Russian children are among the most popular with Irish couples and the Adoption Board is currently registering about one adoption a week from Russia.
Prospective adoptive parents must undergo assessment by their regional health board. This can take one and a half to two years, and in some cases longer, because of the waiting lists for assessments.
Prospective adoptive parents of Russian children usually arrange the adoption through private international agencies over which the Republic has no control and are, effectively, "on their own". These agencies have been known to charge more than £10,000, excluding travel and interpretation costs, though one agency recently claimed it had reduced this to about £6,000. Some parents are currently believed to be attempting to arrange Russian adoptions by themselves.