Currently, every California Adult Adoption court requires the California Department of Health Form VS-44, also known as the Court Report of Adoption Form to be completed as part of the case. California Department of Health Form VS-44, also known as the Court Report of Adoption Form is completed by typing (or hand printing in black ink only) the information required in each of the applicable information boxes on the form.  It is generally a best practice to take the information directly from the Adoptee's original state issued birth certificate and complete the information as requested in the boxes on the California Department of Health Form VS-44, also known as the Court Report of Adoption Form.

Here are some pro tips for completing the California Department of Health Form VS-44 Court Report of Adoption in an Adult Adoption Case:

Part I requires information in boxes 1a through 7c and contains information about the Adoptee's original birth.  It is very important that you use the information from the original birth certificate. If information is unknown to you, such as the medical facility where the birth took place or the doctor's name on the original birth certificate, then write “unknown” in the applicable box. If there is a blank box on the original birth certificate, such as for a person that has no middle name, then a single dash line like this mark – , should be placed in that box. Other important considerations for Part I of this form are: always use the correct last name for the birth mother (it should be the maiden, unmarried name of the mother if the original birth certificate was completed correctly); Box 5b write in the correct City of birth – for example, if the birth happened in the city of Santa Monica, it would be incorrect to write Los Angeles.

Part II requires information for the Parents that are involved in the Adult Adoption case.  It is important to use birth names of the parents as they appear on the parents' birth records because the completed adoption will trace a legal family relationship from Adopting Parents' birth record to the Adoptee's birth record.  Box 14 of this Form asks if you want a new birth certificate issued showing the Parents' information contained in Part II. Box 15 of this Form asks if you want the hospital information left out of the new birth certificate – there is no right or wrong answer, it is your personal choice. Box 16 requires one of the Parents listed in Part II to sign the Form (in black ink only, and within the confines of the little box, don't be messy here). Box 17 requires the mailing address of the parent that signed in Box 16. Boxes 18a & 18b may be completed as “Not Applicable, Adult Adoption” written into each of those boxes.

Part III boxes 21a, 21b, 21c must exactly match the new name in the Adoption Order or Adoption Decree signed by the Judge. If no name change was requested in the California Adult Adoption case, then Part III boxes 21a, 21b, 21c should exactly match the information you wrote into Part I boxes 1a, 1b, 1c.  Finally, at the bottom of the Form write in the name and mailing address of the person to whom the new certified copy of the birth certificate will be U.S. Mailed to. If you checked “No” in Box 14, then no new birth certificate will be mailed to you. If the Adoptee was born in a foreign country outside the USA no new birth certificate will issue and it is best to check “No” in box 14 so as not to receive unnecessary correspondence from the Department Health. If the Adoptee was born in California and you checked “Yes” in Box 14, the new California Birth Certificate should arrive in the U.S. Mail in approximately 4 months to 7 months after the completed adoption.   If the Adoptee was born in a U.S. State other than California and you checked “Yes” in Box 14, then the California Department of Health will forward proof of the completed adoption to that birth state's birth records agency and that state will mail a new birth certificate or correspondence by U.S. Mail in approximately 4 months to 7 months after the completed adoption.