More about 268

We now know a bit more about the new decree that legislates how agencies are able to do work in Russia. 268 was officially replaced by Government Decision 654. Thanks to helpful poster, Jim, on FRUA( http://www.frua.org ), we all have a clearer understanding of the process It, thankfully, extends the accreditation period for an agency to 5 years, vs. annual renewal. This should be a sigh of relief for those just starting the process. It also outlines the documents that the agencies need to submit, and states that the MoE will approve or deny accreditation within 3 months of receipt of an agencies. The three month statement is a blessing and a disappointment. It is nice to know that the govt has a finite time to review the documents, but 3 months is a looong time. Here is my best guess at a timeline:

• Buckner submits documents to MoE by Dec. 1st (that allows time for gathering, notarizing, apostilling and translating).
• MoE has 3 months to review - but let's go crazy and say it only takes 2. Buckner has their accreditation by Feb. 1st.
• We receive our invitation to travel in February. We're spending Sean's 44th birthday (2/21) in chilly Moscow. (Average high temp in February is a 25°)
• Back for court in March and have our then 2 ½ year old by April.

It seems so long away, but at least there will be an end in sight. And, there is always the possibility that things could move more quickly….right?