Forms

I thought all the forms were going to kill me! This was the biggest mountain of confusing paperwork I've had to deal with. I've put together inventory lists, training, coordinated massive industrial deliveries and over saw constructions of small manufacturing facilities. This was worse. Why? Because in my opinion some of the people working in government offices have low reading comprehension skills, don't understand how the system works beyond their office door, or don't bother to read what you write them. I'm still a little frustrated as you can tell.

I had to have several documents redone through this process. Here are the problems I've encountered:

A lady at the State Police office was on vacation and apparently the person filling-in for her didn't understand the job. So the second criminal check I received wasn't signed or notarized. I had to have this redone.
I sent in a form with money to pay for a notarized copy of my annulment decree. I received a copy that was signed, dated, and had an embossed seal. I thought everthing was fine. After talking with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office, I learned that the document had only been certified by the district court clerk. They wanted it notarized by the circuit court clerk then certified by the county clerk. So I drove down to Louisville to take care of this. I started off with the district court clerk's office. I was forwarded to 6 different offices because no one knew what to do to prepare the document for authentication by the state. This process took me 2 hours to complete. Then I went to the county clerk's office for certification. Well the signature in the notary book didn't really match the signature of the lady who notarized the decree. She apparently was having a bad day today and it wasn't very legible. I suggested that they call over to the Hall of Justice and ask the lady what her last name was in order to verify it was the same person listed in the notary book. They had no idea where to call. Finally another lady in the office urged the woman to go ahead and certify it. This part of the process took 1 hour.
A lot of websites I had researched said that you needed a notarized copy of your birth-certificate. So I sent in the forms and money to get two copies, one for each dossier. I did this after the homestudy and before I picked the Ukraine. My facilitator, Cathy Harris, told me that this is not required for the Ukraine dossier. So I jumped through this hoop for nothing.
My home study agency, Paralegal On Call, included their agency license as the last page of the home study. The page just before that said something along the lines that "The attached photo copy of the Paralegal On Call license is a true and unaltered photo copy of the original". That page was signed, dated and notarized. Well this didn't float with Cathy. She said that the agency license was considered a seperate document in the dossier so had to have its own notarization. So I contacted the agency and had this redone.
The State of Indiana does not require the home study assessor to be a licensed social worker. They do have to have a MS degree and work through a licensed agency. When I initially spoke with the home study agent, I had asked if she were licensed with the state of Indiana. She said yes. Apparently there was some miscommunication and she was referring to the fact that Paralegal On Call was licensed with the state. I found this out after the home study was complete and while I'm asking her for a copy of her license. Ok, so I panicked and called Cathy. Cathy had me get a signed, dated, notarized letter from Paralegal On Call stating that the home study assessor I was using was in good standing with the agency and specifing her qualifications to perform the home study. Next I had to get a letter from the Family Social Services Administration (FSSA) stating that the adoption agency I was using was in good standing with the state of Indiana.
So I contacted FSSA with a request for a signed, dated, notarized letter of good standing on my adoption agency. The person I was talking to was ignoring half of what I was saying. I think they had someone in their office with them. She had made a statement when she realized I was an individual calling that "Oh! I thought you were an agency. Let me give you my full attention." If you aren't going to give me your full attention then let the call ring over to voice mail. So after I conveyed to her what I needed, you'd have thought I was asking her to clean out a cow stall. She was very put-off by my request and said she would have to charge me. Ok fine, how much do you want? She also stated that her office did not notarize documents. The whole conversation was just very rude. So after the call I wrote a letter detailing what I needed and told them that I understood that the letter would not be notarized. In the letter I include my agency's name and their license number. I asked them for 3 original signed and dated letters that were witnessed. They send me a letter discussing an entirely different agency than what I was using. Obviously someone didn't bother to read what I wrote. So I had to have this redone. I dealt with a different lady the next time I called. After that I received what I needed quickly.
I had to get the doctor's letter rewritten. The first time I was using a form letter for adoptions in Panama. Their requirements are not as detailed as those for Ukraine. So I had to have another doctor appointment, blood work, and new letter constructed. Take your doctor an example letter and make sure they know to hit all important points in their letter.
I had half of my Indiana documents returned because the Notary didn't put "County of Jefferson" below her signature. The lady in the Secretary of States office made a big deal about this not so much that she couldn't have processed the documents because the book listing all the notaries by name has their county of residence in it, but because the notary wasn't following the rules. I was under the impression that a lot of notaries did this and that she was just fed-up so was making it a larger issue than it was.
I have documents from two different states. An annulment decree from Kentucky and the rest from Indiana. Indiana falls under the Ukraine Embassy in Chicago which does not require US State Department authentication. So by their rules, my two KY documents had to go to the State Department first but the rest didn't have to. In talking with Doyle Authentications who I am going to use for the US State Department processing, Jeff was concerned. He had two dossiers that went to the Ukraine with similar authentications. Even though they were authenticated properly per what the Ukraine Embassy in Chicago said, they were red flagged at the NAC and they would not process them because they didn't look "right" by not having ALL the documents go through the State Department. So Jeff had to expedite those documents through the US State Department. To prevent the same thing happening to me, I'm just going to have them authenticted by the State Department. Better to error on the side of caution then to have to pay twice as much for authentication down the road.

