Documentation for adopted child?

[GwenyP]

Hi, we're going on a Carnival cruise in November and I'm trying to clarify exactly what documentation we'll need for our daughter (adopted last year from China). I've tried calling Carnival (the rep was clueless) and thus far I haven't received a response from them on an email inquiry I sent them.

 

The birth certificate, if you will, is of course all in Chinese and I doubt they will accept it. We don't have a passport for her yet but there's time to do so if necessary. We also have a certificate of citizenship and the adoption decree if necessary.

 

Has anyone else dealt with this recently?

[cb at sea]

Call them, rather than e-mailing! Seems the adoption papers would be sufficient, along with the citizenship papers should be enough....they are a "gov't document"

[GwenyP]

Yeah, I did call them, the rep was clueless. She directed me to homeland security, which proceeded to send me to about fifteen different prompt menus and I still never made it to the right person.

[6rugrats]

The reps really don't understand immigration issues, and I wouldn't rely on any answers from them.

 

The adoption is final, right? I would just get her a US passport; seems as if it would be the easiest solution.

[okied0kie]

I have 2 kids - one from Kazakhstan and the other from Guatemala. I went ahead and got passports for them and will bring their readoption/CoC paperwork that states they are citizens. I'm paranoid though about things like this. Since my daughter from Kazakhstan just has a CoC and the bc is in Kazakh, I wanted something in english for them that has her info on it.

[alj1208]

6rugrats-- Our DS was adopted from Russia. Similar situation. Yes, the adoption is final, and you likely have already received your child's US citizenship papers. You have enough to get a US passport, which is all you need. Yes, the adoption is final and recognized federally by US-China adoption treaty, BUT, it may be worth re-adopting in your home state just so your child has "American" paperwork and doesn't have to rely on documents from a foreign country. In our state, re-adoption was easy: no lawyer required, very small fee, and simple paperwork. Our DS now has documentation in our town hall and in our state archives. They use a different term than "birth certificate," but it functions the same way. We also have adoption papers from a US court (not just Russia), in case there's ever an issue.

[GwenyP]

Yes, we're definitely going to do a re-adoption as well so that she has a Georgia certificate of foreign birth. We just moved so I need to contact the court and find out where to file the paperwork. I'm not optimistic about that being done in time for our trip though ... i'll probably just go ahead and get the passport.

[Wavesprite]

Our daughter is also adopted from China. We live in California and did a "re-adoption" and she now has a California Birth Certicate. When we went on a cruise 2 years ago, I took her California Birth Certificate, AND her Naturalization Paperwork that shows she's a US Citizen.

 

She was 3 at the time. They asked her who these "people" were with her and she was like "My mom and dad?" They also asked her "Where were you born?" and asked us how old she was when we adopted her (not in a nice way). It was very awkward and they did not treat us well. Taking our documents and examining them like we were trying to smuggle something on board.

 

I actually also took a photocopy of our adoption paperwork from China (that red folder with the picture of your family in it and is written in Chinese) I decided to NOT show them this, as at that point I was a mad Mamma.

 

If I were you, I would apply for a passport ASAP for her, and that will cut all the little paperwork out of the situation, and you will be "in the clear". As soon as we arrived home, I applied for passports for both of my children.

[SingleFatherofDD]

I don't know how much I can help you. DD was just adopted in February from a family member. DD's mother was a single mother who didn't want to take care of her daughter any more and looked for someone to hand her over to. I volunteered only if I could adopt her. It wasn't that hard for me to adopt DD. We went in front of a family court judge where DD's mother signed all of her rights over to me. In the finally order, DD's mother is not to have any further contact with DD until she is 21 years old and DD wants to have a relationship. However, unlike all of the PP my daughter was an American Citizen with an American Birth Certificate. Prior to my first trip with DD I got her a passport where she had my last name on it. On that trip they didn't ask about her status of adoption only why her mother wasn't traveling with us. In the paper work from the courts it stated that I am unmarried and I adopted my DD on my own. When ever I go on trips I take DD's passport and also the paperwork from the judge stating that DD is mine. I guess when and if I get married and travel with my wife there won't be any questions asked. Sorry if I didn't help because DD is an American adoption. The only thing I can say is make sure you have the paper work from the adoption with you. Make copies of the originals and get a passport.

