WHAT IS A COURT REPORT OF ADOPTION AND WHY DO I NEED ONE FOR MY ADULT ADOPTION IN CALIFORNIA?

The Court Report of Adoption (Form VS44) is the official form used by the Courts to report adoptions to vital records offices.  State Registrars cannot legally prepare a new birth certificate for an adopted adult until they have received a certified Court Report of Adoption.

If the Petitioner does NOT want a new birth certificate issued after an adult adoption, then no Court Report of Adoption (Form VS44) is submitted as part of the case filing to the Clerk of the Court.

WHO COMPLETES THE COURT REPORT OF ADOPTION?

You (the Petitioner) will fill out the Form VS44 Court Report of Adoption for the Clerk of the Court.  It is very useful to have the original birth certificate available to copy the information from the original birth into Part 1 of the Form VS44.  The Clerk of the California Superior Court granting the adoption is required to complete the Court Report of Adoption (Form VS44) and send it to the California Department of Public Health - Vital Records office, known as "Vital Records." The part of the Court Report of Adoption (Form VS44) that the Court Clerk will complete for you is only the Part 3 of the Form that certifies the date, location, case number and adoptee's name after adoption.  You (the Petitioner) will need to accurately completely the rest of the Form. 

The Court Report of Adoption cannot contain any erasure, whiteout or alterations and must be neatly printed in BLACK INK ONLY and clearly legible or typed.  Signatures on this Form must be done in BLACK INK ONLY. The Clerk of the Superior Court will forward the completed Court Report of Adoption (Form VS44) to Vital Records with a certified copy of the Court Order (also known as Decree) of Adoption.  Some California Superior Courts require this Form to be submitted in duplicate, while others only require one copy of the Form.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET A NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATE?

The processing time for a new birth certificate after an Adult Adoption depends on the volume of requests being processed by Vital Records.  For California Vital Records, the average processing time when all the documentation is appropriately submitted appears to be between 2 - 4 months after the Adoption Hearing/Judge's Order for the new birth certificate to arrive in the mail at the address provided for at the bottom of the Form VS44.