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Adoption Process in Oregon


How to Get a New Birth Certificate After a Court Adoption


According to Oregon law, those wanting to get a new birth certificate after a court adoption must follow the process below.  For more information, see ORS 432.245 and OAR 333-011-0275.

​When a U.S. court approves an adoption for a child born in Oregon, the Oregon Vital Records office prepares a new birth record and the original birth record and the adoption documents are placed in a sealed file. 

Vital record sealed files can only be opened through a court order from an Oregon court even when the birth parents are known to the adoptee or the adoptive parents.

Under Oregon law, when adoptees reach the age of 21 they may order their preadoption birth record. For more information about ordering preadoption birth records, return to the Main Page​​ and select "Preadoption Birth Records" from the​ "Change a Record" column.


The requirements for filing a Certificate of Foreign Birth are the same as for other adoptions. Oregon law provides for the issuance of a Certificate of Foreign Birth if a child born outside the United States to parents who are not U.S. citizens is adopted through an Oregon court. When a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Oregon approves an adoption for a foreign-born child, the Oregon Vital Records office prepares a Certificate of Foreign Birth (a new birth record) and the adoption documents are placed in a sealed file. Vital record sealed files can only be opened through a court order from an Oregon court even when the birth parents are known to the adoptee or the adoptive parents.

​

If a Certificate of Foreign Birth has already been filed in another state and the child is re-adopted by a second set of adoptive parents, the documents should be forwarded to the state where the first Certificate of Foreign Birth record was filed. A child born in Canada to parents who are not U.S. citizens will have a new birth certificate created by the province where the birth occurred. 

​​

If a child is born abroad to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, the birth certificate is usually registered through the U.S. Department of State at the time of birth. If a person born abroad is not registered through the U.S. Department of State before the age of 18, then proof of citizenship needs to be obtained from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Naturalization office.

 

Amendment/Amend:

Amending a record is changing or correcting information on a record.

 

Applicant:

The eligible person submitting the application to change the registrant's record.

 

Birth Record/Birth Certificate:

The birth record is the information of live birth that is registered with the state. The birth certificate is the printed version of the birth record.


Certificate of Foreign Birth:

A document registered by the Oregon State Registrar for a person born in a foreign country who may or may not be a citizen of the United States and who was adopted under Oregon law.​

 

Certified:

A document with an official stamp or signature attesting that it is authentic.

 

Court of Competent Jurisdiction:

A U.S. Court with the authority to make legal decisions and judgments over the subject matter and parties involved. 

Court Order/Judgment:

The final decision of a court case that determines the rights and obligations of the people involved. Both terms are considered to mean the same thing for the purposes of this web page and usually refer to a printed version of the final decision.​


Registrant/Adoptee:

The person who is being adopted. This may also be called “person on record,” “child on record,” or “child.”​



    Checklist to Request a New Birth Record after an Adoption

    To request a new birth record and issue a certificate after a court has approved and filed the adoption decree, complete the following checklist:

    ​Submit an original certified copy of an Adoption Report form showing the original seal and signature of the court official certifying the document. 

     

    If an Adoption Report is not available, we must have an original certified copy of the Adoption Decree or Judgment and an Adoption Information Sheet. The information sheet provides data about the adoptive parents for the new birth record that may be missing in the adoption judgment.​

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    Provide Birth Order Form

    The order form should list the child's NEW adoptive name and adoptive parent(s)' names.

    Acceptable Proof of ID

    ​

    ​Provide a copy of acceptable proof​​ of ID with your order form. 


    Important:

    ​

    • Words must be legible and photo must be clear.

    • Expired documents are not acceptable.


    Any ONE of the following documents are acceptable:


    1. Current, valid driver's license, permit, or ID card.

    2. Current, valid passport or passport card with photo.

    3. Tribal Membership or ID card with photo and address (without photo accepted as one of three pieces of ID).

    4. U.S. Armed Services ID Card with photo.
      ​

    5. Current student body card with name and photo (high school students only).

    6. Consulate Card (Matrícula Consular) with photo and address

    7. Citizen ID with photo.

    8. Permanent Resident Card with photo.

    9. Employment Authorization Document/Card (EAD) with photo.​


    10. State or federal government ID badge with photo.


    OR...


