When a child is legally adopted in the U.S., the adoptive parents can request a new birth certificate with the child's new information. The biological parents' names are replaced with the adoptive parents' names to reflect the child's new family. The child's surname is also altered to match that of her adoptive parents. The replacement birth certificate becomes the official birth certificate of record, although in some states, the child may be able to request a copy of her original birth certificate upon reaching the age of 18.
Instructions
1. Obtain the original Certificate of Adoption. You should have received a copy of this at the final adoption hearing. If not, request a certified copy of the Certificate of the Adoption from the clerk of the court where the adoption was finalized. There may be a nominal fee for reproducing the document if you are replacing a lost copy.
2. Request an application for a replacement birth certificate from your state's civil registry (also called the Office of the State Registrar or the Office of Vital Statistics in some states). If you adopted more than one child--for example, two siblings--you will need a separate application for each child's birth certificate you wish to replace.
3. Complete the application by entering you and your spouse's personal information, including your full names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Then enter your child's full name as it should appear after the adoption--for example, if you are giving the child your surname, enter the child's name using your last name instead of his birth surname. Enter any other information you want to change on your child's birth certificate, but keep in mind some information cannot be changed, including your child's actual date of birth.
4. Submit the completed application, along with a certified copy of the original birth certificate and Certificate of Adoption, to your state's civil registry. There will likely be a nominal fee, averaging between $30 and $150, which should be submitted along with the application. If you are submitting more than one application, you must pay a separate fee for each. Your civil registry may also require copies of your photo identification and/or birth certificate before it will process your request.
5. Receive a certified copy of your child's replacement birth certificate in the mail. Processing time varies for each state, but you can expect the replacement birth certificate to arrive within six to eight weeks.
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