Infignos Media - New Ala. law aims to make international adoption easier

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New Ala. law aims to make international adoption easier

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Adopting international children in Alabama is about to get a lot easier starting next week....or is it? A new state law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013 that's meant to streamline the process for parents, but some adoption agencies say the new law may not make everything easier. The new law known as "Karina's Law" is supposed to make it easier for parents adopting international children by cutting out a process called re-adoption, where families have to go to probate court once they get back to Alabama to have their new child officially registered as an Alabamian. "Families have gone through the process, it takes a year, two or three sometimes and they're finally home, they're a family, they wanna relax," said Anne Baldwin, Executive Director of Villa Hope, an adoption agency that specializes in international adoptions. "And [they say], 'What? There's another fee and we have to go to court?'" Baldwin says the new law cuts that process out by sending families through the vital statistics department using a mailed-in form, but only if those families have the right kind of paperwork. "The way the bill is written is very specific as to the documents required of the family, and whether families have some of the documents is questionable," Baldwin said. Baldwin says families who don't have the child's new adopted name on their social security card or don't have certified copies of their foreign birth certificate will still have to go through probate court, unless the law is amended. "There are a lot of different variables, we're still working out the kinks, and what I would just say is please be patient with your agency and with vital stats and with everybody while we're trying to make this go as smoothly as possible," Baldwin said. We reached out to three of the bill's sponsors today to see if they plan any changes, but weren't able to reach them. The "Application to Prepare a Certificate of Foreign Birth" requires the following documentation: • The child's Certificate of Citizenship • A certified copy of the child's foreign birth certificate and certified English translation • The original documents related to the foreign adoption certified by the U.S. Embassy abroad and certified English translation • The Social Security card of the child • A valid government-issued picture identification of parent or parents, such as a passport, driver's license, or military identification • Proof of current residency of the parent or parents in Alabama Parents must send copies of all of the documents listed in order for the birth certificate to be prepared without judicial proceedings. If the parents are unable to provide the required documents to the Center for Health Statistics, an adoption through an Alabama court will still be required. If the child was born in another country to a U.S. citizen, the parents will need to contact the U.S. State Department at (202) 955-0307 or visit the website: www.travel.state.gov. For more information, request to speak with an adoption specialist at (334) 206-2644 or (334) 206-3060 or visit www.adph.org/vitalrecords/. Requests for application forms should be sent to Vital Records—Adoptions Section, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Ala. 36103-5625.

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Keywords: Alabama ,Adopting , "Karina's Law" ,adoption agencies ,international,children ,

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