* This page updated 7/1/08 *

All Embassies and The Assistant Stork will be closed Friday, July 4th. Happy Birthday America!!!

*IMPORTANT NEWS*

The Assistant Stork has been assisting adoption families, adoption agencies and embassies for over 12 years, helping to bring together over 12,000 families.  Our fees were originally set by the adopting parents on one of the first and now largest, adoption listserves.  Only once in the past 12 years have we raised our fees, and that was 10 years ago.  We are proud of that fact.  However, as you can imagine, huge increases in such things as gasoline prices and insurance costs, among others, is forcing us to do something.  While some folks have raised their fees or added fuel surcharges, we have decided to cut back on trips into Washington, DC.  So, for at least the summer months this year, we will only be going into Washington, DC to the US Department of State and the Embassies Tuesday – Friday.  We will still be in the office on Mondays, just not running around town.

We sincerely hope this schedule change will not inconvenience anyone, and we pray the gasoline price crisis will abate soon.

Twelve years ago, folks on the APC(Adoptive Parents of China) list asked me to become their personal courier. They helped me set my prices, and even came up with my name! I agreed to start this courier business to be able to quit my job as a secretary and be home more for my "homemade" daughter and the new baby. A few years later, my husband Steve joined me as "The Assistant to The Assistant Stork" and we have served the adoption community ever since. As adoptive parents, we know how important it is to get your dossiers authenticated quickly and correctly. We will make sure all of your documents going through the authentication process at the State Department and/or the Embassy get exactly that kind of service.

Here's all my info for processing dossiers through any DC Embassy:

For your fee, as soon as we receive your documents, we will go through everything and scrutinize your documents thoroughly, making sure each document has been authenticated correctly. Next, we will take your documents to the State Department as soon as possible. (The State Department is only open 7:30AM-11:00AM and the mail usually comes in too late for us to take them over the same day we receive them.) At the State Department we will wait while they Authenticate your documents. We will check to be sure that they authenticate every single document correctly (after all, they're human beings, they make mistakes too.)

As soon as that's finished, we will take your documents down to the Embassy for Authentication. We will leave your documents with the Embassy and pick them back up on the date they are ready,

The State Department will only let a person take through 15 documents per day. If you have more than 15 documents, we have to make two trips. So that'll take an extra day. Please divide your documents. We'll need one check for the first 15 documents and another check for however many you have over fifteen. (i.e., if you had 18 documents, that would be one check to the DoS for $120 for the first fifteen and a second check made for $24 for the other three.) You only need two checks for the US Dept of State. You do NOT need two checks for the Embassy.

We also process Visas for all Embassies.

Please include the following for authentication of DOCUMENTS:

1. A check made out to The Assistant Stork for:

Our fee for DOCUMENTS:

• $60 flat fee for 4 documents or fewer -OR-
• $15 per document for 5 or more documents

For XEROXES:

• $1.00 per page if I absolutely have to - I do not have time to make copies as a general rule, but I will if it is an emergency

2. A check made out to U.S. Department of State for $8/document. (Two separate checks if more than 15 documents.)

3. A prepaid, self addressed DHL/FedEx/UPS/ExpressMail (whichever you prefer) envelope to send you back your documents. Do NOT put the "Assistant Stork" or an Embassy in the sender area of the waybill. DHL, FedEx and UPS charge the sender whenever there is a problem with the account and we've been hit with charges of over $4,000 in the past years from folks who wrote down their credit card number wrong.

*WARNING* United States Post Office Priority Mail has lost many dossiers and passports. The United States ExpressMail has lost packages also, but not as many. We do not recommend them.

4. A self addressed, stamped envelope for us to send you back your receipts if your documents are being forwarded to someone other than you (i.e. your agency, another couple traveling to your child's country, etc.)

5. A money order or cashier's check (they won't accept personal checks) made out to your Embassy. (click on "Embassy" to find your country's information)

6. A note containing phone numbers where you can be reached if there is a problem, plus the name and phone number of your Adoption Agency.

NOTICE: It has come to my attention that some of you would prefer to pay by credit card. Some of you are overseas and cannot get Money Orders. Due to this, I am now willing to accept Pay Pal payments, but they charge me 4% of the total for the privilege. Let me know if you wish to pay via PayPal and I will email you an invoice.

-OR-

Please include the following for VISAS:

1. A check made out to The Assistant Stork for:

Our Fee For VISAS:

2. A completed visa application with ONE photo attached AND PASSPORT for each traveler. Make sure your passport and applications are SIGNED.

