Background
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A former state of the Soviet Union, Belarus is situated east of Poland and north of the Ukraine. A nation with a long and storied history, evidence of human occupation in Belarus goes back to the early Stone Age. Belarusian publishing has an important place in history, as Belarusian bibles were some of the first books ever printed in Eastern Europe. Belarus was harder hit by the meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the Ukraine than was the Ukraine itself – about 20 percent of Belarus suffered serious radioactive contamination from Chernobyl. This turned the tide of political opinion against staying within the Soviet Union, and Belarus declared full independence in 1991.
Belarus has only recently opened its doors to international adoption. All international adoptions of children from Belarus must go through the Belarusian National Adoption Center. Both married couples and single parents may adopt from Belarus. In 2004, Americans adopted 202 children from Belarus.
It is important to note that U.S. immigrant visas are not issued in Belarus. Instead, the visas are issued at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. What does this mean to you? All U.S. citizens who adopt a child from Belarus must subsequently travel to Poland to obtain their child’s entry visa into the U.S.
Credits: The International Adoption Guidebook, © Mary M. Strickert
