Expediting fees are costs that you may choose to pay during certain portions of your adoption. These fees are used to decrease the amount of time you must wait for a particular step in your adoption process. These expediting fees should not be looked upon as bribes, but as an "express service charge" to cover the inconvenience of faster service.

We have expediting fees in the United States as well, such as Priority Mail, Overnight Delivery, and even rush delivery for passports. The only difference between our expediting fees and those in Ukraine are ours are documented and uniform for everyone in all states. Whereas in Ukraine, the fees vary depending on region and situation.

If you feel uncomfortable paying these expediting fees, you do not have to. However, be prepared to slow your adoption process by as much as month or more. That is time that you are in Ukraine. Remember, this is your adoption.

Talk to your facilitator when you feel uncomfortable with certain things. Tell them in a nice way that you do not feel comfortable with this situation. But be prepared to listen to your facilitator's reasoning for wanting to pay the expediting fees and discuss the available options.

Be very nice and courteous, but open with your facilitator. But do not go over there thinking that you will not be presented with an expedited fee for at least one of the steps along the way. Ukraine has 90 days to issue the passport for an Ukrainian child. Over here, our passports take 30-45 days to issue. Just as with our passports, you can wait the whole time period, or pay an expediting fee to speed up the process. If you don't want to pay it, then don't. It is YOUR choice. But if you do not pay it, be prepared to spend three months waiting for the passport in Ukraine.

Know that most facilitators aim to please reasonable expectations. They want you to have a good experience. They want you to get your child and be happy. They know that ultimately it will help other families to follow in your footsteps.