Embassy Statement of Adoption Issues

Here is some background on what's going on right now in Russia regarding international adoption proceedings. This is a statement issued by our U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has learned from Russian Ministry of Education officials that the Minister of Education has directed that, by the end of December, an accreditation commission be formed comprised of representatives from the Ministries of Education, Justice, Internal Affairs, Health and Social Development.

In addition, during the first week of January, governmental offices will be closed for the holidays. This reorganization and the holiday closures may mean that adoption agencies that are renewing their accreditations or applying for accreditation for the first time will not receive consideration by the new accreditation commission until it is formed and functioning sometime after mid-January.

At the same time, for reasons that remain unclear, the Russian government has again temporarily stopped issuing letters of release for orphans on the federal data bank.
For this reason, adoption agencies should discourage parents from coming to Russia to complete adoption proceedings before the required release letters are available.

While we recognize the inconvenience and possible hardship this reorganization, the prolonged holidays, and temporary suspension of release letters may cause some adopting parents and adoption agencies, we do not believe that U.S. government interference in this process at this time would be appropriate or productive. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will continue to monitor the situation and apprise the adoption community of any significant developments.