What is an Adoption Decree

An adoption decree, also called an Adoption Certificate, is a legal document signed by a judge which formally creates a parent-child relationship between adoptive parents and the adoptee/s. An adoption decree creates a relationship as if the adoptive parents were the biological parents, even including a new birth certificate. If parental rights of the biological parents are not being completely terminated, the decree will specifically dictate what rights the biological parents have.

While an adoption decree allows a child to obtain a passport under the newly issued birth certificate and receive many rights in the United States, it is important to remember that when you are traveling to a foreign land you are under their laws, not yours. When living, studying or working overseas and adopted children are involved, it is wise to have an authenticated adoption decree on-hand, especially if it is visually obvious that the child/ren is/are not yours biologically. You never want to end up in a foreign court charged with international child kidnapping or child trafficking, and it can cause no small amount of frustration if visa paperwork is held up because a foreign authority wants proof, beyond a passport or even birth certificate, that a child is yours.

Adoption Certificate legalization and apostille

To be considered “authentic” by foreign governments, documents, including birth certificates and adoption decrees, need to be more than just “originals”, and the acceptable authentication process varies depending on the country or countries you will be visiting.

For example, member countries of the Hague Convention of 1961 require a “document apostille” or stamp of authenticity specially designed for Hague Convention countries (currently 80 countries, 79 states, and one Regional Economic Integration Organization). Other countries require a Certificate of Authenticity from the U.S. Office of Authentications or U.S. Department of State.

Documents issued by a state, like birth certificates, must receive an apostille from the designated Competent Authority in the state where the document was issued. Documents issued by a court like an adoption decree must have a “certified true copy” of the decree validated in the state in which the decree was issued. Originals are not apostilled. This is very important if the adoption and new birth certificate are not from the same state since a state cannot apostille a document issued by another state, and the U.S. Department of state will almost never issue an apostille for a state issued document; however, they will provide a Certificate of Authenticity if your document is not going to a Hague Convention country. This means a birth certificate apostille must be sought from the state in which the birth certificate was issued.

Adoption Decree and Apostille process

Complicating issues, each U.S. state has its own unique document apostille process, fees, and requirements, as does the federal government. Some states want documents sent to them directly from a court or county office of vital records, others have timelines (such as a document must have been issued in the last six months), others require long forms and an exemplification letter, and some require different documents and forms for each type of authentication (needed if you are going to both a Hague Convention country and non-convention country).

Official translation of Adoption Decree

Even with an apostille, most countries will not consider documents “legal” unless they are written in the language of the country in which they will be presented. Therefore, in addition to getting an adoption decree apostille, you will want to have it officially translated in to a foreign language as well. Be aware, accepted translations must meet stringent certification and notarization requirements.

People who live outside of the United States may want to move, travel, engage in business, or perform any number of actions that require an adoption decree apostille as well. Sadly, time differences, mailing costs, and other obstacles can hinder your best efforts. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to consider using a document retrieval service.

With tight deadlines, inconsistent application procedures, and varied requirements based on your destination country or countries, you should seriously consider using a professional apostille company. After all, they navigate these waters thousands of times each month, and these are services you can’t afford to have performed improperly.

Hiring professional services

Apoling Solutions is a full-service apostille, translation, and document retrieval service. This means that from one location, Apoling Solutions retrieves documents, orders certified copies, apostilles and authenticates documents, translates (over 55 languages and English dialects), certifies translations, and will expedite documents back to you.

Once you let Apoling Solutions know your plans, they will secure adoption decrees from the court and obtain apostilles from any of the 50 U.S. states and/or the U.S. State Department depending on your needs. If you live overseas, Apoling Solutions will retrieve your documents and apostilles for you.

With Apoling Solutions, you need to contact just one agency regardless of where you live or how many birth certificates you need. Even better, you have peace of mind knowing that your documents will be legal, accepted, and not require any additional services because they are guaranteed to align with all international and domestic requirements.