How to Get a Birth Certificate & SSN After Your Baby’s Adoption - Weekend Wisdom

Question: I’m in the process of adopting an infant and feeling overwhelmed by the paperwork. How do I get my child’s birth certificate and Social Security number after the adoption is finalized? What steps do I need to take, what documents are required, and how does this vary by state?

Resources:

• Where to Write for Vital Records: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
• Social Security Administration

Transcript

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Tracy Whitney 0:01

Welcome to Weekend Wisdom, a short practical podcast brought to you by creating afamily.org. I am Tracy Whitney, the content director and the host of both of our weekly podcasts. Today's question comes from an anonymous parent in the middle of an infant adoption. They say, I'm in the process of adopting an infant and feel overwhelmed by the paperwork. How do I get my child's birth certificate and social security number after the adoption is finalized? What steps do I need to take? What documents are required? And how does this vary by state? This is one of those behind-the-scenes parts of adoption that isn't always talked about, but it can be pretty overwhelming. So we understand the anonymous listener's question. It's especially hard to contemplate when you are sleep deprived and adjusting to a new little one in your home. So it's a good idea to start asking these questions before the little one comes to join your family. And it's important to know that these steps matter significantly. So while we understand the overwhelm, we also understand that these are documentations that you do need to process and get done. They allow you to enroll your child in school, to access health care, to apply for a passport when they're older. So we want to make sure that we're walking you through this step in a practical, manageable way. Once your adoption is finalized in court, two important things typically need to happen. Number one, your child is issued an amended birth certificate. And number two, you apply for or update their social security number. These things are handled by two different systems. Birth certificates are issued through your state's vital records office, and social security numbers are handled by the Social Security Administration at the federal level. But this is also where it gets very confusing because every state handles this process or these two processes very differently. So some states will automatically initiate parts of the process after the adoption finalization. Others require you or your agency or your attorney to take additional steps to get the process going. So clear communication with your support team, your agency, your attorney, your caseworker, et cetera, really matters. Your agency, your caseworker, or your attorney should be your first stop when you have questions about any of this paperwork. They know your state's processes and in most cases, your state's specific timeline. So the first step is to get your child's amended birth certificate after finalization. This new certificate lists you as the parent or parents and reflects your child's legal name after the adoption is finalized. In many infant adoptions, your attorney or your agency submits that paperwork to the state. Not always. So be sure to confirm their process by asking them directly a couple questions. Number one, will you be filing for the amended birth certificate? Number two, when should I expect it? And number three, do I need to submit anything myself on behalf of this process? So if you are responsible for applying for this amended birth certificate, you will typically need a certified copy of the adoption decree or court order, a completed application from your state's vital records office, your identification, and the payment for the processing fees. A helpful place to find information about your state's process is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which links to each state's vital records office, and we'll include that link in our show notes. And while we're on the topic of state vital records, here are a few practical tips that we want to offer you kind of as a bonus. Number one, order multiple certified copies. You will use them often. Number two, expect the processing times to vary widely from a few weeks to a few months. We're all familiar with the shutdowns and partial shutdowns and changes in staffing at state and federal levels right now. So just try to be patient, but try to have an accurate expectation for what your processing time will be. And number three, if your child was born in a different state than where you finalized the adoption, your caseworker or attorney should help you understand how those states coordinate this process. And this is super important. If something feels delayed or unclear, loop back to your agency, attorney, or caseworker. They can check on the status of the process. They can troubleshoot any delays that happen in ways that you can't always do on your own. So the next thing you want to talk about is your child's social security number. And this is handled through the federal offices of the Social Security Administration. Depending on your situation, you will either apply for a new Social Security number or update the existing one to reflect your child's new legal name and your parental status. Your agency or attorney or caseworker, again, should be able to tell you which applies in your situation if you don't understand it. And so again, always start by asking them. Here's the general process so you are familiar with it. You complete form SS5, which is the application for a social security card, and submit it either in person at the Social Security Office or by mail, depending on the current policies in your state, and your agency or attorney can help you with that. You will need your child's amended birth certificate or adoption decree, proof of your identity, and proof of the child's identity. So a few things that you need to keep in mind here. You must provide original or certified documentation, not copies. And that's why we suggested that you order several when you're doing it. If your child already has a social security number, you are updating that number, not creating a duplicate or requesting a brand new one. The official Social Security Administration website is your most dependable source for the latest instructions. And again, we will link that in the show notes for you. And here's a timing tip. Some families choose to wait until they've received the amended birth certificate before they apply for a social security number or an update to the social security number. Others proceed with just the adoption decree, and your caseworker or your attorney or your agency can help you decide which process moves things along more smoothly so that your specific case and your specific state you're following their policies. Again, remember delays are common, especially during the shutdowns and partial shutdowns and staffing issues that are going on right now. So don't hesitate to ask your team what's the typical timeline? And is there anything that I should follow up on? Are you going to handle the follow-up? Ask those questions. Be very, very clear. We know that this part of the adoption process can feel a lot like more weight, more moving parts, more hurry up and wait kind of feeling. And you have little to no control over it. And we get how frustrating that can be. And we get that that frustration while you're adjusting to life with a new baby is kind of amplified. But if you can just try to be patient and use the support team that's around you, again, your agency, your attorney, or your caseworkers, they're all familiar with the processes in your state and in the states that you're working with. So they can offer you the reassurance and the guidance you need. They can offer you the realistic timelines that you should be expecting to follow. And they can be the support for kind of the behind-the-scenes boring stuff of an adoption that, like birth certificates and social security number applications and all of those things, can feel like. So, listener, congratulations on your upcoming adoption. I hope this information puts your mind at ease and gives you some actionable steps forward so that you can enjoy the early days of welcoming your little one home and enjoy the celebration of the adoption finalization and then help you process these steps but in the safety and the network of your support team around you. So thanks for writing in and I hope this was helpful. Listeners, did you see that drop us a fan mail button on your podcast player? We would love to hear from you. So tell us what's working well in your adoption, foster care, or kinship care journey right now. What questions do you have for us? What would you like to learn more about? Are we doing a good job with the content that you get from creating a family.org? Please drop us some fan mail and let us know. Thanks for listening, and I will talk to you all next week.