Administrative errands before adopting:

• attendance of the preparatory classes for adoption applicants
• foster care license (department for adoptive and foster parents in Vienna, youth welfare service in the other Austrian states)
• collecting all documents for the dossier (contents differ from country to country)
• production of a homestudy report, which is a detailed report on the applicants (EFKÖ in Vienna, youth welfare service in the respective Austrian states)

Sending the dossier to the respective country

Waiting period

may vary from country to country and is also dependent on the applicants’ personal breaking point

Possible matches

• photo
• medical report
• other documents
• having documents checked by a paediatrician you trust

Saying YES to a child for the first time

Travel preparations

Meeting and getting to know the child

Return journey (optional), waiting period and second journey

Some countries provide one journey, some two

Errands after meeting the child

• saying YES to the child a second time
• court date for the adoption contract
• new documents (birth certificate, passport)
• application for a Visa D for the child with the embassy/consulate

Journey home

Errands after arrival:

• residence permit
• certificate of registration (municipal district office)
• co-insurance (respective health insurance)
• adoption application (court)
• application for citizenship (Ma 61 or district commission)
• Austrian birth certificate (Ma 61 or district commission)
• Austrian passport (Ma 61 or district commission)
• child allowance (in case the child is under 2.5 years of age)
• family allowance (finance authority)