How to Replace Russian Adoption Papers

Make sure to have your child's adoption papers at all times.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian adoptions have nearly steadily increased. In 2008, the adoption website Adoption.com recorded 1,865 adoptions of Russian babies or orphaned children to American families. This rate of adoption makes Russia one of the top countries, along with China and South Korea, for child adoption. As with all legal matters, keeping documentation is vital. If your Russian adoption papers were lost, stolen or destroyed, it is possible to obtain new ones from the state or area where the adoption took place.

Instructions

Vital Statistics Option

1. Go to the National Center for Health Statistics website, where you can find links to state and county vital records.

2. Click on the letter "V" in the alphabetical search for the "Vital Records" link.

3. Click on the state where the adoption took place. You'll see the address listed for obtaining birth, marriage, death and divorce records in that state. Adoption records are also available as part of the same department.

4. Call the state's vital records department to verify the correct fee to send with your request.

5. Write a letter requesting a copy of the Russian child's adoption papers. Include the adoptee's full name and birth date, place of birth in Russia (city and state), city of adoption in the United States, adoption date, adoptive parents' full names, your relation to the adopted child and the reason why you're requesting the papers. Also state the best way to contact you and include the contact information in the letter.

6. Enclose the letter and a check in an envelope and send it to the state's vital statistics office.

Adoption Agency Option

1. Contact the adoption agency responsible for the adoption of the Russian child.

2. Write a fact sheet about the child's adoption. Include the adoptee's full name and birth date, place of birth in Russia (city and state), city of adoption in the United States, adoption date, adoptive parents' full names, your relation to the adopted child and the reason why you're requesting the papers.

3. Call the adoption agency with this information and ask to obtain replacement papers.

4. Send the fact sheet to the adoption agency, along with any fee they have requested, to receive replacement adoption papers.

References

• Today's Seniors: How to Replace Adoption Papers
• Adoption.com: Russian Adoption
• The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute: Adoption Facts
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Where to Write for Vital Records