[jbrezen]

Our daughter is 7 and adopted from South Korea. Korean adoptions are a little different from other international adoptions in that the adoption is not final until the child has been in the US for 6 months and then they are issued a US birth certificate.

 

We got a passport for our daughter when she was 3, I would say that is the easiest and safest way to travel. We have left the country with her several times, and never once had an issue with just traveling with her passport. I don't bring any other documentation.

 

I have to admit I was very nervous the first time, I was so afraid that they wouldn't let us back in the US but the only comments we have received is how cute she is!

[lisaann]

We *just* dealt with this today for a cruise that departs in 25 days! You're so smart to start thinking about this early.

 

DS was born in Guatemala. We brought him home on an IR3 Visa in 2005 (instant citizenship) so we weren't legally required to re-adopt him. However, we decide that it would be "nice" to re-adopt him in the US so he has a birth certificate in English. We did that in May.

 

I called Carnival to see if he HAD to have a passport and I was told "no." I called the US Passport office Monday and asked the same question. The answer I got was, "Yes, if he wants to get off this ship and get back on again." Well, duh...it's a cruise! Of course we're going to get off the ship and get back on! So, we attended his passport appointment this afternoon. I had to hand over:

 

Original Certificate of Citizenship (which states the name he immigrated with)

Re-adoption paperwork issued in my state (states his BIRTH name and his new name)

US birth certificate issued in my state (states only his new name)

 

The guy at the post office looked at but did not keep:

 

Guatemalan passport showing IR3 immigration status

Guatemalan birth certificate (original and English translation)

Guatemalan adotion decree (original and translation...it's biblical in length, so he flipped through it, at best)

 

Had we NOT re-adopted him, the guy at the post office said he would have needed ALL of my original Guatemalan documents with the English translations. I was in a bit of a panic handing over all of the originals that would be so hard to replace, so he made my day when he handed it back. Although, I'm still sweating the COC the US government now has!

 

People at the US Passport office were so incredibly helpful and very understanding. I called 1-877-487-2778 and explained our situation. The woman I spoke to gave us the list of what to bring.

 

We opted to spend the extra $60 to expedite the passport for a 2-3 week delivery window. Even with a November cruise, you may be cutting it close. I hated to part with the extra money, but I figure it will be worth it in the end!

 

Best to you!

 

P.S. We're in the slooooow line to adopt from China! I'm thrilled to see so many fellow adoptive parents on the list!

[junglejane]

Interesting to read all these responses from posters who have adopted internationally. :) We adopted our younger DD through a domestic private adoption. We got passports for both our kids in 2006 and need to get them renewed next Spring. I agree with the others who say get the passport. You don't say whether you are flying home and have any time constraints disembarking and getting to the airport. But it seems to me that a passport will greatly reduce the potential for delay and hassle when you go through immigration.

[2disneydads]

Interesting to read all these responses from posters who have adopted internationally. :) We adopted our younger DD through a domestic private adoption. We got passports for both our kids in 2006 and need to get them renewed next Spring. I agree with the others who say get the passport. You don't say whether you are flying home and have any time constraints disembarking and getting to the airport. But it seems to me that a passport will greatly reduce the potential for delay and hassle when you go through immigration.

