ADOPTION
Eligibility Requirements
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS: Officially, Kazakhstan allows both single and married people to adopt, and there are no age requirements other than that an unmarried prospective adoptive parent must be at least 16 years older than the child s/he intends to adopt. In practice, however, some unmarried prospective adoptive parents have found it difficult to adopt, as have prospective parents over age 50.
Prospective adoptive parents who have any type of arrest record, regardless of how minor or how long ago an offense occurred, should consult with an adoption professional before deciding to adopt from Kazakhstan. In several cases adoptive parents have faced lengthy and costly delays in finalizing their adoptions in Kazakhstani courts because of decades-old arrest records. An approved home study citing the arrest does not guarantee a favorable court decision.