[kolyak]

We've just returned from Guatemala with our son. We have an IR4 Visa. I believe we need to readopt here in New York. Has anyone gone through this process and could they tell us how to get started:
Do we need an attorney?
Do we need to do all the dossier paperwork again?
etc.?

Thank you,
Pastor Barry

[Disneycrazed]

We were going to do it ourselves to save money but we were too overwhelmed so we got an attorney. BEST IDEA WE EVER HAD!!!!
He took care of everything! He told us what we needed and for the most part he took care of getting it.
You do need to have your post placement done so that you can give him/her the copy.

You do not need to do all your paperwork again.
there may have been a couple things we need to ahve notorized but I can't really remember. (almost 2 years ago)

Really, I would say the best thing to do is get an attorney. They take care of everything and then just let you know when to show up for court!!!

Good luck and Welcome home !!!

[pjb1967]

I think it depends on what county you live in. Each has their own requirements for re-adoption.

I live in Erie county and did it myself. You call your court house and they will direct you the the adoption department. Ask them to send you the paperwork and their requirements for re-adoption and see if you can do it yourself before you spend the money on an attorney.

I filled it out in maybe 30-40 minutes and mailed the papers they requested. They call or mail you a court date and that was it. Very easy.

The best thing I did was to borrow a copy of another local family's re-adoption papers from a year earlier and just filled in the blanks with my daughter's info instead of their information. I will admit had I not done this, I might have been overwhelmed as to what some of correct answers on the forms would have been.

Good Luck,
Pam

[robandjulie]

It does depend on county. Onondaga you can do it yourself, Cortland you can't, etc.

There's a new law on the books that became effective 10/17/08 where any adoption finalized in a foreign country can be "re-adopted" by a "registraton of a foreign decree" which is apparently easier and cheaper than the readoption process. We're just starting to look into it, so I can't tell you much, but the clerk at the adoptions unit of the family court department told me to look into that.

Not sure if the IR-4 is considered "complete" in a foreign country or if just IR-3's are, but worth looking into.

[Disneycrazed]

Yes we are in Onondaga county and we could have done it oursleves. when we saw all that was involved we just decided it would be so much easier to ahve the lawyer do it. Also we were then sure that everything was correct.

[emsd55]

I am in Suffolk County. DH and I hired an attorney. We could have done it ourselves. But we wanted everything to be right. We actually have our court this coming friday, October 31, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. Yes, I know it is Halloween. I know we had to readopt. Our son and daughter both came home on an IR4 Visa.