Birth Certificate Letter – English and Spanish

Last updated 2017: Dear Adopting Parent(s): At the end of your hearing, you will receive a certified Adoption Order for each child you adopt. Please keep the Adoption Order for your records. Until you receive a new birth certificate, the certified adoption order is legal proof that you are the parent of the child and of the child’s legal name.

Birth Certificates are prepared by the vital records office in the child’s state of birth. California’s Office of Vital Records in Sacramento issues birth certificates to children born in California. It usually takes 3 to 6 months from the date of adoption to receive a new birth certificate in the mail. If your child was born in another state, California’s Office of Vital Records will forward the Court Report of Adoption to the vital records office in the state of the child’s birth to prepare the new birth certificate. If your child was not born in California, and you have questions about the birth certificate, you will need to contact the vital records office in the state where your child was born…