Indiana Home Study:

Below are a list of the forms that I had to have for my home study in the state of Indiana. You may not need all of these forms or the forms you will use will ask for more or different information. This is just a guideline to show you what you're in for. Also, the only form I had to have notarized for the home study was the criminal check. That notarization will be provided by the police when the letter is issued. I have tried to point out some documents that you should go ahead and have notarized because they are shared between the home study and the dossier. I lucked out in that a lady at work was a local notary. So I was able to cut cost and reduce my document preparation time. All identifying information or things which are too personal to display on the world wide web have been removed from the example documents.

State Police Check - Go to your state police website. Use www.google.com and do a search, if you don't know the address. There should be a section for online forms and a filing process outlined. Print off the form, fill it out, and mail it to your State Police along with the appropriate money order amount. For Indiana the URL for the form is http://www.in.gov/isp/lch/LCHrequest.pdf. Make sure when you receive your police check that it is signed, dated, and notarized. If not, you will have to contact the State Police and have this reissued. If you will have two adoption dossiers then you will need to send in two forms. Make a copy of this form for your Home Study. The original will be used in your adoption dossier. This took me about 2 weeks to get back from the state.
Release of Information Form for Child Protective Services - This gives your state's Child Protection Service permission to provide a record check to your home study assessor.
Letter of Employment - This is a letter from your employer on company letter head that states that you are currently employed, how long you have worked for them, how much you make, and that fact that your employer doesn't forsee any changes in your status (ie. you have a stable income). Get this signed by the Human Resource Manager. Also have this signed, dated, and notarized. The notarization date should match the date of the letter. If your company doesn't have a notary then make a copy of the letter and type on it "This is a true and unaltered photo copy of the original" then get it notarized. You do not need the notarization for the homestudy, but you will need it for your dossier. So might as well get this done at the same time. Example of Letter
Letter of Health - This is a letter from your doctor that states you are in good health both mentally and physically. You will need this for both the Home Study and the dossier. There is specific things to be sure is included in the letter to please the Ukraine National Adoption Center (NAC). The letter should say that you are in good phyiscal health. That you are free of contagious diseases, exhibit no signs of drug or alcohol abuse, are free from syphilis, TB, Aids, and any mental diseases. And that your physical and blood examinations were all normal. Get this letter signed and notarized. If the doctor office doesn't have a notary, then make a copy of the letter with a statement that says "This is a true and unaltered photo copy of the original". Then get the copy notarized as being an unlatered duplicate. The Home Study will not require notarization but your dossier will. The Home Study also doesn't require such specfic information but rather a general statement of health.
Letters of Reference - You will need 5 of these from non-relatives. Other states may require less. These people should be able to attest to the fact that you are financially able to support a child. Make sure that your friends realize the importance of returning these forms to you in a timely fashion.
Copies of Federal Tax Returns - You will need to make a copy of the past 3 years of federal tax returns to prove you have a steady income etc...
Copy of Financial Records - You will need to provide a copy of your saving's account or 401k statement.
Copy of Your Homeowner Insurance Policy
Copy of Your Health Insurance Policy
Copy of your Life Insurance Policy
Home Study Questionaire - This is a form provided by the agency that asks a lot of personal questions.
Affidavit of Criminal History - This is a form you fill out swearing that you aren't a criminal and/or have no criminal record etc...
General Release of Information - This is a form you sign that gives your Home Study Assessor or Agency permission to access personal information from other agencies. This is a catch-all consent form.
Adoptive Family Inventory - This is a very long form that you fill out. It asks a lot of personal information and is more indepth than the Home Study Questionaire (item 11).
Release of Information for Criminal History Check - This is a form you fill out giving your state law enforcement agencies permission to provide your agency or Home Study Assessor with your criminal history.
Will - You need to show provisions for caring for your adopted child in a legal Will. This should show how your property is to be disbursed and who will become the child's legal guardian in the event of your death. The Will should be signed, dated, witnessed and notarized.
Copy of Your Birth Certificate
Copy of Your Marriage Certificate - You will need this for both the home study and your Ukraine dossier. So have this document notarized by the County Clerk
Copy of Your Divorce or Annulment Decree - You will need this for both the home study and your Ukraine dossier. Have this document certified by the District Court Clerk, notarized by the Circuit Court Clerk, and then certified by the County Clerk.

