Adopting a child from the Republic of Georgia is a deeply rewarding journey, but understanding and managing the financial aspects is crucial for prospective adoptive parents, adoption agencies, and perhaps even one’s financial advisor involved in the process. A well-crafted financial plan considering the costs of adopting from the Republic of Georgia can make this life-changing journey more accessible and less stressful.

Did you know that statistically, the most frequently cited cause of marital distress is financial instability?  Hopscotch is here to build and strengthen families, rather than inadvertently weaken a family that is committed to bringing a waiting child home.  Hopscotch understands that all adoptions begin from within the heart, but must be managed from a place of fiscal strength, supporting the full scope of expenses inherent to an international adoption.

At Hopscotch Adoptions, we are here to guide you through the financial aspects of an international adoption. From outlining the comprehensive costs, to offering strategies and resources and to demonstrate Hopscotch’s commitment to your family’s adoption success, we offer an initial free 30-minute consultation with Your Adoption Finance Coach prior to contracting with Hopscotch for placing services.

However, should a prospective adoptive family subsequently contract to adopt a child through Hopscotch, we offer even more access to guidance and support, making the financial planning process manageable and effective with some proactive planning, through Your Adoption Finance Coach free services. You’ll even earn an educational credit towards your adoption training for utilizing this free service! Through this free service, Hopscotch’s placing clients also access information about grant programs, financial assistance, and learn about the money-wise opportunities best suited to your family’s specific needs to ease the impending investment of an international adoption, start to finish. Your Adoption Financial Coach will assist you in customizing a strategic pathway to affording your adoption while utilizing all of the free opportunities to minimize expenses.

Understanding Adoption Costs in the Republic of Georgia

Adoption from the Republic of Georgia involves several key expenses, including:

  • Home Study Fees: A home study is a state and USCIS mandatory clinical evaluation of prospective adoptive parents’, including the living environment and varied measures of suitability. The evaluation is not a onetime assessment, but it is an ongoing family and adoption agency obligation throughout the process until finalization of your child’s adoption. Home studies include and require a lot of personal documentation, completion of education specific to adoption and various clearances.   For international adoptions, the home study service typically ranges from $1,500 to $6,000
  • Post-Adoption Services: Your placing agency, state of residence, USCIS and the foreign sending country require social worker visits and reports at different intervals once the child has entered the US, to ensure the child’s well-being. This service commitment varies from state to state and country to country, but all have mandatory participation.  Because of the importance of this service, the cost is most often a prepaid prior to bringing the child home, to better ensure full compliance. Each post adoption visit and report can range from $400 to $800 each.
  • Agency Service Fees: Upon initial contact, each prospective adoptive parent receives a sample fee agreement, specific to the country you intend to adopt a child home. Hopscotch Adoptions ensures financial transparency to help families plan and budget effectively before committing to an adoption. The average agency service fee ranges from $7,000 to $14,000
  • Legal Fees: Covering obtaining documentation, translations, legalization certificates, court appearances, child passport, and other legal processes. This varies state to state and country to country.  Prospective adoptive parents are provided an estimate of expenses to anticipate upon initial contact and specific to the country you intend to adopt a child from.
  • Travel Costs: Families must plan for two required trips to Georgia.  The first trip is a stay of 5-7 days to meet and register with a referred child and to initiate the foreign adoption process.  The required second trip occurs 3-4 months later, and is for the purpose of finalizing the child’s adoption and to secure the child’s US visa. This trip averages a stay of 21-23 days.  Based on the season, lead time of ticket/accommodation purchase and class of airfare/accommodations, a typical round trip airline ticket may cost $1,100 to $2,500 per traveler for each trip. The cost of accommodation expenses would depend on the class of rental service, hotel or home rental availability and amenities offered. Families are encouraged to investigate accommodation options to meet their own requirements and budget. Food and shopping can range from $20 to $35 per person, per day.
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fees: USCIS charges fees for processing adoption-related forms. As of April 1, 2024, the filing fee for Forms I-600A and I-800A is $920, which includes biometric fingerprint processing fees. The visa appointment averages about $425 and requires a medical examination performed by an approved clinic prior to the visa appointment and averages $150 per child.

