Russia is a vast country with 11 time zones, almost twice as many administrative divisions as the United States has states and, according to Unicef, nearly 900,000 children in its orphanages. Not all of these children are without parents: Russia's orphanages are also used as foster care and respite settings for children of families in trouble.

Almost since it opened to inter-country adoption in 1990, Russia has been a key destination for prospective adoptive parents, especially those from America. According to the U.S. State Department, 54,761 children born in Russia have been adopted by Americans since 1992. But the number of Russian children coming to the U.S. has fallen sharply in recent years as Russia implemented a series of reforms to improve the professionalism of adoption facilitators and the welfare of children in its orphanages: Just 2,310 Russian children were adopted by Americans in 2007, down from 5,865 in 2004. Though well-intentioned, Russia's changes also sharply increased the cost of an adoption.

Russia also has been working to encourage domestic adoption. Monthly payments to adoptive families were doubled to 4,000 rubles per month ($166 at current exchange rates), and there is a one-time payment of 8,000 rubles for every completed domestic adoption. According to Russian officials, 7,742 Russian orphans were adopted by Russians in 2006.

The Laws
Russia's rules on adoption are set at the national level and they are fairly straightforward. But how these laws are interpreted at the local and regional level can very greatly. U.S. adoption agencies have sometimes complicated the situation by imposing additional requirements on adoptive parents rooted in the agency's view of adoption or its interpretation of Russian customs.

A detailed account of the rules for Russian adoptions can be found on the Russian Ministry of Education's official Web site.

To operate in Russia, a foreign adoption agency must be licensed by the Russian government. Accreditation rules have been tightened in recent years to include background checks on agency employees, a review of their fee structure and proof of complete compliance with Russia's rules on post-placement reports, among other things. The agency must also maintain a staffed office in Moscow. But while previous accreditations were valid only for one year, the new accreditations are permanent as long as the adoption agency is in compliance with Russian law.

Russia has not yet ruled out independent adoptions. But legislation to this effect is gaining steam, and prospective adoptive parents are well-advised to deal only with a fully accredited agency. A current list of adoption agencies accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation can be found on the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

Russia is not, however, a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, the international treaty that has been implemented by many countries around the world. So even though the treaty became effective in the U.S. on April 1, 2008, the process for Americans adopting from Russia will not change.

Parental Health And Marital Status
Both married couples and single people may adopt from Russia. There are no minimum or maximum ages for prospective adoptive parents, although single parents must be at least 16 years older than the child they are seeking to adopt. Single men are not prohibited from adopting from Russia, but it may be difficult to find a region that will handle an adoption request by a single man.

Treatment for depression is the single biggest parental health barrier to adopting in Russia; some regions will accept parents who have experienced depression as they coped with infertility, but others will not. Talk to your agency and social worker. Russia won't allow adoption by people with tuberculosis, alcoholism, or a history of substance abuse, as well as any health condition that leaves them unable to work.

How Russia Cares For Adoptable Children
Russian orphans are placed in baby homes until they are four years of age, then moved to orphanages for older children. These facilities vary greatly in resources, amenities, staffing and staff training across the country, though they have generally made significant strides since Russia first opened to adoption. Once orphans reach school age, which is seven in Russia, they generally attend classes in the nearest town school.

Because of the length of time that children must spend on local and national registries prior to being declared available for adoption, it is not possible now to adopt a baby in Russia. To be eligible for adoption a child must first be registered for one month in a local databank for children without parental care, then spend one month on a regional databank, and finally six months on a national databank. Once they become eligible for adoption, these children are first presented to prospective Russian adoptive parents. Most children now being adopted by Americans are more than one year old.

Time Frame For A Russian Adoption
While Russian adoption once followed a predictable nine-month course, the re-writing of accreditation rules and their implementation threw Russian adoptions wildly off schedule in the last three years. With more than three dozen American adoption agencies now re-licensed to work in Russia, things are settling down, but prospective parents should plan on at least one year of paperwork.

Travel Requirements For Russia
All Russian adoptions require at least two trips by prospective parents. The first trip, about seven days long, is to meet the child and accept the referral. The second is for the court hearing finalizing the adoption. Parents should count on at least seven days for the second trip, but it may be longer. Russia mandates a 10-day waiting period after the court hearing for adoptive parents to take a child out of the region to Moscow to complete paperwork with the U.S. Embassy. Some regions waive the 10-day wait, but many now do not. What's more, some regions do not allow the adoptive parents to wait in the region during the 10-day period, forcing parents to return for a third trip. Because of tighter immigration reviews by the U.S., parents should also count on spending three days in Moscow getting their child's immigration visa.

Cost Of A Russian Adoption
As with many countries, Russian adoption have become much more costly in recent years. Plan on spending between $20,000 and $30,000 for one child. To encourage the adoption of older children, many agencies now have programs to lower the cost of these adoptions.

Key Resources
U.S. State Department profile

U.S. Embassy in Moscow

CIA Factbook profile

World Health Organization profile

U.S. Immigrant Visas Issued, by country