    Any THREE of the following documents, as long as at least one shows your current address:


    1. Selective Service Card or military discharge paper (must be original).

    2. U.S. Immigration or naturalization papers.

    3. Concealed weapon permit with photo.

    4. Official papers issued by courts of record which include date of birth.

    5. Official corrections department or parole papers showing date of birth and full name.

    6. Vehicle registration or title.

    7. Personalized check or savings account passbook.

    8. Monthly banking or mortgage account statement (Document must be no more than 30 days old).

    9. Pistol or firearms permit.

    10. State hunting or fishing license.

    11. Recent utility or other bill with current address (Document must be no more than 30 days old).

    12. Recent paycheck stub or paycheck (official company type only). (Document must be no more than 30 days old.)

    13. Company identification card.

    14. Voter registration card issued by a county elections department.

    15. Valid food stamp, welfare, or unemployment identification.

    16.  Medical or hospital insurance card.

    17. Tax statements – W-2 forms, etc.

    18. Auto insurance policy.

    19. Union membership card.

    20. Rental agreement that displays the rental property header/logo, is the current property of residence, is signed by the property manager, and shows that ID verification has taken place.


    If there are differences between information provided and information on the record, or questions about the validity of any document, staff are authorized to request additional information or documents.


    A printable version of the identifying documents list is available in both English and Spanish​​.​

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    Pay Amendment Fee $35

    ​Amendment Fee: $35

    ​

    This fee does not include a copy of the certificate after the record is corrected or amended.

     

    Payment:

    No cash. Make payment by money order or check.

     

    Make payment out to: OHA/Vital Records ​


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    Pay Certificate Fee(s) $25 - $30 per certificate

    ​There are two types of birth certificates issued from Oregon Vital Records:


    • Computer Issued Certificate - $25 (also called Short form)

    • Full Image Birth Certificate - $30 (also called Long form)


    The following information will help you decide which certificate(s) to select on the birth certificate application. 

    ​

    Note: 

    If the adoption was a foreign-born adoption, choose the Computer Issued Certificate.

    ​​​​​

    2008 or Later​


    If you are requesting a birth certificate for someone born in 2008 or later, you MUST choose the computer issued certificate.

     

    Computer Issued Birth Certificates (2008 or later)

     

    For those born in 2008 or later, computer issued birth certificates include ALL the data filed at the time of birth including the following: 

    ​

    • Full name of child

    • Date of birth

    • Sex of child

    • Time of birth

    • Name of hospital or birthing facility

    • Full names of parents

    • Parents​' dates of birth or ages

    • Mother's address

    • Certifier Signature 


    Works for all legal needs.
    ​
     

    Births before 2008


    If the person on the birth certificate was born before 2008, you can choose between these two options.

    Computer Issued Birth Certificate (pre 2008)

    ​

    For those born before 2008, computer issued certificates included limited information from the birth record. 


    • Full name of child

    • Date of birth

    • Sex of child

    • Full name of parents 


    These computer issued certificates work for most legal needs such as:

    ​

    • School enrollment

    • School sports

    • Driver's license

    • Documentation for cruises

    • Passport application (Important: If amendments have been made to your birth record, submit the full image birth certificate when applying for a passport)


    Full Image (Full Information) Birth Certificates

    ​

    For adoptions, new records are created that are fully electronic that include ALL the data filed at the time of birth including the following: 

    • ​​Full name of child

    • ​Date of birth

    • Sex of child

    • Time of birth

    • Name of hospital or birthing facility

    • Full names of parents

    • Parents' dates of birth or ages

    • Mothers address

    • Certifier signature​​
      ​

    Order the Full Image Certificate if you: 


    • Want all of the details of your birth record

    • Plan to use the birth certificate outside the U.S.

    • Need for dual citizenship

    • Need to get an authentication document from the Oregon Secretary of State (apostille)

    • Need more detailed information for genealogy research


    Works for all legal needs. 

    ​

    You may order one or more of each type of certificate if you want the option to have a certificate with limited personal information and one with all the information from the birth record. ​

    ​Birth Certificate Fees*:​

    • $25 for each computer issued certificate​

    • $30 for each full image certificate – available only for 1903-2007 birth records​


    *Note:

    If the adoption was a foreign-born adoption, choose the Computer Issued Certificate.

     

    Payment:

    (Make one payment for all amendment and certificate fees.)

    No cash. Make payment by money order or check.

     

    Make payment out to: OHA/Vital Records 

     

    Replacement Fees for Birth Certificates:


    Original certificates can be replaced after an amendment if they are turned in for replacement within one year of issuance.

               

    First replacement                                       Free/no charge


    Every additional replacement                    $5.00 ​

     

    Certificates issued more than one year ago cannot be replaced. 
    New certificates must be ordered. 



