[Mama2]

I'm not sure where to post this or where to find the answers but we're suppose to adopt a baby this year but will have to travel from Illinois to Michigan for the birth. How do we go about the adoption process. Will it be handled in "our" county or will we have to go back to Michigan. Is there a way the bp can sign over their rights in Michigan and we handle the rest here?

[Casey677]

You will have to go through a process called ICPC. You will need a lawyer in your state and also need to hire one in the birthparent's state as well. Once you have your lawyers in place, they should be able to advise you on how it works since each state is different.

Casey

[rastachris]

Your adoption will be finalized in the child's birth state and/or birth county. We are in California and our daughter was born in Kansas. We waited a few days in Kansas with her for ICPC to clear, and then went back four months later to finalize.

If you are adopting through an agency, they should be able to tell you what is required.

Good luck!

[HappyTwinsMom]

It depends on the particular state's laws. Our daughters were born in Idaho, we live in Washington, and finalized in Washington. Check with your attorney about those specifics.

[Dee1234]

Hello,
I live in Michigan. I've heard that the interstate compact moves slower here than in some states. We were told it could be a month or so before we would go to court. During that time, the birthmother could still change her mind. You definitely need to consult with a Michigan attorney. If you'd like the name of a few, please PM me.

Good luck,

[Hopeful2005]

If you are independent/private how does the lawyer part work? The laywer we have would remain in the our home state, how do you go about finding a lawyer out of state?

[Casey677]

We have a great lawyer we work with in our home state of Florida. For every match or possible situation that we have with an expectant mom out of state, I ask her for a refferal of a lawyer that she has either worked with in the other state or who she has heard good things about. She typically will give us two names and we call and interview them and decide who we will use if it gets to that point. So far she has given us refferals for GA, IN, NM, and IL. We have only had need though of the lawyer in IN. GA and NM matches never got that far and the possible situation we have in IL, we are not quite ready for a lawyer yet.

Hope that helped!

Casey

[LisaCA]

dd was born in illinois, but we are finalizing here in CA. we had the option, I don't know if this is true for every state.

lisa

[lisa in venice]

You will need a Lawyer or agency in both the sending (where the baby is born) state and the receiving (where you live) state. The relinquishment time frame and rules are set by the sending state and the recieving state agrees thru the ICPC to accept that both the time frame and the rules. The sending state agrees to the qualifications for placement. So what ever is needed in your state to get an approved homestudy the sending state will not ask for anything more. For instance we had a placement in a state that required it's residents to have a fire inspection but since our state did not require that it was ok. With finalization usually you go by the rules of the recieving state because most people finalize their adoptions at home BUT some states allow finalization by non-residents if the child was placed in that state. CA is one of those states as are a few states with really short finaliztion times like AR, and KS. In some cases it is easier to follow the finalization rules of the other state and fly back to finalize. In our first adoption we had an agency who covered the cost of finaliztion in state that allowed non-residents to finalize. it was cheaper for us to fly back and do it there than to have the paperwork done here. A good agency or Attorney can asvice you as to the rules in your state and will be able to help you find a professional in the sending state. BTW some state require that the birth family have separate representation. Often the Agency or Attorney in the sending state can fill that roll

lisa

[kckm]

we live in NY and our son was born in Missouri. we finalized in Missouri and had to finalize in our state too. I did not know at the time, but this was arranged by our attorney so we did not have to travel back to Missouri few months later. both birthparents had to be present at the courthouse to finalize. it was a very emotional courtroom.