registered with the Ministry of Justice they will receive the official match with the child.

The process of adopting from Bulgaria is dependent on which route the family chooses. Families in the Waiting Child route will likely experience a 12-18 month process. Families in the traditional route may experience a 1-6 year wait depending on a family’s openness to age range, medical special needs and number of siblings.

Families will travel to Bulgaria on two trips. The first trip is approximately 7 days and includes daily weekday visits with the child for bonding. The second trip occurs 4-6 months later and is approximately 10-14 days. The child will come into the family’s care at the beginning of the trip and families will attend important appointments to complete visa and finalization paperwork. Lifeline has an amazing team in country who walk alongside families each step of the way and provide support during the stay in Bulgaria. Lifeline’s team provides translation and guide services during the stay.