If the Ministry of Justice approves a request to adopt, the case is submitted to a court for final review, and if approved, issuance of an adoption decree. Persons interested in adopting in Bulgaria must first identify a child available for adoption. There are many orphanages in Bulgaria, but not all children in orphanages are available for adoption. There is no central registry for identifying available children. Regional committees of supervising physicians and officials, together with the directors of each orphanage, determine whether a child may be placed with an adoptive family.
Adoption agencies assist in identifying available children, often through videos or photographs.
At least one prospective adoptive parent must be present to accept the child from the custody of the orphanage director after the adoption has been approved by a court. Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that the adoption process always takes several months, and sometimes lasts more than one year. Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 18 years old, and at least one must be 15 years older than the adoptive child. Bulgaria does not have a licensing requirement for adoption agents. The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy maintains a list of adoption agencies and attorneys known to have successfully completed international adoptions in Bulgaria.