Adoption Certificate

An Adoption Certificate is also known as an Adoption Decree, is a legal document issued by a judge, legally certifying a parent-child relationship between adoptive parents and the adopted child(ren). The Adoption Certificate creates a formal parent / child relationship, as if the adoptive parents were the biological parents, which includes a new Birth Certificate for the child, identifying the adoptive parents as the true parents of the child. In the event that the parental rights of the biological parents are not being completely severed, the Adoption Certificate will specifically dictate what rights the biological parents have.

Although an Adoption Certificate in the United States of America allows a child to receive may rights within the United States, along with the permission to obtain a United States Passport under the newly issued United States Birth Certificate, it is important to understand that when you are traveling internationally to foreign countries, you are under the laws of of the foreign country, not the United States of America. Therefore, when traveling internationally it is wise to have an Apostilled Adoption Certification(s) on-hand, especially if it is visually obvious that the child(ren) is (are) not biologically yours. Failure to possess an Apostilled Adoption Certification in a foreign court can result in you being charged with international child kidnapping or child trafficking, which can also cause your Visa paperwork to held because a foreign authority wants evidence, beyond a passport or even a Birth Certificate, that the child is indeed yours.

Adoption Certifications submitted for an Apostille must have a Certified Copy of the Certification validated in the State where the Certification was issued. Originals are not Apostilled. For example if an Adoption Certification is issued in Arkansas but the Birth Certificate is issued in Oregon the Certified True Copy of the Adoption Certification must be Apostilled in Arkansas and the Certified Copy of the Birth Certificate must be Apostilled in Oregon. Each State has its own Apostille requirements.

If an Adoption Certification is needed for a Non-Hague Country the Decree will also need to be legalized through the United States Department of State (USDOS) and country's Embassy / Consulate Office. In addition, most countries will not accept documents unless they are certified translated in their country's language, If by chance, the State does not accept your Adoption Certification we will contact you with the State's instructions.

Once the Certified English Adoption Certification is properly received you can mail it to us to be Apostilled. We can also provide Certified Translation Services into the language required by the Country of Designation.

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