[isitnaptime]

I have heard that some states allow you to leave after they clear your ICPC, but you cannot enter your own home state until they clear you. Where can I find out if this is the case with our states?
We are adopting from FL. We are flying, but we live on the border of 2 states and the airport is not in our homestate. We are wondering if we could fly back after FL clears us and stay with relatives until our home state clears us?

If not, we are most likely going to be stuck in FL over Thanksgiving and it will be at least 15 days, probably 16-17 which is going to be a looonngg time away from my other 2 littles at home.

[mommieof2cuties]

I am about 100% sure that you will be stuck in FL, since FL is one of those pain in the behind states! LOL With that said, depending on where you will be traveling in FL, you do have much to do within the state

A single friend of mine, put up a couple for me in her apartment home, whom was waiting ICPC for 15 days. She has all the baby stuff since she usually has a emergency newborn in her home It was nice for the couple to have a set of hands to help, be able to come and go and not have to worry about germs etc. With so many people on this wonderful site I am sure you will be able to find great advice and wonderful help

[BeckyS]

I don't have an answer to your posted question...I just wanted to let you know that our ds was born/adopted from Florida and we had ICPC clearance in 2 days. That was over 4 years ago though, so maybe things are much different now.

[Nevada Jen]

You heard right and I think its more of a loophole in ICPC rather than something that only applied to certain states. I would ask your lawyer. Its one thing for a couple of day delay but you need to make sure you are following the carefully as it sounds like the timing could work out that you have at least a week in limbo.

[luckyshamrock]

Our attorney in Florida pretty much said that once Florida cleared, we were allowed to leave Florida. However, I don't think he would put it in writing either.
We knew that he was not going to be checking to see if we were there or not, so we headed north a few days after clearance.
We cleared Florida in 2 or 3 days in 2007.

[aclee]

We asked about this with Matty, who was placed through an agency who has been around a long time, so I trusted them...We were told that was completely untrue and that any agency that allowed a family to leave would be in huge trouble. When the state you are in clears ICPC, that is just paperwork, but you can't leave with the baby, till another state ACCEPTS the paperwork (and the baby/placement/responsibility) the sending state is still responsible for the child till the receiving state accepts the ICPC. When you think about it, it makes sense. Just because one state clears your ICPC paper work doesn't mean you can head out yonder where ever you want...other state still has to accept before leaving the sending state...

That's what we were told anyway...

[mondk]

My Joshie was born on a Monday, TPR signed on a Wed. ICPC paperwork sent Thursday morning and we were cleared to leave Monday morning and cleared to enter our home state too. I made telephone calls though, both to Tallahassee, FL and Jeff City, MO to hurry them up. I like to think my "interference" paid off, LOL. This was back in July of '07. I love the FL's adoption laws for TPR and everything though...don't knock Florida!

Blessings, Michelle

[Linny]

I definately would not think that FL is a poor state to adopt in. In fact, from our experiences (adopted two babies from FL) their ICPC was a walk in the park, cleared after only a few days....now...IL ICPC...that's another story, believe me.

Aclee is right. Florida will be wonderful for you; but your home state has to accept the placement too...and heaven help you if you're in one of the states (besides IL) that seems to take great pride in causing a much as a pain as possible. (I'll never understand.)

You will have a lot to do in FL, that's for sure...and Thanksgiving is a good time of the year to be there also. If you're concerned about the expense of staying there while awaiting for your state to clear----IF you're in the Tallahassee area, you might be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house...which has been home to many adopting parents!

If Tallahassee is your destination, please feel free to pm me and I'll be glad to send you details.

Best of luck...and rest assured, it won't be FL that'll cause you problems with ICPC. It won't.

Sincerely,

Linny

[isitnaptime]

Thank you so much everyone. I talked to our homestate ICPC yesterday, she was very helpful and is going to talk to FL. We live in a state that usually has fast ICPC as well, so maybe the 2 together won't be so bad.

We also found out that the moms induction date was moved up to the 12th, so we aren't as nervous about getting stuck in the middle of the Thanksgiving travel weekend.

We will be in the Tampa area.

[srhbj]

We have also been told that once ICPC clears in the state that we are adopting from, that we are permitted to leave that state as long as we don't return to our home state until we get clearance from them. I have a couple of friends who have adopted and they did the same thing. They came back home and stayed at the border of their home state with relatives until they were allowed back in their home state. We plan to do the same. My mother in law lives just 5 minutes outside of the State we live in. So we will return and stay with her until we are cleared to go home.

[isitnaptime]

Just got official news from the actual ICPC office in my state that they talked to FL, and FL does NOT allow you to leave the state until the homestate clears the paperwork.
So, anyone that has a FL lawyer tell you that you can, well, call the ICPC office.
I am sure no one would know if you left, but if they do, I believe it is a felony.

Come on fast paperwork!!

[Magic_Hat]

As much as a pain as ICPC is, I wouldn't risk doing that in any situation. Also, as far as calling and nagging the ICPC workers, sometimes it might work but I wouldn't do it unless it was an extreme situation, like you'd already waited three weeks and no end was in sight. Our agency even made us sign something promising we wouldn't do that or we'd get a fine! And they also made us sign something saying that we could risk the adoption if we didn't stay in the baby's home state until all ICPC was cleared. So as much as everyone wants to get home, it's probably best just to deal with it.

[gigigeorge]

We were told in all 3 of our adoptions, that we MUST remain in the birth state until BOTH states have cleared us. Last time we were stuck in California for 5 weeks, and we kept thinking no one will know if we leave etc so we ran it by our attorney and he said most times they dont know, and while he has never had an adoption interrupted because of it, it is a possibility. The worse he said he had was a couple who left and were fined by the state in the amount of $25,000 and could have faced jail time as it is technically kidnapping. So we stuck it out... to me it just wasnt worth the risk, sure maybe no one would know and nothing would happen but I waited a long time to be a mom why risk it?

btw I have had friends who have just gone right home without any ICPC clearance... I just couldnt bring myself to risk it !

We were cleared in IL in 24 hours (but in 2003)...

gina.