Armenia Program

At this point we are not accepting any new applications for Armenian adoption. The Armenian government has not closed adoptions, but the number of children available is very, very small and the timelines are too unpredictable for us to be able to continue to comfortably offer the program to new families. You may find our Russian program a suitable alternative.

The beautiful country of Armenia is situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and borders Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The Capital is Yerevan. Armenia is the smallest of the former Soviet Republics and declared its independence from the Soviet Union on September 23, 1991. The climate is similar to the southeastern section of the United States. Armenia’s terrain is rocky and dry, as evidenced by the architecture and striking structural use of stone. The country is predominately Orthodox and the people are from fair to dark olive complexion with dark hair. The population of Armenia is 3,330,099 (2002 estimate), giving the country's land area a population density of 289 persons per square mi. Armenia is highly urbanized, with 70 percent of all residents living in cities or towns.

The State language, Armenian, is over 2,000 years old with its own alphabet - one of only fourteen in the world. It has a unique 38-letter alphabet that dates from the early 5th century. In addition to Armenian, most Armenians speak Russian.

Children Available
Children reside in orphanages or maternity homes in Yerevan. The orphanage and maternity home care is good and each child’s health and development is closely monitored. Infants, toddlers as well as older children and children with special needs are available. It is possible to return home with a child as young as 6 months. Parents may request specific age, gender and general health of children when applying.

Eligible Applicants
Married couples and single women are eligible to apply. One of the adoptive parents should be younger than 49 years old to adopt an infant 12 months or younger. Parents must be at least 20 years older than the child. There may be other children already living in your home.

The Process
The entire process takes between 10 and 12 months to complete, depending on the length of time for dossier preparation. One 2-3 week trip to Armenia is necessary to complete your adoption. Only one parent is required to travel. Happy Families International Center, Inc. recommends that both parents travel in order to meet your child prior to your adoption. You will need 2-3 days in Moscow, Russia to complete your child's medical examination and Immigration processing at the American Embassy. Once your child's visa is obtained, you and your child may return to the United States.

We have recently learned from the U.S. Consulate in Tbilisi, Georgia that adoptions from Armenia occurring after October 1, 2003 plan to be finalized at the American Embassy in Tbilisi and not in Moscow. Families affected by this change will be leaving Tbilisi for home instead of from Moscow. The adoption process will remain unchanged as final U.S. immigration processing for adoptions are the same. We will provide all necessary information regarding travel and hotel accommodations and associated expenses to our families in a timely manner.

An approved Homestudy is required and must be completed by a Licensed Social Worker within a Licensed Homestudy Agency in your State of Residence. INS Form I-600A must be completed and sent to the INS for approval. The approval form is INS I-171H and usually takes 2-3 months to receive, once INS Form I-600A has been submitted.

Parents must prepare the Adoption Petition in accordance with the requirements of the Republic of Armenia. We will supply this form for you and guide you through the paperwork preparation. Once all of the necessary documents are completed, your dossier will be sent to Armenia and translated into Eastern Armenian in Yerevan’s notary office. All of the documents must be separately Apostilled and submitted as one dossier. Your dossier is hand delivered to the Special Committee on Adoptions under the government of Armenia’s Prime Minister’s office by our representatives. This committee meets semi-monthly to consider applicants for adoption. If a positive opinion is given, you will be given a referral from the Armenian government officials who are in charge of the adoption process.

Armenian Baptism. The dominant religion in Armenia is Christian (Armenian Apostolic Church).

Once you accept your child, you must complete a request to adopt form and submit it to the Mayors office of the community in which the child resides. The Mayors office then seeks the approval of the application by the government of Armenia. This is estimated to take 1 month. Upon approval from the government, the Mayor's office has 10 days to approve the adoption. The Mayor's office then has 3 days to forward the decision to the Republican Commision and the Ministry of Social Security in order to remove the child and family from the adoption registries. You must personally receive the decision of the committee and present it along with identification when picking up your child.

Happy Families International Center, Inc. will guide and assist you throughout the entire process of preparing you for adoption. We will do everything possible to make your adoption an enjoyable and exciting time in your life.