[Tawnya]

Just wanted to clarify that it is possible to obtain birth certificates from Sri Lanka. First, the tsunami only affected a small proportion of the country; therefore not all areas were affected where records are maintained. Even in the areas of the country where the civil war continues to ravage, we found that it is possible to obtain birth certificates. My husband was born in the northeast part of the island in a small town on the beach. We were able to obtain a copy of his birth certificate after the tsunami as we needed an official birth certificate in order to pursue adoption. In addition, it appears that all births are registered in Colombo, so it is possible also to obtain a copy of the birth registration where records were not affected by the tsunami. So, do not despair if you want to adopt, you can still obtain a copy of your birth certificate and/or birth registration from Sri Lanka. Please read an earlier post for instructions. In addition, if you can find someone in the country to go down in person with your birth certificate or registration (be sure to provide an affidavit to allow them to do so on your behalf), you can get an officially translated copy of your birth certificate/registration in Colombo. I believe I might have also posted that instruction on the website. If not, it is posted on the Sri Lankan government website. Whatever you do, do not give up your ONLY copy in your possession of your birth certificate/registration and its translation. I have heard of families from India making copies and then attaching an affidavit (notarized/apostilled) stating that the copies and translations are true and accurate copies of the originals. I don't know which countries will accept these copies in lieu of official copies from the Sri Lankan government.