3. A prepaid, self addressed DHL/FedEx/UPS/ExpressMail (whichever you prefer) envelope to send you back your passports with your visas.

4. A money order or cashier's check (they won't accept personal checks) made out to your Embassy. (click on "Embassy" to find your country's information)

5. A note containing phone numbers where you can be reached if there is a problem, plus the name and phone number of your Adoption Agency.

NOTICE: It has come to my attention that some of you would prefer to pay by credit card. Some of you are overseas and cannot get Money Orders. Due to this, I am now willing to accept Pay Pal payments, but they charge me 4% of the total for the privilege. Let me know if you wish to pay via PayPal and I will email you an invoice.

Please use the service of your choice (i.e. FedEx/ExpressMail/UPS/DHL/whatever - anything trackable) to mail your documents to:

Laura Morrison
The Assistant Stork
2144 Aquia Drive
Stafford, VA 22554

Our phone number is: 540-659-6845

Please be sure to sign the "waiver of signature" on your package if you use ExpressMail. We are in DC processing dossiers when the mail carrier arrives. There is a special place the mail carrier leaves the dossiers that only he or she can see from my door, not visible to the street. FedEx, DHL and UPS always leave the packages for us, whether we are here or not.

Be sure to keep the "Sender's copy" of your waybills or at least write down the tracking numbers so you can watch your package being delivered and leaving my office on its way back to you.

Please call or email me when you've sent your documents so we'll know to look for them. laura@asststork.com

I'm available M-F 9AM-4PM

*COUNTRY- SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON PROCESSING DOCUMENTS AND VISAS *

Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Great Britain, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nepal, Nicaragua, Oman, Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

For Barbados - they only want CASH only:

$40 per document
approximate turnaround time is one week

For Bolivia make your money order out to "Embassy of Bolivia" for:

The turnaround time is usually 24 hours.

For Brazil make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to "Embassy of Brazil" for:

The turnaround time is usually 2 days.

Jurisdiction: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia

For Canada make your money order or cashier's check,
check out to "Embassy of Canada" for:

The turnaround time is usually 2 days.

Vital Records must first authenticated by:
Mario Nunez-Suarez
Legal Advisory Division (JLAC)
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa K1A0G2 ONTARIO
CANADA
613.995.0119

For China, make your money order, cashier's check,

or Adoption Agency check out to "The Embassy of China" for:

Document Authentication:
We do not provide same day service

Visa Service:

Visa Application: http://www.china-embassy.org

And yes, I need your ACTUAL passports. PLEASE SIGN YOUR PASSPORTS!

	THE EMBASSY OF CHINA RAISED VISA FEES January 22, 2008
	THE EMBASSY OF CHINA WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT VISA REQUESTS THROUGH THE MAIL - YOU MUST USE A COURIER OR SHOW UP IN PERSON
	There are new requirements for China visas. Please contact us via email for updated instructions.

The CURRENT fees are:

ALL VISAS: (good for multi-entry, one year visa)

There is usually a mail handling fee, but because I ALWAYS pick up from China, you don't need the mail handling fee.
We do NOT process same-day visas or documents.

For Ecuador make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Ecuador for:

For Ethiopia make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Ethiopia for

Turnaround time is approximately 3 days

Ethiopia allows you to batch all your paperwork, except the Power of Attorney, under one cover sheet. Therefore, your entire dossier is counted as one bundle plus one document at the State Department and the Embassy of Ethiopia.

Due to the amount of work involved in putting together an Ethiopia dossier, we charge $80 to process the dossier, rather than our usual minimum fee.

Ethiopian visa: $70 per visa.

Include application, one photo, PASSPORT and money order or cashier's check made to "Embassy of Ethiopia."

Visa application can be found on: http://www.ethiopianembassy.org

Turnaround time is approximately one week.

For Georgia make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Georgia for

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

For Great Britain, make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Great Britain for:

For Guatemala make your *MONEY ORDER ONLY* out to Embassy of Guatemala for

• $10 per document, no mail handling fee
• The turnaround time is:

1 - 3 docs: Usually takes 24 - 48 hours
4 - 25 docs: Usually takes 5 -7 business days

NOTE: The Guatemala Embassy will NOT accept Adoption Agency checks. It must be a money order.

For Haiti make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Haiti for:

The turnaround time is usually 1 - 2 weeks.

