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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Filing a Report of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child

    You may file the birth of your child (who was born in a country other than the United States) with our office if either adoptive parent is a citizen of the United States and a resident of Pennsylvania.  However, this filing may only be submitted after you have domesticated the adoption with a Pennsylvania court. See the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts website for assistance.  View contact information for your county court.

    After the child's foreign adoption has been domesticated, the Pennsylvania court will complete and submit to our office a "Certificate of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child" (HD01273F) reporting form and a "Statement of Citizenship and Residency" (HD01275F).  Each court is required to submit adoptions for the preceding month by the 15th of each month.   Upon receipt of these forms, we will conduct a review for completeness and accuracy before the request is formally accepted by our office.

    Once the "Certificate of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child" and the "Statement of Citizenship and Residency" have been accepted by our office, we will create a Pennsylvania birth record based upon this information.  

    Child's Citizenship

    If your adopted child is a United States citizen, please provide a copy of the child's U.S. passport or U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (form N-560).  Otherwise, the child's birth record will contain a certification statement indicating that "This record of birth is not evidence of United States Citizenship."

    Please note that additional documentary evidence may be required if the child's information on the "Certificate of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child" and the child's information on the U.S. passport or U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (form N-560) do not match.

    If your child is not a United States citizen when the "Certificate of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child" is issued by the courts, you may submit a birth correction statement once your child obtains citizenship.  A copy of the child's U.S. passport or U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (form N-560) must be submitted along with the birth correction statement.  Upon receipt of the necessary documentation, your child's birth record will be updated to document citizenship.  The certificate statement listed above will no longer be displayed on any birth certificates issued after the child's birth record has been updated.

    Amendment to Child's Birth Date

    Any amendment to the child's birth date must be submitted along with a court order that provides appropriate details on how the correct birth date was determined.

    Processing Times

    Please allow up to six weeks after the adoption for the child to hear from us.  If you do not hear from us by that time, you may submit a certified copy of the "Certificate of Adoption of a Foreign-Born Child" directly to our office for processing.  This certified copy must contain a raised seal of the Pennsylvania court that issued the adoption decree.

    Ordering a Birth Certificate for an Adopted Child

    Please do not submit an "Application for a Birth Certificate" for the adopted child until you receive confirmation from our office that we have created this birth record.