Finalization is the process in which you finalize your adoption in court and obtain a final Adoption Decree. This process is also how you will get a new birth certificate that changes the child’s legal name and names you as the parents. At this point the original birth certificate is sealed. This will be done after you have completed your post placement requirements (and no sooner than 6 months from the date of the birth father’s termination or relinquishment.)

You may either complete this process on your own, with ADOPT’s complete guidance, or you may and choose to hire an attorney to help complete and file the court paperwork. Please note that if you hire an attorney, the courts almost always require a court report from the agency, so you’ll be working with both ADOPT and an attorney, rather than one or the other.