As of 10/7/98, the Haitian government requires that the French translation be authenticated by the Embassy also. Please attach the French Translation to each document before you send it to me and the fee will still be $25 for each document.

For India make your money order, cashier's check,

or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of India for :

Documents

We do NOT provide same-day service of documents for India

Visas

And yes, I need your ACTUAL passports. PLEASE SIGN YOUR PASSPORTS!

For Indonesia make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Indonesia for:

• $20 per document

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

For Jamaica make your money order, cashier's check,
or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Jamaica for:

• $10 per document
(turnaround time - 2 days)

For Kazakhstan make your US Post Office Money Order ONLY out to Embassy of Kazakhstan for:

Documents

PLEASE NOTE: The Assistant Stork will no longer process Kazakhstan dossiers.

Visas: FEES

There is a NEW Kazakhstan visa application!
Go to http://www.kazakhembus.com/VisaRequirements.html to download the latest application

And yes, I need your ACTUAL passports and one passport sized photo each. And please sign your passports!

TYPE OF VISA	3-7 DAY PROCESSING
Single Entry Business Visa- up to 3 months	$60
Double Entry Business Visa - up to 3 months	$90
Triple Entry Business Visa - up to 3 months	$105
Multiple Entry Visa for up to 1 year	$200
Single Entry Tourist Visa - up to 3 months	$40
Double Entry Tourist Visa - up to 3 months	$60
Single Entry Adoption Visa	$60
Double Entry Adoption Visa	$90
Transit Visa	$30
Visas for children under 16 years of age, any category or duration	FREE

As of 3/6/08, the Embassy will no longer expedite visas. Visas take 3-4 days

PLEASE! Do not make your flight arrangements until the visas are in your hands!
Delays are common with Kazakhstan visa invitation confirmation numbers.

The Embassy will no longer allow anyone having anything to do with
the adoption of a child to travel on a tourist visa.
Please contact me for details.

Monies for Business Visas MUST be on a separate US Postal money order from Adoption Visas.

US Post Office Money Order is the only payment accepted by the Embassy

THE EMBASSY OF KAZAKHSTAN IS CLOSED EVERY WEDNESDAY

CHILD REGISTRATION

Kazakhstan requires that you register your child's Kazak passport at Astana before you leave the
country. However, ifyou adopted before this rule went into effect, you must register your child's
passport at the Consular Section of theEmbassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, DC or at the Consulate
of the Republic of Kazakhstan in New York.
Click here to obtain instructions and the new form.

Our fee to process the registration of your child is $50

For Kuwait make your money order out to The Embassy of Kuwait for:

Documents:

$20 per document

Turnaround time is usually one week

For Kyrgyzstan make your money order out to The Embassy of Kyrgyzstan for:

Documents:

$100 per document for regular processing - 10 business days

$200 per document for rush processing - 3-5 business days

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

Visa Fees:

As of January 01, 2008 Consular Section of the Kyrgyz Embassy introduces new consular and visa fees.

Tourist Visas:
Single-entry 1 month visa – 80 USD
Double-entry 1 month visa – 90 USD
Single-entry 3 months visa – 100 USD
Double-entry 3 months visa – 110 USD
Business Visas:
Single-entry 1 month visa – 100 USD
Double-entry 1 month visa – 110 USD
Single-entry 3 months visa – 120 USD
Single-entry 6 months visa – 130 USD
Multi-entry 3 months visa – 150 USD
Multi-entry 6 months visa – 165 USD
Multi-entry 1 year – 200 USD
Transit Visas:
Single-entry transit visa – 30 USD
Double-entry transit visa – 50 USD

Visa fees for applicants under the age of 16 and over 60:
Tourist Visas - All types of visas - 50 USD
Business Visas - All types of visas - 70 USD

For Moldova make your money order, cashier's check,

or Adoption Agency check out to Embassy of Moldova for:

Documents:

FEES:

Moldova does NOT allow bundling of ANY documents.
*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

PLEASE NOTE:

THE EMBASSY OF MOLDOVA IS CLOSED EVERY FRIDAY

Visas:

FEES:

And yes, I need your ACTUAL passports. PLEASE SIGN YOUR PASSPORTS!

Visa form: click here

There is an additional $5 visa application fee paid by a separate cashier's check or money order made out to "The Embassy of Moldova."

Normal processing time is 5 business days. One business day rush processing requires an additional fee of 50% of the visa fee.