Ukraine Dossier Forms:

Below is a list of documents that I had to have for the Ukraine Adoption Dossier.

I-171H Form - This is issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service. This is your permission to go bring your children into the U.S. providing they meet the orphan status. Take this form and make a photo copy. On that copy write/type "This is a true, complete, and unaltered photo copy of the original as provided by the document custodian". Then have that notarized locally, then authenticated by the County Clerk, and then authenticated by the state. If you live in Indiana you can skip the County Clerk notarization.
State Police Criminal Check - This is the same document that you had to provide in your Indiana home study. This should already be notarized by the someone in the police department prior to sending to you. Take the original and have it authenticated by the state. Check with your state to see if this will require County Clerk authentication - The state of Indiana does not require it.
Social Worker's License - This is a copy of your social worker's license. Make sure it doesn't expire any time soon. If your state doesn't require a licensed social worker to perform a home study (such is the case in Indiana), then this will be replaced with a letter from your home study agency stating the qualifications of the home study assessor and the fact that she is in good standing with them. You will also need a letter from the Division of Family and Children (Indiana Family & Social Services Administration) stating that the home study agency you are using is in good standing with the state. Have your home study agency notarize these documents before sending to you. FSSA in Indiana will not notarize their letters. They do provide dual signatures. So if you have to go this route, make a copy of the letter and write/type "This is a true, complete, and unaltered photo copy of the original as provided by the document custodian". Then have it notarized locally and authenticated by the County Clerk, then send it to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you can skip the County Clerk authentication.
Home Study - This is provided by your Home Study agency. It will summarize all of the information you provided to your assessor (see the list above). It will also include their findings that you would make good parents etc.. This should already be notarized by your agency prior to sending to you. You will have to send this to the state for authentication. Check with your Secretary of State to see if County Clerk authentication is required - Indiana does not require it.
Home Study Agency's License - This is a copy of your agency's license. They should have it notarized prior to sending to you. You will have to send this to the state for authentication. Check with your Secretary of State to see if County Clerk authentication is required - Indiana does not require it.
Marriage Certificate - If you are single then this is not required. If you are married then your certificate needs to be notarized by the County Clerk prior to sending to the state for authentication. If you have been divorced or annuled then you will need a copy of the annulment or divorce decree. These will have to be notarized by the Family Court Clerk, then authenticated by the County Clerk, then sent to the state for authentication.
Copy of your Passport - Make a copy of your passport and write/type on it "This is a true, complete, and unaltered photo copy of the original as provided by the document custodian". Then have it notarized locally and authenticated by the County Clerk, then authenticated by the state. If you live in Indiana you can skip the County Clerk authentication.
Letter of Employment - This is the same as what you provided to your home study assessor. This will need to be locally notarized then authenticated by your County Clerk. Next you will send this to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you may skip the County Clerk authentication.
Letter of Obligation - This is a letter that you will type. It is your agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine - Center for Adoption. In this letter you agree to register your child with the Ukraine embassy or consulate in the USA within one month after adopting. You further agree to provide yearly updates on the child's progress and to maintain their Ukraine citizenship. This will need to be locally notarized then authenticated by your County Clerk. Next you will send this to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you may skip the County Clerk authentication.
Petition to Adopt - This is a letter that you type requesting that the center for adoption in the Ukraine registers you as a candidate for adoption. In the letter you will ask for permission to visit orphanages and state what type of child you are looking for. This will need to be locally notarized then authenticated by your County Clerk. Next you will send this to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you may skip the County Clerk authentication.
Power of Attorney - This is a letter that you type giving your Ukraine assigned host authorization to act on your behalf concerning adoption issues in the Ukraine. This will need to be locally notarized then authenticated by your County Clerk. Next you will send this to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you may skip the County Clerk authentication.
Letter of Health - This is the same as what you provided to your home study assessor. T his will need to be locally notarized then authenticated by your County Clerk. Next you will send this to the state for authentication. If you live in Indiana you may skip the County Clerk authentication.

So now what do you do? After collecting this massive list of documents and getting the appropriate local, county, and state authentications, now its time to process them through the U.S. State Department. If you live in the state of Indiana and ALL of your documents are from Indiana, then you will not need to have these authenticated through the State Department.

I am using Doyle Authentications to walk my documents through the U.S. State Department. I'm sure there are other couriers you can use or you can trust the postal service and just use the standard method as outlined on the State Department's website. After putting so much work into preparing these documents, I am more comfortable with UPS/FedEX (nice tracking system) and using Jeff to personal walk these through the system. If you use Doyle Authentications you can have Jeff send these to a courier in Chicago to process through the Ukraine embassy there - or - you can have him process the documents through the Ukraine embassy in Washington DC. For more information on processing the dossier through the State Department and Ukraine Embassies in the US, see the "Authentications" section of this website.