[KarenInCa]

OK, so has anyone else thought about the absurdity of re-adopting your child in your own state?
We live in California, and it was really difficult getting her SS#, but with Sharon's posts about how to go about it, we just didn't take no for an answer, and got it done!
Her SS# is in her Chinese name though, because we did not have her name changed yet, before assigning her a SS#.
I'm very confused about how to get our daughter's name changed without re-adopting in California. The whole idea just seems absurd though. I know the benefits of doing it, but to consider paying a SW a fee to write a Consent and Jointer for the courts...Which basically will say, "Yeah, they should be able to adopt this child in California, that they adopted almost 2 years ago (Federally)", and then to pay a larger fee to the Courts to file that Consent and Jointer, is really absurd.
I keep fighting it, but I know we will eventually have to do it, before she starts Kindergarten, so that she can have her American name recognized.

[julianneo]

We just came home with our daughter in July and also live in California. We are going to do the re-adoption mainly so Lily will have an American birth certificate. Having one will save her from having many problems in the future...enrolling in Kindergarten will be just the beginning (I worked in an elementary school office at a school with several adopted children and it was an issue, although a small one). We didn't have any problems getting her a social security card with her American name though. I guess each office is different...depends on who you talk to and their mood!

[ttcasey]

I went to SS Administration the other day and could only get a SSN with Caroline as a legal alien, until I get her citizenship card they will not consider herself an american citizen. Also, to get her US Passport, I need her SSN. I am only out of work until early January and need to get all these things done!

Anyone know how long it takes to get this citizenship card?

[KarenInCa]

Trish, I think you need to go back to the SS office, with a print out of their own online definition of a US citizen.
Information for Adoptive Parents of Foreign-Born Orphans Residing in the U.S.
and
Answer

Have you received the Certification of Citizenship from the USCIS office yet? That's the key to proving her citizenship to the SS office, and even then you might have problems, depending on how well the clerk knows his/her own job. But if you go in there with the knowledge yourself, and with the print outs from their own webpage, and maybe insist on talking to a manager, you will probably get better results.

If you're a US citizen, then your daughter was a US Citizen the moment she set foot on US land. That was the whole point of going to the US Consulate in GZ.
We almost had the same thing happen to us, because the SS employee saw that the adoption forms were all written in Chinese. I had to remind him that we finalized the adoption BEFORE entering the US, at the US Consulate in China. It was only then, (oh and after I apologized to him so that he still felt as if he knew more than myself about this stuff) that he checked with another worker, and gave us her SS# as a US citizen.
They need some conformity training in these offices, nation wide.

[ElectricGypsy]

I was concerned about possibly having to go through re-adoption so that my daughter would have her American name on her documents. I figured that it would be easier for her. We had some problems with getting her Certificate of Citizenship (it was months after we arrived home and we still hadn't received it). I spoke with someone directly from the office that creates the Certificates and ended up having to resend a ton of paperwork.

The positive thing that ended up coming out of it I guess is that since I had to send a ton of documents, I also included the Chinese document that stated the name that we were changing our daughter's name to, and they ok'd that for her name on the Certificate. Because of all that, her certificate, SS card and her passports are all in her American name. It made things alot easier...

I don't know if I STILL need to do a re-adoption even after that...but I'm with you Karen. I just hate the idea of having to pay all that money and go through yet ANOTHER process for the state's recognition.

Trish...I think that you would have to go back to the SS office once you have the Certificate of Citizenship to have the paperwork changed to a US Citizen. Did you not have that when you went the first time?

[sakelley]

We had no issues getting our daughter's social security card in her American name without doing the re-adoption because her COC and the adoption certificate both had her American name on it. The social security office we used never questioned it.

[prechrswife]

We were able to get our daughter's SS card in her American name. That name is also on her citizenship certificate and the adoption certificate. (Those documents also have her Chinese name on them.) We are planning to readopt so we can get a state certificate of foreign birth to use when we get ready to enroll her in school, etc. Readoption is on our "to do" list for after the first of the year.

[ttcasey]

Caroline's SSN will be in her US name, but they won't consider her (social security administration) until we receive her citizenship certificate. I can't get her passport until I have her SSN and this citizenship certificate. So confusing!

[KarenInCa]

I recently found out that it all depends on the paper work filled out while in China, before the US Consulate appointment. If the person helping you fill out the info uses her Chinese name, then the Cert of Citizenship from USCIS is sent in her Chinese name. If the person helping you in China, has you write in her NEW American name, the Cert of Citizenship is sent in her American name.
It's as minor as that, and makes a huge difference in the falling dominoes that continue afterwords.

[overflowing]

You guys don't have to do a re-adopt if both spouse's were present in China. All you need to do is file for a Delayed Registration of Birth. This will give you a CA birth certificate with her new, legal name. Even lists you as the birth parents and her birth place China...LOL!

Btw...we live in CA, too Still need to file my papers...it's suppose to be super easy.

~stacy

[smbcpc]

We are also in California and recently had our 6-month post-adoption home study. This means that we should get a court date pretty soon for the re-adoption hearing. I just want to get this done so that we can finally feel like we don't have to do anything else adoption-related and just be a family.

[overflowing]

Sue, did only one of you travel?

[smbcpc]

No, we both travelled but our social worker didn't say anything about having an option not to do the re-adoption.

[overflowing]

Weird...both our lawyer (who did our 3 domestic adoptions) and our agency said we did not need to do a re-adoption. We just need to do a Delayed Registration of Birth.

I'd love to know why your CA agency wants you to do this....I want to know if I need to push the issue for us to do one.

Would you mind asking them why they feel it's necessary?

Thank you so much! ~stacy

[smbcpc]

Stacy, I'll ask our social worker and let you know. I'm curious about it myself.