Lithuania


Advantages:
Lithuanian orphanages provide an excellent child-to-caretaker ratio and have medical staff in each group home. Adoptive families receive detailed information about the children and may ask for further assessments.

Lithuania Adoption Overview:

  • Children come from orphanages throughout Lithuania.
  • A Bethany representative coordinates the program in the country.
  • The intercountry adoption program was established in 2001.

Location
Vilnius, Lithuania

Program
Bethany Christian Services, Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security

Children Available
  • Most children are basically healthy, but some have special placement needs (1 to 15 years of age)
  • Many sibling groups and older, school-age children are available.

Eligibility for Families
  • Parents must be 25 to 48 years of age at application.
  • The maximum age difference between the parent and child is 45 years.
  • Single women of Lithuanian heritage are eligible to adopt children more than six years old.
  • The length of marriage that is preferred varies.
  • Preference is given to applicants with proven Lithuanian heritage.

Waiting Time for Referral
12 to 24 months for applicants with proven Lithuanian heritage and after being placed on registry; up to 3 years if applicants are not of Lithuanian heritage

Waiting Time after Referral
estimated 2 to 4 months

Travel
2 trips of 2 weeks each

Country Fees
$12,000 plus travel and accommodations
$10,000 for children with special placement needs or for families with Lithuanian heritage, plus travel and accommodations

Adoption Finalized
In Lithuania
Dossier Required
Yes

Post-Placement Reports

Seven (7) reports are filed during the first four years. Photos are required with each report.

Lithuania is a small European country next to Poland, Latvia, Belarus, and Russia. Children are cared for in orphanages as in other European countries. Children are 1 to15 years of age, and many sibling groups are available for adoption. Photos and a video are shared with the adoptive family.

On the first trip, parents will meet their child and begin the legal proceedings. They will stay in the capital city of Vilnius, a beautiful, old-world city. The second trip completes the legal process. The family will then travel to Warsaw, Poland, to secure the child's visa from the U.S. Embassy.

Families should be comfortable dealing with post-institutionalization issues and possible developmental delays in the children.

We encourage you to contact your nearest Bethany branch for assistance. Bethany is eager to help you adopt a child from Lithuania!

For more information about Bethany's Lithuania program, please call 1.877.64.ADOPT, e-mail us at bcsinternational@bethany.org, or fill out our contact form.