Is it important that the child look like you?   If so, you are limited to certain regions of the world. If not, you might consider any source country   Do you feel a greater affinity for any particular foreign culture?   For example, some families tell us that they have always been interested in China, and for that reason look forward to becoming a partly Chinese family. Likewise, others tell us they speak Spanish, have traveled in Latin America, and feel a special affinity for that part of the world.   What is the maximum age child you would accept?   We often hear, "I want a baby as young as possible," but what is your upward limit? Bear in mind that it is seldom possible to adopt a child under the age of six months from any foreign country.   Do you have a strong gender preference?   For a number of reasons girls seem to be preferred, so it is music to our ears when a family expresses the desire for a boy. One reminder: In China there are virtually ONLY girls available.   Are you over fifty and want to adopt an infant?   Guatemala, for example, is extremely liberal about maximum age of adoptive parents.   How much - or how little - background information on the biological family and the adoptee are you comfortable with?   How much - or how little - background information on the biological family and the adoptee are you comfortable with? Some countries provide a lot; others, very little.   How much time can you spend abroad?   Fortunately, none of our programs requires long in-country stays at this time. One country- Guatemala- allows us to escort the child to you.   How long can you wait before being offered a child?   In Eastern European countries, for example, children are often offered shortly after your dossier is complete. At the other extreme, the Chinese authorities currently allow children to be offered between four and six months after receipt of your dossier.   What is your adoption budget?   We wish for the sake of the children and for your sake as well that expenses were nominal. They are not. The Datz Foundation fee of $3,500 is among the most reasonable in the country. We keep it low, because our intercountry adoptions are subsidized by other Datz programs. However, we have no control over the foreign fees. In most cases, your total adoption, including home study and travel, will cost in the high teens or low twenties. Consult our list of comparative fees. Likewise, ask your tax preparer if you might qualify for a Federal Tax Credit if your file federal income taxes.   The Datz Foundation 311 Maple Avenue West, Suite E Vienna, VA 22180  (703) 242-8800 Main contact e-mail: Mark International Office: International Information: Info Home Study Department: Study

Procedures for International Adoption 1. Contact a local agency and apply for a home study. A home study is a written report on your parenting capabilities performed by a licensed adoption agency. Datz Foundation is licensed to perform home studies in DC, VA, MD and NC.  2. Contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and obtain an I-600A. In order to apply for an immigrant visa for a child, you need to file Form I-600-A with the nearest office of US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, former INS). This form can be requested by calling (1-800-870-3676). Alternatively, you can download it from the USCIS Website. If you have any questions on that form, please refer to our instructions. N.B. This form can be filed only by a US citizen. If you are not a US citizen, please contact The Datz Foundation for advice. In general, the USCIS requires 2-4 months to issue an approval. The Foundation has a staff attorney with considerable expertise in the field of immigration law. For any question regarding the I-600-A (or its equivalent, if you live outside the USA), e-mail Mark Eckman. 3. Choose a country. This is a big question. Perhaps you have known from the start that you wanted to adopt a Russian toddler, or an infant girl from China. Most people need to ponder the question long and hard before reaching a decision. What you need to know, however, is that you can take the steps outlined above without committing yourself to a specific source country. Many families prefer to wait until the home study is underway, or finished, before deciding on a country. Feel free to discuss your options with us. Meanwhile, we suggest that you consider these criteria: Is it important that the child look like you? If so, you are limited to certain regions of the world. If not, you might consider any source country. Do you feel a greater affinity for any particular foreign culture? For example, some families tell us that they have always been interested in China, and for that reason look forward to becoming a partly Chinese family. Likewise, others tell us they speak Spanish, have traveled in Latin America, and feel a special affinity for that part of the world. What is the maximum age child you would accept? We often hear, "I want a baby as young as possible," but what is your upward limit? Bear in mind that it is seldom possible to adopt a child under the age of six months from any foreign country. Do you have a strong gender preference? For a number of reasons girls seem to be preferred, so it is music to our ears when a family expresses the desire for a boy. One reminder: In China there are virtually ONLY girls available. Are you over fifty and want to adopt an infant? Guatemala, for example, is extremely liberal about maximum age of adoptive parents. How much - or how little - background information on the biological family and the adoptee are you comfortable with? Some countries provide a lot; others, very little. How much time can you spend abroad? Fortunately, none of our programs requires long in-country stays at this time. One country- Guatemala- allows us to escort the child to you. How long can you wait before being offered a child? In Eastern European countries, for example, children are often offered shortly after your dossier is complete. At the other extreme, the Chinese authorities currently allow children to be offered between eighteen and twenty months after receipt of your dossier. Finally, what is your adoption budget? We wish for the sake of the children and for your sake as well that expenses were nominal. They are not. The Datz Foundation of $3,500 is among the most reasonable in the country. We keep it low, because our intercountry adoptions are subsidized by other Datz programs. However, we have no control over the foreign fees. In most cases, your total adoption, including home study and travel, will cost in the high teens or low twenties. Consult our list of comparative fees. Likewise, ask your tax preparer if you might qualify for a Federal Tax Credit if your file federal income taxes. 4. Sign an agreement and start working on the dossier.   