How to Search the Official Russian usynovite.ru Photo-Listing

by Jim

Sometime during a Russian adoption journey, many people searching on the Internet eventually learn about a Russian government website that contains a photo-listing of children available for adoption throughout Russia. This mysterious website is often mentioned in blog entries or forum posts by a variety of names, including The Database, or even The Data Bank. The promise of an opportunity to see photos of children available for adoption in Russia, or even to search for a photo of a referred child, is a strong lure.

But just what is this photo-listing? And, how do you find it and search it? This article explains the nature of the photo-listing site, how to search it, and how to interpret the results of a search.

What is the usynovite.ru Photo-Listing?

In 2005, the Russian federal Ministry of Education & Science (MoE) opened a new website as part of a push to promote adoption and foster care within Russia. This website, called Adoption in Russia, contains information about the Russian adoption-related laws, information about the various forms of adoption and foster care in Russia, a photo-listing of Russian children available for adoption and foster care, and a section intended for foreigners wishing to adopt children in Russia through international adoption.

Despite an early announcement that the information would be available in several languages, only very basic information and a list of foreign agencies holding Russian Permits for Adoption Activity have been made available in English. All of the other information on the website is in Russian language. However, much of that information can be valuable to someone considering an international adoption in Russia.

The photo-listing portion of the website is an online database containing brief biographical data for many of the children in Russia who are available for adoption or one of several forms of foster care. These children are either true orphans (no living parents) or social orphans (children whose parents have relinquished their rights or whose parents’ rights were involuntarily terminated by the courts). The photo-listing contains records for children from every one of Russia’s 80+ regions.

All of the children listed on this photo-listing are not available for adoption to non-Russian families, even if their record says that they are available for adoption. Russian law does not permit a child to be adopted to a foreign family until that child has been properly listed on the official Russian Data Bank of Children Left Without Parental Care for a minimum period of time, currently several months. There is no way to know, looking at the records in the usynovite.ru photo-listing, whether any child is or is not available for adoption by non-Russian families.

The usynovite.ru website's photo-listing database is not the official Russian Data Bank of Children Left Without Parental Care. From its inception, there has been confusion in the international adoption community between the usynovite.ru photo-listing and the national Data Bank. Russian law requires children to be listed on a national Data Bank for a minimum period of time before they are eligible for adoption to non-Russian families. That official Data Bank is run by the federal MoE with data supplied from regional MoE’s and departments of education. There is no public access to the official Data Bank of children left without parental care.

A Special Note for Pre-Adoptive Parents

As part of your adoption process, the Russian federal MoE issues a letter from Moscow indicating that your referred child has been listed on the Federal Data Bank of Children Left Without Parental Care for the legally required time. You cannot access the Federal Data Bank of Children Left Without Parental Care. That federal Data Bank is not the same thing as the usynovite.ru photo-listing described in this article.

The usynovite.ru Internet photo-listing is a separate Internet website database that is used to showcase some of the children who are (or were) available for adoption. While it has been updated over time, many adoptive parents have reported that their children remained on the photo-listing for some time after the adoption. Other adoptive parents have reported that their children were never listed on usynovite.ru.

Some pre-adoptive parents between referral and court have become alarmed at the sudden appearance, disappearance, or change to the record for their referred child on the usynovite.ru photo-listing. Regular updates to the records on the usynovite.ru website photo-listing are normal, and they don't indicate anything particular about your case or the fate of your referral. The website photo-listing is simply a marketing tool used by the Russian authorities to try to find Russian homes for their orphan children. It is not intended or designed as a means for you to monitor the availability or status of your referral. Even though it is tempting to make assumptions based on updates to the photo-listing, don't do it. If you want to know the status of your referral, check with your agency.

How can I find the usynovite.ru Photo-Listing?

The usynovite.ru website is located at http://www.usynovite.ru. After you have opened that page, locate and click the Russian phrase "Банк данных о детях-сиротах" near the center of the yellow bar running across the page near the top. It should be located directly below the drawing of two children standing under a rainbow.




Clicking that phrase will take you to the search page for the photo-listing. If you prefer to go directly to the search page without stopping at the home page, you can click on the following link:

http://www.usynovite.ru/db/

The name of the URL is taken from the Russian word усыновите (usynovite), which means “adopt a child.”

How can I search the usynovite.ru Photo-Listing?

