Now That You're Home
First and foremost for Russian adoptions, there is the need to register your child(ren) with the Embassy or Consulate that has jurisdiction over your state of residence. Our contact in Moscow will provide you with a registration package envelope that will contain most of the necessary documentation. We have included an addressed, pre-paid UPS mailing envelope with this letter that includes a list of documentation needed for registration. Please take a moment to drop the child(ren)’s passport(s) and the registration package envelope into the pre-paid UPS mailing envelope (included in your “welcome home” packet), seal it and drop it in the nearest UPS drop box within the first 7-10 days of arriving home. You can go to www.ups.com and select the “Shipping” tab, go to “Find a Location” to find the nearest UPS drop box. Once we receive your envelope we will complete the registration process and send the passport back to you when we receive it from the Embassy.
This page is also to inform you of a few details you may need to complete the paperwork for your child, but first, take time to enjoy your child during this transitional period. You must then take steps to complete your child’s state birth certificate and social security application process (and U.S. citizenship if applicable). It is very important to complete these steps within one year of coming home. These steps will provide you the necessary documentation for your child’s future.
First, make an appointment for a thorough physical exam for your child with your physician. For all children, regardless of age or country of origin, the following testing is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:
- Complete history and physical, including developmental examination, and vision and hearing testing
- Complete blood count with erythrocyte indices
- TSH screening, Chinese & Russian adopters
- Rapid plasma reagin (RPR) or VDLR for Syphilis
- Hepatitis B profile, including assays for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs
- Hepatitis C antibody
- Lead levels
- Ionized calcium level
- Mantoux (intradermal PPD) test with candida control
- Diphtheria & tetanus antibody testing, if low, or if child received fewer than 3 DPT vaccines, begin complete AAP immunization sequence
- Complete STD screening, if risk factors present
- HIV-1 and HIV-2 by ELIZA and by PCR
- Stool cultures for Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia & Campylobacter, if symptomatic
- Stool examination for ova & parasites
- Urinalysis
If you and your physician have special concerns or your child has some unusual medical condition you may contact:
Dr. Mary Allen Staat
International Center
Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039
PH: 513-636-2877
Website: www.cincinnatichildrens.org
FOR MICHIGAN FAMILIES:
How to obtain a new birth certificate, social security number and proof of citizenship
Click here to find helpful information from the U.S. Social Security Administration.
IR-3 VISA
Since your child arrived home on an IR-3 visa, meaning both parents (or a single parent) observed the child prior to the adoption, and the adoption was finalized in Russia, the USCIS will mail you a Certificate of Citizenship (proof of child’s U.S. citizenship) within 45 days of your arrival home with your child.
While waiting for the Certificate of Citizenship to come in the mail, contact your local county probate court (circuit court if you reside in Wayne County, Michigan call 313-833-1880) and request two forms to apply for the child’s new state birth certificate and to change the child’s name and/or age - the Application to Establish Delayed Registration Of Foreign Birth and the Motion And Order For Delayed Registration Of Foreign Birth. Once you get the Certificate of Citizenship (about 45 - 60 days after arriving in the US), you will then mail the completed forms along with a copy of the Certificate of Citizenship and the other requested documents back to the court. The court will file your application and forward this on for you to Lansing. In order to change the child’s age, you will need a letter from your child’s dentist and doctor stating the child’s possible age range, and a letter from you stating why you want the age changed and the age desired. Please note that some counties may not allow you to file these forms until the child has maintained residence in the state for at least one year.
It is also recommended that you wait until you receive the Certificate of Citizenship before applying for a social security number. To apply for the child’s social security number, you can apply at your local social security office (Michigan residents 1-800-772-1213). You will need his/her new birth certificate, the final adoption decree in English and his/her proof of citizenship (Certificate of Citizenship). If you choose to apply for the child’s social security number before obtaining the new birth certificate or before receiving the Certificate of Citizenship, once you do obtain the new birth certificate or Certificate of Citizenship, you will have to return to the social security office to change the name/age on the social security card or to update the child’s status.
If the name/age on the child’s Certificate of Citizenship and the name/age on the new state birth certificate are different, you will also want to change the child’s name/age on the Certificate of Citizenship. Follow the instructions sent with the Certificate.
It is best to direct all questions to the appropriate above agencies as AAI cannot possibly know all the specific country/state requirements for new birth certificates, social security, or U.S. citizenship.
FOR NON-MI FAMILIES:
Non-Michigan families will need to check with their home study caseworker to determine if re-adoption is required to obtain the child’s state birth certificate and U.S. citizenship.
Changing the child’s name or age or obtaining a new state birth certificate may vary in procedure from county to county and state to state. In some states, you may be required to re-adopt; in Michigan, re-adoption is not necessary. Contact your local county probate court for more information if you are not a Michigan resident.
Post adoption reports:
Finally, in order to promote good will with the international courts and to help children who remain behind, it is vital that you cooperate with your social worker to complete the post placement visits for reports when contacted. You cannot imagine the impact these reports have on inter-country adoption. This is another way you as a family can help more children. Reports for Russia and 8 photos per report (additional photos are required if you have adopted more than one child) are due to Adoption Associates at 5.5, 11.5, 23.5, and 35.5 months after your court date. AAI forwards each report to Russia for translation and further processing so they can be sent to and registered in the region by 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after your court date. These are supervised reports in the home. Your social worker will contact you to schedule the home visit and collect pictures. Pictures can be computer generated, glued or taped to an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, emailed to ekloostra@adoptassoc.com, or sent loosely. These reports must be Apostilled.
FURTHER HELPS:
Adoptive Parent Magazine:
Adoptive Families of America
333 Hwy. 100 North
Minneapolis, MN 55422
1-800-372-3300
FRUA
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoptions
703-560-6184, www.frua.org
248-828-7032, www.frua-michigan.org
G.I.F.T.S. (Giving International Families Transitional Support)
Lori Troop
ltroop@earthlink.net
616-361-3689
Families For International Children
P.O. Box 2053
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
www.fficgr.org
Center for Adoption Medicine:
www.adoptmed.org
Where to find help for a child anywhere in the US: www.bridges4kids.org
Some of their links include early intervention for emotional & learning disabilities, articles about a variety of subjects, things to do and places to see, and support group information.