Once you have decided upon a source country, we will send you a country-specific placement agreement. After receiving a signed copy along with your check for $3,500, we begin to work on your dossier. This means obtaining the necessary documents and then authenticating them if you are adopting from China, Ukraine or Latin America or apostilling your documents if you have chosen Russia or Kazakhstan. At this point you have two options: Hire Datz to do authentication or apostilling. You still will need to provide us with the original notarized documents, and we send or courier it to the appropriate offices for authentication. For this service, we ask for an additional $1,000. Most of that fee pays the out-of-pocket expenses we incur in the process; a small part compensates us for our staff time. You authenticate or apostille your dossier with the guidance of our case managers. In this case you do not need to pay Datz additional fees, but you will be responsible for paying authentication fees directly to the Secretary of State and/ or other offices. 5. Submit a dossier to country and receive referral of a child. Once Datz receives your dossier, we confer immediately with our teams in your country of choice. Your question, of course, is, "How long will this take?" We wish we could reply, "Exactly two weeks and three days," but of course our answer depends on several diverse factors, such as conditions in the source country, the specificity of your request and number of families waiting for children from the same source country.          When a child is available whom we think you might want to adopt, we inform you at once. We try to provide the maximum amount of available information, which may include photos, medicals, videos, conference calls with foreign sources, and reports from Datz staff members traveling abroad. We ask you to consider the offer seriously, and consult, if necessary, with medical specialists in the country who are knowledgeable about intercountry adoption. You may say yes to the child offered, or you may say no. If it is the latter, you do not go to the bottom of our list! We work with you until we have identified a child you wish to adopt. A word of caution, however: If you reject four or five referrals in a row, we may begin to wonder if there will ever be a child you would accept. 6. When You say "Yes!". "When do I go?" is the FAQ at this stage. Usually, you are eager to travel abroad as soon as possible. We will do our best to make that happen. In general, you are given a few weeks' notice before you are asked to travel. We will help you make all travel arrangements and will arrange a phone or in-person briefing with one of our directors. Financial arrangements will be finalized, and escrow funds will be deposited into the Datz account, if applicable. A Datz representative (or "coordinator") will meet you upon arrival in the source country, and remain with you until you leave. In some cases, families travel alone; in other cases, in a group of other families. The child is met, the adoption is finalized, and the immigrant visa to the United States is obtained, usually within a few days. A 24 hour a day phone number at Datz headquarters in Virginia is available in case of emergency. 7. Obtain visa for child and ... RETURN HOME!!! Before you go to pick up your child we will offer you an orientation meeting with our lawyer, who will explain you the immigration paperwork and procedures. 8. Post Adoption Procedures Welcome to parenthood through The Datz Foundation!!! Your adoption is finalized and the child is legally yours now, but there are still a few tasks that need to be completed: Obtaining a Social Security Card Report to your nearest Social Security office with the Final Decree of Adoption, new birth certificate and any other documentation you may have to obtain a Social Security card for your child. Translations are required. Name Change If your documentation such as the Final Decree of Adoption or birth certificate does not have the name as you have selected, you have the option of filing a name change through your local Circuit Court or filing for re-adoption. Since filing for re-adoption will obtain a state birth certificate, the re-adoption is probably more practical. Re-adoption You must do a readoption if the child was brought to the US on IR-4 visa (This visa is usually issued when only one parent traveled to the Country or if the child was escorted to the U.S.). In other cases readoption is not an absolute requirement, but you might want to do it since it allows you to receive a U.S.birth certificate for your child. Readoption also enables you to receive a final decree of adoption from the U.S. If these U.S. documents are lost, they can be reissued, but a final decree of adoption or birth certificate from another country probably cannot be replaced if lost. Re-adoption consists of filing a petition in your local court with the relevant documents to request that the Court issue a Final Decree of Adoption from your state. You can find detailed readoption instructions here. Post-placement supervision Providing post-placement reports is an important part of the adoption process. It enables you can meet the requirements of the child's country of origin to report on the adjustment of the child. Many countries have threatened to discontinue adoption if the post-placement supervision is not carried out. You also can not complete the readoption without post-placement supervision. You can download our post placement agreement and send it to us together with a relevent fee. Note: The country you adopted from might require post placement to be done at certain time intervals, so make sure you discuss the post placement schedule with us before you schedule the first visit with the social worker. Proof of citizenship / obtaining the passport When your child enters the U.S., he or she is a U.S. citizen, but you will need proof of citizenship. You may file for a passport through your regional post office. Follow the instructions for a passport and provide relevant documentation that you have completed a legal adoption. It is also possible to obtain a certificate of citizenship from the INS by filing an N-643. Registering your child at the Embassy If you child was adopted from Russia or Ukraine it is very important to contact your placing agency at your soonest convinience and ask for instructions on registering your child with the Embassy. Tax Credit Starting in January 2002, our federal government passed a law increasing the tax credit per one child to $10,000 for families with an income of $170,000 or less. The credit is phased out at $190,000, so you can still benefit from it even if you earn more than $170,000. Don't forget to check with your tax adviser if you are eligible for this credit. Look at the pictures of children recently adopted thru Datz   What Is The Next Step? If you would like to come in for an orientation meeting, give us a call at (703) 242-8800. Most meetings are scheduled in various Northern Virginia locations, but we offer regional meetings as well. We look forward to working with you!