Berkeley Parents Network: Readoption of an Internationally-Born Child

Berkeley Parents Network

Readoption of an Internationally-Born Child

The Parents Network > Advice > Adoption > Readoption of an Internationally-Born Child

Re-adopting a child who wasn't born in the US

March 2005

Hello, We need to readopt our son who was adopted internationally, so that we can get him a California Birth Certificate. (He is already a US Citizen and he has a US passport.) How is this done? Any advice on this? Do we need to hire a lawyer? Thanks anon

Hi, As far as I know, you do not need to hire a lawyer to do a readoption in California. I did one in Alameda County simply by filling out some forms (available on the County Court's website - http://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp/Adoptions/hearings.html ) and filing them, along with the original homestudy, for $26! Then I had to call back a week later or so and get a court date for a hearing. In Alameda, Judge Horner does all of these hearings on Friday mornings, usually in his chambers. It's a nice, validating experience, and very simple.

The only tiny wrinkle was that there was another form - like VS- 44 or something, but don't quote me! - that I needed to fill out but that is not online. It was simple enough to fill out while I was on the line to file.

Some agencies are telling people that they *must* pay the agency a huge fee to readopt, or provide post-placement reports, or the like. In Alameda County, anyway, that is absolutely not true. All you're doing is registering your foreign adoption, which is already a legal adoption. You don't need more paperwork from the agency.

Other counties may have other processes. But I'm not convinced you have to file in your home county, so that's worth some thought if you get stuck somehow with another county's process. Actually, you don't even need to readopt to get the birth certificate. If you run into some snag with your agency providing a copy of the homestudy or something, another option is to simply file for a delayed registration of birth. I did this the first time 'round due to misinformation from my agency. The steps are the same as for the readoption, but instead of getting the adoption registered PLUS the new birth certificate, all you get is the birth certificate. But it's an option if you are stuck otherwise.

Good luck, and enjoy your hearing with the lovely Judge Horner! Nancy

Your social worker who did your home study (or the home study agency itself) should be able to assist you with this. We are currently doing a readoption and our social worker has been very helpful in getting us everything that we needed. Adopted our son from Kazakhstan

In response to the parents who asked about readoption -- you can find info at: www.courtinfo.ca.gov.

I just finished the process of readopting my internationally adopted daughter. I also wanted the CA birth certificate. You do not need a lawyer! You can do it all yourself. Some adoption agencies will tell you that you need another social worker visit and write-up, but I know of several families who used their initial homestudy report for the process.

You can also call 272-3814 which is the number for the clerk who handles readoptions in Alameda Co. All of this info assumes you live in Alameda Co (which you may not). You might also want to check with your adoption agency. Congratulations and good luck! anon

Having done two readoptions in Alameda County without a lawyer, I can report that the hardest part was figuring out what forms to file, and who to contact. Now the state has put together a 2- page booklet summarizing the steps: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/documents/adopt050.pdf

Google the form name (i.e. adopt-200) to download the forms referred to in the booklet. This should get you started. We live in Berkeley and filed at the Superior Court on Fallon St. in Oakland. Feel free to email me if you have questions. lisa

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