All children available for international adoption from Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria live in orphanages and are legal orphans. They have been either abandoned, orphaned or relinquished for international adoption.
Most children living in orphanages have some developmental delays and vitamin deficiency problems.
All international Russian adoptions are now processed by a Russian court. Both parents must appear in the Russian court in the city where the child lives. It takes approximately ten to fourteen days to finalize the international Russian adoption process, inclusive of your trip to the American Embassy in Moscow to get a US visa for your child. The length of time spent in Russia depends on the region where the orphanage is located. Both parents must go to court.