To search the photo-listing, open the search page and scroll the window down to the bottom of the page, where you will find a data entry form. The page is entirely in Russian; there is not an English-language version of it. If you cannot read Russian, don’t worry. This article will provide the guidance you need to select the proper data to narrow your search effectively.

The search form begins with the title “Поиск ребенка,” which is Russian for “Child Search.” You can reference a translated version of the search form below, and make the appropriate selections in the corresponding fields of the Russian-language form:




Each of the optional fields can be used to narrow the search. If you select the check box next to the name of the field, that field is used to restrict the search to the criteria selected below it. For example, checking the box next to “Child’s Gender” and then selecting “Female” means that you will be shown only records from the photo-listing database for girls. Likewise, if you wish to restrict your search to children who were born in 2004, you can select the check box next to “Year of Birth” and enter “2004” in the field below it. Leaving a check box unchecked means that the search will not be restricted by that category.

The field named “Region” contains a list of all of the Russian regions where children may be located. Normally in an international adoption in Russia, the prospective parents’ dossier is registered in a specific region, after which a child is referred to that family. This list on the search form allows you to select one or more regions in order to narrow the search. If you wish to choose more than one region, you must hold down the “CTRL” key on your keyboard while choosing each additional region.

The names of the regions are not translated above, since there are over 80 of them. Instead, the list below contains the original Russian name and the English translation. Find the name of your region of interest in English, and then select the Russian name on the search form that matches the corresponding Russian name in the list below.

	Russian Name	English Name	Capital
1.	Агинский Бурятский АО	Agin-Buryat Autonomous District	Aginskoe
2.	Алтайский край	Altai Territory	Barnaul
3.	Амурская область	Amur Region	Blagoveshchensk
4.	Архангельская область	Archangel'sk Region	Archangel'sk
5.	Астраханская область	Astrakhan Region	Astrakhan
6.	Белгородская область	Belgorod Region	Belgorod
7.	Брянская область	Bryansk Region	Bryansk
8.	Владимирская область	Vladimir Region	Vladimir
9.	Волгоградская область	Volgograd Region	Volgograd
10.	Вологодская область	Vologda Region	Vologda
11.	Воронежская область	Voronezh Region	Voronezh
12.	Еврейская АО	Jewish Autonomous Region	Birobidjan
13.	Ивановская область	Ivanovo Region	Ivanovo
14.	Иркутская область	Irkutsk Region	Irkutsk
15.	Кабардино-Балкарская Республика	Kabardino-Balkar Republic	Nalchik
16.	Калининградская область	Kaliningrad Region	Kaliningrad
17.	Калужская область	Kaluga Region	Kaluga
18.	Камчатская область	Kamchatka Region	Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
19.	Карачаево-Черкесская Республика	Karachay-Cherkess Republic	Cherkessk
20.	Кемеровская область	Kemerovo Region	Kemerovo
21.	Кировская область	Kirov Region	Kirov
22.	Корякский АО	Koryak Autonomous District	Palana
23.	Костромская область	Kostroma Region	Kostroma
24.	Краснодарский край	Krasnodar Territory	Krasnodar
25.	Красноярский край	Krasnoyarsk Territory	Krasnoyarsk
26.	Курганская область	Kurgan Region	Kurgan
27.	Курская область	Kursk Region	Kursk
28.	Ленинградская область	Leningrad Region	Saint Petersburg
29.	Липецкая область	Lipetsk Region	Lipetsk
30.	Магаданская область	Magadan Region	Magadan
31.	Москва	Moscow City	Moscow
32.	Московская область	Moscow Region	Moscow
33.	Мурманская область	Murmansk Region	Murmansk
34.	Ненецкий АО	Nenets Autonomous District	Naryan-Mar
35.	Нижегородская область	Nizhegorod Region	Nizhny Novgorod
36.	Новгородская область	Novgorod Region	Novgorod
37.	Новосибирская область	Novosibirsk Region	Novosibirsk
38.	Омская область	Omsk Region	Omsk
39.	Оренбургская область	Orenburg Region	Orenburg
40.	Орловская область	Orlov Region	Orlov
41.	Пензенская область	Penza Region	Penza
42.	Пермский край	Perm Territory	Perm
43.	Приморский край	Primorye Territory	Vladivostok
44.	Псковская область	Pskov Region	Pskov
45.	Республика Адыгея	Republic of Adigea	Maikop
46.	Республика Алтай	Altai Republic	Gorno-Altaysk
47.	Республика Башкортостан	Republic of Bashkortostan	Ufa
48.	Республика Бурятия	Buryat Republic	Ulan-Ude
49.	Республика Дагестан	Republic of Dagestan	Makhachkala
50.	Республика Ингушетия	Republic of Ingushetia	Magas
51.	Республика Калмыкия	Republic of Kalmykia	Elista
52.	Республика Карелия	Republic of Karelia	Petrozavodsk
53.	Республика Коми	Komi Republic	Syktyvkar
54.	Республика Марий Эл	Mari El Republic	Yoshkar-Ola
55.	Республика Мордовия	Republic of Mordovia	Saransk
56.	Республика Саха (Якутия)	Sakha (Yakutia) Republic	Yakutsk
57.	Республика Северная Осетия (Алания)	Republic of North Ossetia-Alania	Vladikavkaz
58.	Республика Татарстан	Republic of Tatarstan	Kazan
59.	Республика Тыва	Tuva Republic	Kyzyl
60.	Республика Удмуртия	Republic of Udmurtia	Izhevsk
61.	Республика Хакасия	Republic of Khakassia	Abakan
62.	Республика Чувашия-Чаваш	Republic of Chuvashia	Cheboksary
63.	Ростовская область	Rostov Region	Rostov-on-Don
64.	Рязанская область	Ryazan Region	Ryazan
65.	Самарская область	Samara Region	Samara
66.	Санкт-Петербург	Saint Petersburg City	Saint Petersburg
67.	Саратовская область	Saratov Region	Saratov
68.	Сахалинская область	Sakhalin Region	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
69.	Свердловская область	Sverdlovsk Region	Ekaterinburg
70.	Смоленская область	Smolensk Region	Smolensk
71.	Ставропольский край	Stavropol Territory	Stavropol
72.	Тамбовская область	Tambov Region	Tambov
73.	Тверская область	Tver Region	Tver
74.	Томская область	Tomsk Region	Tomsk
75.	Тульская область	Tula Region	Tula
76.	Тюменская область	Tyumen Region	Tyumen
77.	Ульяновская область	Ulyanovsk Region	Ulyanovsk
78.	Усть-Ордынский Бурятский АО	Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous District	Ust-Ordynsky
79.	Хабаровский край	Khabarovsk Territory	Khabarovsk
80.	Ханты-Мансийский АО	Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District	Khanty-Mansiysk
81.	Челябинская область	Chelyabinsk Region	Chelyabinsk
82.	Чеченская Республика	Chechen Republic	Grozny
83.	Читинская область	Chita Region	Chita
84.	Чукотский АО	Chukotka Autonomous District	Anadyr
85.	Ямало-Ненецкий АО	Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District	Salekhard
86.	Ярославская область	Yaroslavl Region	Yaroslavl