For Nepal make your money order or cashier's check, out to The Embassy of Nepal for:

Documents:

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

Visas:

Get the new visa application on: http://www.nepalembassyusa.org/

Turnaround time is approximately one week

For Nicaragua make your money order or cashier's check, out to "The Embassy of Nicaragua" for:

Usual turnaround time is 3 business days

For Oman make your money order out to The Embassy of Oman for:

Documents:

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

Turnaround time is usually 2-3 days

For The Philippines make your money order out to The Philippine Consulate General for:

Documents:

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

Turnaround time is usually 1 week

For Russia make your money order or cashier's check, out to The Russian Embassy for:

The visa application form is available on http://www.russianembassy.org/

Please be advised that as of May 01, 2002, US male citizens age 16-45 seeking a Russian
entry visa are required to attach a supplement to the standard visa application form.  
Click Supplement.doc to download the application in Microsoft Word.
Click Supplement2.pdf to download the application in Adobe Acrobat

* RUSSIA NOW REQUIRES YOUR ACTUAL PASSPORT *

Please sign your passports!

FEES:

Fees for Single Entry Visas are: (good for Maximum of 3 months)

• $100.00 for not less than six business day processing
• $150.00 for not less than three business day processing
• $200.00 for next business day processing or two business day processing
• $300.00 for same day processing.

Fees for Double Entry Visas are: (good for Maximum of 3 months)

• $100.00 for not less than six business day processing
• $200.00 for not less than three business day processing
• $250.00 for next business day processing or two business day processing
• $350.00 for same day processing.

Fees for Multiple Entry Visas are: (good for Maximum of 3 months)

• $100.00 for not less than six business day processing
• $300.00 for not less than three business day processing
• $350.00 for next business day processing or two business day processing
• $450.00 for same day processing.

*Please note, that drop-off day is not counted as a business day. Next-day and Same-day processing is available only if the Embassy's volume of work permits.

THE EMBASSY OF RUSSIA RAISED VISA FEES JUNE 16, 2003

Russia requires that you register your child's Russian passport at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Russia in Washington, DC or at the Consulate in charge of your state's jurisdiction.
Click here to obtain instructions and form.

Our fee to process the registration of your child is $50

For Taiwan make your MONEY ORDER (they do not accept cashier's checks or personal checks) for:

Usual turnaround time is 48 hours

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

For Thailand make your MONEY ORDER (they do not accept cashier's checks or personal checks) for:

Usual turnaround time is 24 hours

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

For Turkmenistan make your money order or cashier's check (no personal checks)
out to The Embassy of Turkmenistan for:

Adoption Agencies may not bundle their documents for licensure

For Ukraine:

	UKRAINE RATIFIED THE HAGUE CONVENTION 12/22/03. ALL DOCUMENTS DATED 12/22/03 AND AFTER MUST BE APOSTILLED.
	7/15/05 - It's official! Americans no longer need visas to travel to Ukraine unless they wish to stay longer than 90 days

For United Arab Emirates make your money order or cashier's check (no personal checks)
out to The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates for:

For Uzbekistan make your money order or cashier's check (no personal checks)
out to The Embassy of Uzbekistan for

The Embassy does not accept any bundled documents

*You must include a complete photocopy of EVERY document.*

For Vietnam, make your money order ONLY (Vietnam will no longer allow personal, company or cashier's checks) out to Embassy of Vietnam for:

Document Authentication:

• $50 per document for Certification of document
• Turnaround time is approx. 2-3 weeks

NOTE: As of March 1999, it is no longer necessary to acquire the US Dept of State Seals on the Vietnam dossier. Please do not send me a check for the State Dept. I will be taking extra care checking your country and State seals to make sure your dossier is processed smoothly.

Visas:

Visa application: http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org Click on "Consular Services"

And yes, I need your ACTUAL passports. PLEASE SIGN YOUR PASSPORTS!

Single Entry: (good for 30 days)

Single Entry: (good for 3 months)

Multi Entry: (good for 3 months)

$150 per visa = 2-4 business day turnaround,

Extension: (within 30 days of expiry)

$25 per visa = 24 hour turnaround

PLEASE NOTE:

You only need ONE copy of the Visa Application (you used to need two)

Children can no longer travel on their parent's visa. They must have a visa of their own.

For ALL OTHER EMBASSIES please email me for information

Home | My Courier Service | Dossier Prep | Vital Records and Secretaries of State |
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Questions? Drop me a line!

 

This page © 2008 Laura Morrison for The Assistant Stork

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