For prospective adoptive parents, understanding these expenses upfront is essential to creating a clear and actionable budget.

Creating a Personalized Adoption Budget For The Republic Of Georgia

A personalized adoption budget helps adoptive parents organize and manage their finances effectively. Financial advisors and adoption agencies can use tools like spreadsheets, budgeting apps, or professional consultations, such as Hopscotch’s free Your Adoption Financial Coach consultation, to assist families in planning for adoption expenses and exploring financial assistance options.

Hopscotch provides a 30-minute free consultation to all prospective adoptive parents considering an adoption through a Hopscotch country program. In addition, should you choose to proceed in your adoption journey with Hopscotch, Your Adoption Financial Coach will assist your family in developing a customized budget and plan to achieve your financial adoption goals. This consultation provides adoptive families with the tools and resources to:

  • Build a detailed and personalized adoption budget.
  • Identify and access potential funding sources, including grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance.
  • Stay financially organized and prepared throughout the adoption process.

Exploring Adoption Funding Options

Funding an adoption doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Adoptive parents can take advantage of resources such as:

  • Adoption Grants: Many clients who use Your Adoption Finance Coach services to secure substantial grant funding from organizations like HelpUsAdopt.org, Gift of Adoption, and ShowHope, etc.
  • Loans: Low-interest loans specifically for adoption can help bridge funding gaps.
  • Fundraising: Crowdfunding platforms and community-driven events allow families to involve their social network in their adoption journey.

Adoption agencies and financial advisors can play a crucial role in connecting families with these resources.

Preparing for Unexpected Costs

Unexpected costs, such as travel delays or additional legal requirements, are common in international adoptions. Financial advisors and adoption agencies can help families identify ways to build contingency funds for unanticipated expenses, including specialized post-adoption services, like therapy or cultural integration support.

Cost Comparison: Republic of Georgia vs. Other Countries

While the Republic of Georgia’s adoption process is often less efficient and predictable than other countries by way of the process’s timing expectations, it offers notable financial advantages.

The program’s key financial benefits include the requirement of only a single trip to Georgia with a short average stay of about 20 days, and the affordability of accommodations, which rank among the top 10% most affordable worldwide. Georgia is very pro-America and as such many younger Georgians speak fluent English, making this a very friendly and enjoyable experience.

Prospective adoptive parents should weigh these advantages against the unpredictability of the process, using guidance from a supportive agency, such as Hopscotch, to align costs with their overall goals, budget and expectations.

Saving Strategies for Adoption

For adoptive families, even minor adjustments can make a significant financial difference, such as:

  • Proactively starting a dedicated adoption savings account.
  • Speak with your employer about any adoption financial assistance available. If your company does not currently offer an adoption assistance, offer to connect them with Your Adoption Financial Coach to learn how this benefit can be successfully integrated into your company’s benefit package.
  • Reducing non-essential expenses during the adoption process.
  • Utilizing the Federal Adoption Tax Credit to offset costs upon finalization of your child’s adoption.

Hopscotch strives to provide valuable guidance in identifying and implementing these strategies through the free resources every family will have access to.

Let Hopscotch Adoptions Help You Plan Your Journey

At Hopscotch Adoptions, we understand that financial planning is critical to the adoption journey. We believe no family should face financial stress when opening their hearts and homes to a child. To ensure financial stability, we sponsor Your Adoption Finance Coach, which entitles all Hopscotch placing client access to a free service that has helped countless families secure grants, build detailed budgets, and overcome economic barriers to adoption.

This invaluable resource can turn adoption dreams into reality by addressing one of the most significant hurdles families face. Let’s work together to bring children into loving, stable homes—starting with a solid financial foundation.