The region list above is current as of March 20, 2009 for the selection list used on the usynovite.ru photo-listing search page. However, a few regions in Russia have recently merged but are not yet updated in the selection list. The merged regions are:

Камчатский край = Kamchatsky Krai (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) - Merger of Koryakski Autonomous Okrug with Kamchatkskaya Oblast (July 1, 2007)
Иркутская область = Irkutskaya Oblast - Merger of Ust-Ordinski Buryatski Autonomous Okrug with Irkutskaya Oblast (January 1, 2008)
Забайкальский край = Zabaikalski Krai - Merger of Chitinskaya Oblast with Aginski Buryatski Autonomous Okrug (March 1, 2008)


After you have selected all search narrowing criteria that interest you, click the gray search command, labeled “искать” in Russian. The search will proceed.

Why can’t I use an automatic translator to search the photo-listing in English?

Many people have tried to automatically translate the usynovite.ru photo-listing search page through an online translator tool such as BabelFish or Google Language Tools. While the translated search page is somewhat readable, every time the gray “search” button is clicked, an error is generated. So, the search must be done from the Russian-language form, without the use of an automated translator. It seems intimidating at first, but once you have used it a few times, it gets easier to know what to select.

How can I understand the results of a search?

After you perform a successful search, the usynovite.ru website will present you with one or more pages of results. These results take the form of a list of records that usually include a photo of the child, along with some biographical data. Like the original search form, the results are displayed in Russian.

At this point, you have a choice. You may copy the URL of the result page at the top of your browser and run it through an online translator to see the results automatically translated to English. Or, you may look through the results in Russian and use the following information as a guide to understanding the contents. If you are looking for a specific child, it may be easier to use the Russian results because the automated English translations sometimes make confusing word choices.

The following example identifies the key information in a result record. Details are provided below the diagram.




