Texas Re-Adoption Files

Nine Steps to Completeing your
TEXAS ReAdoption in 4 Weeks or Less!

If you've completed a Dossier, you're more than skilled to file the paperwork necessary to complete your ReAdoption in the State of Texas without the cost and time of hiring an attorney.

PLEASE NOTE:  THE LINKS BELOW DO NOT WORK RIGHT NOW.  PLEASE CONTACT ME AND I WILL SEND YOU THE FORMS PERSONALLY.   
 g i n a @ c r a z y r o o t s  .  c o m

DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer and am not offering you legal advice.  I've simply spent a lot of time figuring this out to save our family money, and I wish to pass along our process to you to hopefully save you some time and money.  I in no way shape or form ask you to substitute my opinions and actions for your own or for legal advice on your case should you feel you need it.

Before we begin you will need an Adobe PDF reader to complete these forms.  Most computers already have this installed, but just in case, click the icon to download if needed.
STEP ONE:
  1. Print out the following Check List.  You will Carry this with you to file your petition, and again to Court so you can be confident you have all the information you need.


STEP TWO:
  1. Gather the following documents and items
    1. The Foreign Court Decree which legalized your adoption.
    2. Contract of Adoption between you and the Orphanage - if you received one.
    3. Your Child's Foreign Birth Certificate
    4. Your Child's Foreign Passport and U.S. Visa
    5. Both Adoptive Parent's Texas Driver's Licenses
  2. Make Copies of these and have them notarized using the Cover Sheet Provided Below


STEP THREE:
  1. Complete the majority of the paperwork necessary by clicking on the image below.  Select the option for one child.
  2. Once the pdf opens, please fill out the first page with the appropriate information from the documents you collected above.  The rest of the paperwork will auto populate for you.  Easy smeasy!
  3. Once completed check the documents for accuracy, save to your computer.
  4. Print One Copy of pages 2-4.



STEP FOUR:
  1. Click below and complete the Certificate of Adoption.
  2. Leave the Attorney section of the Certificate blank.
  3. Leave blank any information regarding the biological family and your child's birth circumstances that are unknown.
  4. You will need a separate Cerificate of Adoption for each child.
  5. Save to your computer and print one copy.

STEP FIVE:
  1. Combine
    1. Your signed page 2 of STEP 3- APPLICATION FOR ORDER RECOGNIZING VALIDITY OF FOREIGN DECREE OF ADOPTION
    2. The Notarized Copies of your Documents from STEP ONE.
    3. The Texas Statute on recognizing the validity of foreign adoptions in Texas.  Click Here to Print
  2. Collect Cash or Money Order for the appropriate filing fees.  Check with your County File Clerk for the payments they accept if these options are inconvienant for you.
  3. Determine where to file your paperwork for your county.  For a list of  addresses click here, or if your county is not listed, google search -  (Your County) County Texas File Clerk. 
  4. File the combined paperwork from point 1 in person. Only one petitioner (husband or the wife) is needed to file the petition in person.
  5. Once the File Clerk has completed your Case File, they will assign you to a District Court.
  6. You will then proceed immediately to the District Court Clerk.  Take the incomplete printouts of Page 3 - ORDER ; page 4 - ORDER OF INSTRUCTION FOR CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION, and the completed CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION.  The District Court Clerk will assign you a time on the Docket and give you the information to complete the Check List you'll need.  You will not turnover the ORDER or Certificate of Adoption paperwork at this point, but they will want to see that you have it and that you understand you need it.  
  7. Ask the District Court Clerk whether the judge allows children or not, or whether the adopted children are required to be present.  Tarrant county will not allow children in the court room.  Our kids waited in the hallway 3 hours until we were finished and then we asked the judge to enter and take a photo.  It would have been better to leave them with a sitter though! 
  • Keep in mind, that each county handles things differently, especially in smaller counties.   Generally it will follow a similar pattern to what's laid out here, but when in doubt, Simply ask where to file your Adoption Petition, (do not say ReAdoption, they'll look at you like you're crazy!) and then after filing, ask where to go to be placed on the docket.  Clerks can not give you any legal advice, or answer any questions about how to fill out your paperwork, but they can give you general directions on where to go!  The exact procedures I've listed here are for Tarrant County.
STEP SIX:
  1. With the information you now have from filing, open the saved PDF file you have from above on your computer and complete the last section of the first page.  This will auto complete the ORDER and the INSTRUCTION FOR HANDLING CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION.
  2. Print at least 3 copies of Page 3 - ORDER.  The judge will sign each one that you bring so they are certified originals.  You'll need one to submit with the Certificate of Adoption, and the others for future needs that may arise.
  3. Print one copy of Page 4 - INSTRUCTION FOR HANDLING CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION.
STEP SEVEN:
  1. Return to court at your assigned date and time.  Both petitioners will need to be present for this hearing.
  2. Do not get nervous listening to all the divorce cases go through with all their legal jargon and testifying!  ReAdoption is a cut and dry formality.  You won't likely be sworn in or have to even talk much.  We were the last to go up, three hours of listening to the judge hogtie others and complain they didn't have an attorney representing them, which made me so nervous, and then I walked up, he said I've looked over your case, this is simple, all I have to do is sign, and we were done.  2 minutes tops.
  3. Have the judge sign the ORDERS and the INSTRUCTION FOR HANDLING CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION forms.
  4. After you pass through court, return to the District Court Clerk and have them hand complete section 4 of the Certificate of Adoption.
STEP EIGHT:
  1. Mail the completed Certificate of Adoption, a copy of their Foreign Birth Certificate, and one copy of the signed ORDER to the Bureau of Vital Statistics with the $62.00 fees (per child).
  2. They will then mail a copy of your child's new birth certificate to you.
VITAL STATISTICS UNIT
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES
P.O. BOX 12040
AUSTIN, TX 78711-2040

 
STEP NINE:  You're Done 
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