What IS a dossier?

So, you probably saw the announcement on Facebook...

Our dossier is on its way to U-know-where. It should arrive on Friday.

A few people have asked me lately, "What exactly IS a dossier?"

Well...a dossier (pronounced dah-see-ay) is basically your life on paper. It begins with the homestudy which, for us, began with over 50 pages of paperwork. The homestudy and dossier are very similar in the paperwork.

The homestudy and dossier both include

Proof of employment

Proof of home ownership

Most recent tax return

Medical reports and copies of the doctor's license

State background check

The homestudy also includes

LONG application

LONG financial statement

Local background check

Federal background check

Birth certificates for all family members

Marriage certificate

Proof of health insurance

Many different consents

Pediatrician reports (if you already have children)

Proof of up-to-date pet vaccinations (if you have pets)

Septic tank letter (from the county saying your tank has been pumped in the last 5 years and is in good working condition)

3 reference letters

The dossier also includes

Adoption petition

The licenses of your homestudy agency and social worker

Passport affidavits

Petitions for Interpol

Letters of Obligation

Approval from US Immigration (the golden ticket)

Powers of Attorney

One of the big differences between the homestudy and dossier is that everything, EVERYTHING, for the dossier must be notarized and apostilled. The apostille basically certifies the notary and makes it official for a certain country. The kicker is that whatever state your document is notarized in, it also has to be apostilled in that state. Each state charges a fee for apostilling. We were married in Washington State, so our marriage certificates had to be apostilled there. Washington charges $15 per document. Jon's employment verification was notarized in California, so we had to pay their $20 (per document) fee to have it apostilled there. YIKES! Our proof of home ownership came from Michigan where they charge $1 to apostille each document. The rest of our dossier was apostilled here in Georgia, where the charge is $3 per document.

So...here it is. Our life on paper. Our dossier. 41 notarized, apostilled documents. Including our 11 page homestudy.

So, what now, you ask?

Our dossier should arrive on Friday. Then it takes a week or two to be translated. Then we wait for it to be submitted to the State Department on Adoption, which is done on Thursdays. Then we wait for approval. Then we wait for our travel date.

We wait. We wait. We wait.

And then

We GO!