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    Submit the Amendment Application and Materials


    • ​Birth Order Form

    • Copy of Current Photo ID (Required for ALL applicants)

    • Original Adoption Documents

    • $35 Amendment Fee 

    • Certificate Fees 

      • ​​$25 for each Computer Issued

        -or-
         

      • $30 for each Full Image 

        -or-
         

      • $5 Replacement Fee (if required)​


    Payment:

    Make one payment for all amendment and certificate ​fees.

    No cash. Make payment by money order or check.

    Make payment out to: OHA/Vital Records 

     

    Please do not staple payments or documents to each other or to the order form. 

     

    Place all materials in one envelope and submit to Oregon Vital records by:

     

    Mail:

    Oregon Vital Records

    Amendments Unit

    PO Box 14050

    Portland OR 97293


    -or-​

    ​

    Drop Box:


    Oregon Vital Records

    Amendments Unit

    800 NE Oregon Street 

    Portland OR 97232

     

    The bright blue box is located at the entrance by the west door (located in the parking lot).

    Description

    The box is checked several times a day during regular business hours.
     

    Please make sure that the items ​you drop off are in a sealed envelope, and "Oregon Vital Record Amendments Unit" is clearly written on the outside. If you are submitting documents to a specific amendments specialist, please include their name on the envelope. If you are submitting additional documents for an existing or pending order, please reference that order number on the envelope. 


    Additional Information

    After submitting your amendment request materials and fee, the date your check or money order is cashed represents the verification your materials were received. It also helps you estimate the time remaining before​​ your request is processed.

     

    We are unable to provide status updates for individual orders at this time due to high workload and staffing availability. Visit the “Amendment Processing Times" link in the “Change a Record" menu from the ​Vital Records and Certificates Home Page to view a list of the latest processing times for different amendment types. This page is updated weekly and is subject to change.

     

    Requests are reviewed and processed in the order they were received. If there are any issues with your request, you will be contacted at that time by secure email, mail, or by phone. Please check your junk email folder for any messages from us that may get caught in a filter.

     

    The following may cause delays with processing the order:

    • Inaccurate or incomplete information was submitted

    • Missing ID and/or documents that are required for the amendment

    • Missing fees or partial payment received

    • The applicant who submitted the order is not eligible

     

    If the amendment needs to be completed sooner than this timeline allows, we offer expedited service for an additional $30 fee. You must write on the order form that you are expediting your request with your additional $30 payment.

    ​ 

    Expedited amendments are processed in three (3) full business days once all required documents and fees are received. After the amendment is processed, the amended certificate is sent to you via regular U.S. Mail (allow 7-10 business days for delivery). 


    If you require a faster delivery method for the new certificate to be sent, you must provide all materials required by your chosen delivery service, including prepaid envelope and completed mailing label (for example, FedEx or UPS).​

    ​​​Completed Adoption Requests​​

    After an Adoption Reset has been processed, one of the following will happen:

    ​

    ​​

    Description​If the adoption request was completed, a new record will be created.
    ​


    DescriptionIf certificates of the new record were requested and payment was received, they will be mailed to the ​address that was provided.​

    ​
    DescriptionCourt document(s) provided for adoption are sealed in the registrant's permanent file and will not be returned.



    ​​Description​If the adoption request was not completed, the applicant will receive an email or letter explaining why and what steps need to happen to continue the ​process.​
    ​

    • Adoption Report for submittal to a court in Oregon: Form 45-24.


    • Adoption Information Sheet to submit with the court document: Form 45-20​.​

    If you call or email an amendment specialist​ about an adoption, please leave one complete message and include:

    1. Your first and last name (Please spell if leaving a message.)

    2. Telephone number

    3. Email address

    4. The name of the child before and after adoption, date of birth, and place of birth;

    5. The approximate date the court approved the adoption and/or the date you submitted the documents and the fees to our office;

    6. The type of adoption (foreign-born or child born in Oregon) and questions you have about the amendment/adoption.

    7. Order number, if there is one assigned

    8. Whether you received any correspondence from our office or submitted any additional fees or documents in separate mailings. 

     

    Providing this level of detail allows our staff to find your information if it has already been submitted and make sure we are as prepared as possible before responding to your communication.

     

    Email:         CHS.Amendm​​​ents@oha.oregon.gov

     

    Phone:        971-673-1147​

    ​​This phone line is exclusively for voicemails and won't be answered by a person.​