Some records do not contain all of the possible data. The data most commonly missing includes eye color, hair color, and character. Here's what each numbered item in the diagram represents:

1. This is a database record number. It's probably specific to the usynovite.ru photo-listing database and may not have meaning in any other context.

2. This is the name of the Russian region in which this child is located.

3. This is the name of the child. First name followed by family (last name) initial. No patronymic information appears to be provided.

4. This identifies whether there are any known siblings in the system. Possible answers include:

     • Есть братья или сестры = Has brothers or sisters.
     • Братьев и сестер нет = No brothers or sisters.

     • NOTE: This field has been known to be inaccurate.

5. Возможные формы устройства = Possible forms of placement. Russia has four different types of child placement in families. Only adoption is available to foreigners. Potential values are:

     • усыновление = Adoption
     • опека (попечительство) = Guardianship (Trusteeship)
     • приемная семья = Receiving family
     • патронатное воспитание = Patronage training

6. Дата рождения = Birth Date. Only the month and year are shown. Possible month names are:

     • Январь = January
     • Февраль = February
     • Март = March
     • Апрель = April
     • Май = May
     • Июнь = June
     • Июль = July
     • Август = August
     • Сентябрь = September
     • Октябрь = October
     • Ноябрь = November
     • Декабрь = December

7. Пол = Gender. Online translators sometimes mistranslate this as "floor," since the Russian word for "floor" is also пол. It may also be incorrectly rendered as "half" by an automated translator. Possible values are:

     • мужской = male
     • женский = female

8. Глаза = Eyes (Eye Color) Possible values include:

     • карий = brown; hazel
     • голубой = light blue
     • серый = gray
     • зеленый = green
     • черный = dark; black

9. Волосы = Hair (Hair Color). Possible values include:

     • светлые = blonde
     • светло-русые = light brown
     • русые = brown
     • темно-русые = dark brown
     • темные = dark
     • черные = black
     • рыжие = red

10. Характер = Character. This field is a brief attempt to describe the child's character. Some possible answers include:

     • спокойный, спокойная = calm, easygoing
     • беспокойный, беспокойная = uneasy, anxious
     • общительный, общительная = sociable, amiable
     • малообщительный, малообщительная = unsociable
     • замкнутый, замкнутая = reserved, unsociable
     • капризный, капризная = capricious, playful
     • веселый, веселая = cheerful, jovial
     • доброжелательный, доброжелательная = good-natured
     • упрямый, упрямая = stubborn
     • заботливий, заботливая = caring toward others
     • подвижный, подвижная = lively, active, quick
     • активный, активная = active

     • NOTE: There are a large number of descriptive words possible. This is not a complete list.

11. Куда обращаться = Where to inquire. This is a link to the contact page for the regional databank operator for this specific child. Note that they probably aren't expecting foreign adopters to contact them directly using the information included here. This contact information is intended for Russian citizens living in Russia. Some prospective adoptive parents have reported trying to contact the Russian adoption authorities via these numbers, using a Russian-speaking telephone interpreter, and have been refused assistance or told to work with an adoption agency holding a valid Russian Permit for Adoption Activity, which is consistent with Russian law and adoption policy.

The Russian government has established rules that allow only the regional Department of Education, either in person or through a foreign adoption agency with a Russian Permit, to refer a child to prospective parents. To allow foreigners to select a child from this photo-listing directly could short-circuit that process and possibly create duplicate referrals or other undesirable situations. Instead, just hire a reputable agency holding a valid Russian Permit and let them do the work of finding a properly-sanctioned referral for you.

How can I find the record for a specific child, such as my referral?

You'll have to work backwards at it. Start by selecting the region you are adopting in, then the gender. If you know the year of birth, select that too. Then click "search" and go through the results one page at a time looking for the first name of the child you are seeking. When you see the first name you are looking for, check the last initial to see if it matches the initial of the last name of the child (if you know it). For each child that meets the criteria, look at the photo to see if it resembles the child you are seeking.

That's about as precise as you can get. For what it's worth, you can also narrow the list by specifying eye color and other attributes, but be aware that sometimes that data is not entered correctly, and you could exclude your child's data from the result list without intending to do so.





If you have specific questions or feedback for the author of this article, I would be happy to hear from you. Please send an e-mail to jim (at) russianadoptionhelp.com. You will need to remove the spaces and change the "(at)" part into the appropriate symbol for an e-mail address.





This article was last revised on January 16, 2010

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