 

We have two daughters, now 7 and 5, adopted through US private adoptions. I echo the many suggestions to get a passport for your child and to do the expedited service. Getting passports for our daughters was quite easy - all we needed was a certified copy of our adoption decree and a copy of the original birth certificate, which we had from the hospital in both cases. (We did not need the re-issued birth certificate, although that certainly will help.) We brought those into the local county clerk's office (just remember that for young children BOTH parents must be physically present to apply for a passport). Was very easy - a lot easier and a lot less bureaucracy than getting them social security numbers (don't get me started on that process!). Most post offices even take the passport pictures right there - we did that for renewals of the passports. Once you have the passports, that should be all you need (although we do carry copies of our adoption decrees out of an excess of caution when we travel outside the US).

[Cabami]

I have a daughter adopted from Guatemala. I echo everyone's suggestion-get her a passport right away. A passport can be replaced more easily (and with less $$) than the original Certificate of Citizenship. It is usually suggested not to travel with the COC. Since DD was a baby, we have gone on 4 cruises. I always take the passport and a certified copy of her U.S. Certificate of Foreign Birth in case we have to prove we are her parents. We have never ONCE been asked to show the birth certificate. We have just shown the passport and that's it. (Which, with the stories you hear about international custody battles, you would think the authorities would verify that we are in fact the child's parents, since we obviously look different).

 

OP, I think I read that you are from Georgia. Do the re-adoption right away. It is not that hard. If you know where to look there are forms you can find on the internet to go by. (I am from Georgia, also.) You can then get a Certificate of foreign Birth which is just like a birth certificate, and is in English. In GA these are very easy to get more certified copies of once you have one. Any county probate court in the state can print it out and certify it any time you need another certified copy. This fact is not widely known yet, as the system has been in place only a few years.

 

One last piece of advice that I never see mentioned on these boards regarding passports...for complete peace of mind, there are several companies that will process your passport application for you (for a fee of course) and guarantee it back to you in a week, or even less. They have someone who hand walks the paperwork through the passport agency office. If you do a google search for something like "quick u.s. passports" the links to several of these companies will come up. The one I used worked beautifully; had the Passport in about a week. That way, you are not at the mercy of the bureacracy being correct in the time frame they give you for expediting the passport. They tell you 2-3 weeks, but there is no guarantee, and things could back up at any time.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[squidward]

We live in NY and our son was adopted from New Jersey (private adoption), and we hoped to be able to get his amended birth certificate in time for a cruise. But it never arrived, and the state of New Jersey refused to expedite the process.

 

Since we didn't have his birth certificate in time for the cruise, we went to the NY passport office about a week before our cruise, showed them our cruise documents and adoption papers, and were able to get a passport on the same day.

 

If you want to get a passport on the same day, you have to call for an appointment, and both parents (if there are 2 parents) need to show up in person WITH the child.

[lisaf1]

My DD was adopted from Guatemala in 2005. I got her a US passport shortly after she got home. I wanted to have that in my hands before I requested an updated COC with her legally changed name. Having the US passport is the easiest way to travel. I do remember having to send original documents when I got her passport. All documents were returned to me with the new passport... I did also do an adoption validation and she has a Certificate of foreign birth.

 

Lisa

[Kimmisuecruiser]

We did not get passports for our children. Hope I don't regret that! Both were adopted dometically but they are both Hispanic and don't look a bit like either of us (blonde and redhead). Since their birth certificates say they are our children, I didn't think we'd need anything else. Maybe I'll take their adoption decrees just in case!

[cyntil8ing]

We did not get passports for our children. Hope I don't regret that! Both were adopted dometically but they are both Hispanic and don't look a bit like either of us (blonde and redhead). Since their birth certificates say they are our children, I didn't think we'd need anything else. Maybe I'll take their adoption decrees just in case!

 

Since your children were already US citizens, you should be fine; the birth certificate is their proof of citizenship. But for many of us who have adopted internationally, the birth certificate may say NOT FOR PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP. It can only be used to prove age and that we are the child's parents. In other words, it's no good for a cruise.

 

We adopted our son from Guatemala in 2007. We did a re-adoption in order to change his name, then got a US passport with the court documents and his Certificate of Citizenship.