[2Russians1Guat]

Have you completed the G884 form and the filed a petition for adoption recognition instead of readoption?
We have questions on filing these forms.

[Jaime Christine]

Bumping up- I'd like to see the responses too!

[sak9645]

The G-884 is simply a request to the USCIS for the "sealed envelope" that you received at the Embassy in Guatemala City and handed to the clerk at Customs and Immigration where you entered the U.S. It has nothing to do with readoption/recognition, which is a state function.

Most people are disappointed in what they receive when they file the G-884, because most of the documents are things they already have, like copies of the child's foreign birth certificate and foreign adoption decree. Guatemala parents do report, however, that they sometimes get pictures of their child's birthmother, often with their baby, taken at the time DNA was done, but this is not something that is necessary for doing a recognition or readoption. You may also get a copy of the visa medical exam that the Embassy requires, but that isn't necessary for doing a recognition or readoption, either.

Some states allow "recognition" as an alternative to readoption, and some don't. In states that allow it, recognition is an administrative process, not a judicial one. Usually, you just go to a government office, file some simple paperwork, and receive a form indicating that your state recognizes your adoption as valid. You don't usually need things like post-placement reports or a new child abuse clearance, and you don't need to wait for a hearing, so the process is quick and, generally, cheap.

When you do a recognition, you can't do a legal name change as part of the process, as that requires judicial action. If you want to do a legal name change, and don't want to readopt, you have to find out what the legal name change process is for non-adopted people in your state, and go through the same process for your child. In general, a judge will need to satisfy himself/herself that the name change is not being requested for any illegal purpose, and then to issue a name change order.

In some states, the recognition statement plus the legal name change order, if one needs to do a name change, will satisfy the state's Vital Records personnel, so they can issue a state certificate of foreign birth. However, some states do require readoption before a certificate of foreign birth can be issued.

If your homestudy agency does a lot of homestudies and post-placements for international adoption, it will be able to tell you whether recognition is allowed in your state and, if so, what state office you need to contact. If your placement agency is local, it should also know. And, of course, if your state bureaucracy isn't too Byzantine, you should be able to look at its website and find out which state office you need to call to get the requirements for a recognition.

With requirements for readoption, you simply need to call your state courthouse. However, since recognition is not a judicial process, it will not be handled there.

Sharon

[Teri33]

I thought that Missouri recognized adoptions from Guatemala and you didn't have to do a readoption? Is this wrong. I have had my daughter home for almost 2 years now and have not done a readoption here in Missouri. I went to Jeff City after bringing her home and got a new birthcertificate with her new name on it and then received her social security card shortly after. Is that all that is necessary or should I be doing more?

Thanks,

Teri

[kvondera]

Teri, it depends on if your child came home on a IR-4 Visa or not. We have to have our adoption recognized in the the state of Missouri. It is not a readoption. We just did it for our son who has been home for 1 1/2 yrs now. He came home on an IR-4 Visa. We hired a lawyer, but I know someone (Daughterbound on this forum) that did it without an attorney.
We recently applied for our daughter's COC-- she was adopted from Romania way back in 2001. I was talking to the official who did our "interview" for our COC and HE specifically stated that our daughter was considered an American cititzen the day WE WENT TO COURT AND GOT HER ADOPTION RECOGNIZED. We brought her home on an IR-4 Visa, just like we did with my son from Guatemala.
I am getting everything I can to prove all of my children's citizenship, like COC, and also a passport. It is not getting cheaper, and the fees seem to increase yearly.

[2Russians1Guat]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You have been very helpful! I really appreciate it.

[DaughterBound]

YUP! Just email me if you want to know how I did it.
I got my mysterious "envelope" back a long time ago but just this month finally did my Recognition in the MO Court system. If you come in on an IR4 visa in MO, you have to do the "Recognition of Foreign Adoption" in order to get a CofC. We have our CofC appt. in 3 weeks, and I recommend everyone get a CofC. It equals Citizenship, without it, my child (and any child who came in on an IR4) is not a recognized citizen of the United States. Scary!!
If you go to the local forum--Missouri-- under the St. Louis Area, I have posted a thread there with the necessary paperwork attached. All you would need to do is download these generic forms and fill in your own info. In MO, it IS IN FACT A JUDICIAL PROCESS and DOES include the legal name change. You will pay your court fees and wait for a hearing date. However, no new background checks or social work of any kind is involved as it would be in a "readoption." It is all very simple really once you know what to file, which I have provided for you on that thread I mentioned.
Leah

[Guatemomtobe]

Originally Posted by Teri33

I thought that Missouri recognized adoptions from Guatemala and you didn't have to do a readoption? Is this wrong. I have had my daughter home for almost 2 years now and have not done a readoption here in Missouri. I went to Jeff City after bringing her home and got a new birthcertificate with her new name on it and then received her social security card shortly after. Is that all that is necessary or should I be doing more?

According to my social work if you live in Jackson or Clay counties and came home on an IR-4, you have to go through readoption because the counties don't recognize the recognitions. If anyone in Jackson counties has successfully done the recognition, please post!

Thanks,
Susan

[DaughterBound]

I am in St. Charles County....I have never heard that there was a difference in process based on counties. I thought it was a State law thing. ???? I also know that some people, even lawyers and social workers, interchange the word "readoption" for Recognition all the time. It makes it confusing. But, if you read the MO State statutes on foreign adoption, it says that the State will formally recognize any adoption completed in a foreign country. (of course you have to present the evidence/proof of such) Since anyone who comes in on an IR3 automatically gets a CofC, the only people really concerned about doing Recognition of Foreign adoptions tends to be those of us that came in on IR4's--because IR4 people have to have a United States adoption decree to get the CofC. Once you have a judge sign off on a Recognition, it is called an adoption decree and then entitles your child to Citizenship. I am not an attorney, so I cannot say for certain, but I have never heard that it varies by county. I have always understood it to be a State Statute issue and therefore is the same statewide.

[DPline]

I am not from Missouri so I can't speak from personal experience, but I know it has come up before that Jackson and Clay countys do have different requirements. I believe they included a couple post placements as well. If you do a search I am sure you can find threads on it. (Let me know if you can't and I'll hunt it up.)