[tchr_678]

Hello all,

For those of you who have ... could you please tell me what steps you took to readopt your children domestically? Can ANY lawyer do this or do I need to find someone who specializes in this area -- international adoption/domestic readoption.

What is the benefit of doing this? What would be disadvantage of NOT doing this?

If you happen to know of anyone in Illinois (Chicago area) that would handle this, please let me know.

Thanks!

[cathvash]

The laws are so different from state to state. I hope someone from your area replies. Is readoption actually required in your state? If not, is the reason you ask because you are seeking an American Birth Certificate? In some states, you can obtain a BC without a readoption, and without an attorney. In Texas, we have a process for receiving a legal court "recognition" of the foreign adoption, using papers filed at the local county court. This legal recognition of the adoption then allows us to obtain a Texas BC.

If you actually need a "Re-adoption" in your state, it is almost certain you will need a lawyer for this, since the process is more involved and usually requires you to make a court appearance. I have heard the fee is several hundred dollars, but I'm sure this varies too. I would think a general family attorney could file this for you... You could try googling "Chicago readoption".

[Sue64]

I don't believe you necessarily need a lawyer. One of my friends who lives in MD did it on her ownand it was fairly simple. I plan on doing it here in VA, but I retained a lawyer only because I belong to ARAG through work and all my attorney fees are covered. I found that not all attorneys handle re-adoptions. After about 5 phone calls to local attorneys, I finally found one.

[TweetyMom04]

I agree each state is different with their laws.
In our state, you could do a re-adoption yourself, w/o an Attorney. However, we wanted it done right with all T's crossed and i's dotted. We were referred to an Attorney, who herself is an Adoptive Parent. One of her specialities is Adoption.

We met with her and she informed us of the paperwork she would need to process the start of our re-adoption. I think we started the process in the Spring and by Summer we were in court in front of a Judge. We received their State Birth Certificates (of Foreign Birth) a few weeks later.

The benefit of re-adoption: A state issued Birth Certificate that you'll need to register your child (ren) for school, unless you have a US Passport. Also, you can get additional 'original' copies if you need them from the state.

Disadvantage of not re-adopting: Won't have a state issued Birth Certificate. If you lose your foreign birth certificate, I've heard it is hard if not impossible to replace.

Good Luck