Legal Adoption Papers

Domestic and international adoptions are both reliant on the proper paperwork being filled and filed. The end justifies the means of adoption in this respect. A placement can fall through if a birth mother decides to not surrender her parental rights after birth. International adoptions can be delayed for months due to improper or belated filing of paperwork.

The name of certain forms and required legal documentation may vary state to state. Some forms may also have specific rules about when to sign them and may need to wait to be signed until the court hearing.

In domestic infant adoptions, the following may be required: a petition for adoption, sometimes also called an adoption request, an adoption agreement that outlines the adoption situation, an adoption order or decree that deems and adoption finalized, adoption expenses report, and, in some cases, an adoption agreement with the birth mother may be filed with the courts.

Legal adoption papers include those that indicate a child is of orphan status and adoptable. An adoption cannot be finalized without the Parental Rights Termination (PRT) form documenting the termination of birth parents' rights. Home study reviews are also required by law for an adoption to be processed, as is a petition for adoption. An attorney is a great source to ensure that every form is accounted for during the adoption process.

When an adoption is finalized, all legal adoption papers are sealed with adoption decrees and original birth certificates in an adoption record filed with the state in which an adoption took place.