Adoption Petition

The birth certificate is the foundational document of identity in the United States, used for everything from passport applications to social security enrollment. If you fail to complete the Adoption Registration, the child’s original birth certificate which lists the biological parents remains the only valid record in the state database. This mismatch between your court order and the official state record triggers fraud alerts at banks and government offices, effectively freezing your ability to manage your child’s affairs. We manage the administrative transition of these records with absolute rigidity, ensuring that your child’s new identity is recognized by every major institution without delay.

If the court order is misplaced or destroyed before the Adoption Registration is finalized, you face a significant legal crisis that requires a petition to reconstruct the court record. Without a certified copy of the decree, the state will refuse to issue an amended birth certificate, leaving your child with no legal link to their adoptive family. This process is expensive, time-consuming and public, often requiring a new round of notices to potential biological claimants. SJKP LLP ensures that multiple certified copies are secured and registered immediately following the final hearing, creating an unassailable record of your parental rights.

When an adoption is registered, the state seals the original birth certificate and issues a new one that lists the adoptive parents as the only legal parents. This administrative sealing is a defensive firewall that prevents biological parents from accessing the child’s records or asserting custodial rights. It creates a permanent barrier between your new family and the child’s past. We specialize in the forensic sealing of these records, ensuring that the biological lineage is legally terminated and that your family sovereignty is absolute.

The state prioritizes the stability and permanence of the adoptive family unit above all else once the appeal period has passed and the registration is complete. A registered adoption decree can only be overturned in cases of extreme fraud or jurisdictional failure, making it the most secure legal bond in the American court system. By completing the Adoption Registration with technical precision, you lock in your parental rights and ensure that your child’s family life is not subject to the whims of adults or future legal disputes. At SJKP LLP, we draft and register these decrees to withstand any future litigation.

Following the final hearing, the court clerk is required to send a certified report of the adoption to the state’s vital records office. This report serves as the legal authority for the state to amend the birth record. However, if the court clerk fails to send the report or if the vital records office experiences a backlog, the Adoption Registration can stall for months. We proactively monitor this transition, providing the necessary pressure on government agencies to ensure that your child’s new birth certificate is issued without administrative delay.

A name change achieved through a registered adoption decree is permanent and integrated into the child’s fundamental identity record. Unlike a standard name change petition, which simply adds a note to the existing record, an adoption amendment rewrites the original record itself. This ensures that the child never has to explain their family history to school officials or employers. SJKP LLP manages the administrative recording of these name changes, providing your family with the privacy and dignity you deserve.

While the federal government recognizes the adoption for immigration purposes, state-level agenciessuch as schools and insurance providers require a domestic record of parentage. A foreign adoption decree is often difficult to authenticate and may not be written in English, leading to constant administrative friction. By registering the decree in a U.S. court, you obtain a domestic judgment that is recognized nationwide. We specialize in the complex cross-border litigation required to domesticate foreign adoption orders and secure your child’s place in the American legal system.

Under the Child Citizenship Act, most children adopted internationally by U.S. citizens automatically acquire citizenship upon their entry into the country. However, proving this citizenship requires a Certificate of Citizenship and a domestic birth record. If you do not perform the Adoption Registration and secure a state-issued birth certificate, your child lacks the definitive proof of their status as an American citizen. At SJKP LLP, we coordinate with federal and state authorities to ensure that your child’s citizenship is documented and unassailable.

If a child had a Social Security number prior to the adoption, that number is linked to their biological past and may be known to biological relatives. By securing a new number through a perfected Adoption Registration, you break the final digital link to the child’s previous life. This protects the child’s privacy and prevents potential financial abuse by estranged kin. We guide our clients through the rigorous application process, ensuring that the new Social Security record is established correctly and without administrative errors.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires definitive proof of the adoption to allow for the Adoption Tax Credit and to recognize the child as a dependent. If your Adoption Registration is incomplete, you may face a forensic audit and the loss of thousands of dollars in tax benefits. The IRS does not accept a pending case as proof; they require a final, registered order. Our firm provides the litigation-resistant documentation needed to satisfy the IRS and secure the financial resources your family needs to thrive.

State law provides strict protocols for the sealing of adoption files, requiring a court order for any person to access the original information. However, these protocols must be triggered by the formal Adoption Registration. If the decree is not registered, the original files may remain open or accessible through routine public record searches. We perform a final audit of the court and state records to ensure that the sealing orders are in place and that your family’s private history is shielded from public view.

The registered adoption decree is a permanent government record that will be used by the child for their entire life, including when they marry, have their own children or inherit property. If the record contains errors or is incomplete, it can cause significant legal issues decades later. By ensuring the Adoption Registration is perfected today, you are protecting your child’s legal sovereignty for the rest of their life. SJKP LLP takes a long-term approach to family law, ensuring that your child’s legal foundation is built to last for generations.