You made it!
Your child is home… now what?
Some ideas as to what to do once your child is home:
SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
One of the first things to do is to get your child’s Social Security card. When you file your income tax return, you must have a social security number for any child over 1 year old. Fill out the application for a social security card (SS-5). You can get one at the social security office or you can download a copy from the web (http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html). Then go to your local Social Security office and takes these documents with you:
* Completed application form
* Resident alien card (that’s the green card, the number was stamped in your child’s passport at the port of entry into the US; some people have successfully used the Chinese passport with the stamp)
* Original birth certificate
* Adoption decree
* Identification for you
The office won’t keep the documents; they’ll just record that they’ve seen them. The Social Security card will come in the mail and your child’s status will be that of resident alien. After getting citizenship, return to the Social Security office and change the status from resident alien to citizen. For this trip, take the citizenship papers and the original Social Security card along with your own identification. Your child will keep the original Social Security number, only the status will change. Note: Sometimes this step is slightly different dependent on the office you visit, since the Citizenship act some offices make this change differently and your children may never be seen as a resident alien they will have their status as Citizen from the beginning.
CITIZENSHIP
To apply for citizenship, request form N-643 (Application for Certificate of Citizenship in Behalf of an Adopted Child) from INS. Call your local INS, the INS forms line (800-870-FORM), or request it the web (http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/exec/forms/formsbymail.asp) or download it (http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/forms/download/index.html). The documents needed to file for citizenship are:
* child’s resident alien card
* child’s birth certificate
* adoption decree
* evidence of name change, if applicable
* evidence of US citizenship for adoptive parents (even if only one of you is a US citizen, you can still use form N-643)
* marriage license of adoptive parents, if applicable
* divorce decrees for any previous marriages
* 3 identical passport-size photographs – or as close as you can come to identical since most shops have cameras that take 2 photos at once
Although the instructions state that the cost is $85, it’s really $80 and there will be a delay if you send in the wrong amount! In about 3 or 4 months, you’ll receive a notice to come to INS to pick up the citizenship material. Some offices have ceremonies; others do not. You’ll have to surrender the alien registration card when you get the citizenship material – unless you lose it (HINT, HINT).
If your family plans to travel outside the US before your child is a US citizen, have available at all times:
* your child’s Guatemala passport
* your child’s green card
And remember when you make your travel arrangements to tell the travel agent, the airline, etc. that your child is a Chinese citizen. You may have to get a visa for your child to enter the country you plan to visit.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE
This is easy in Colorado and some other states. Very difficult in others. Some states seem to require re-adoption to get the birth certificate. Check with your state’s Vital Records office for information.
PASSPORT
To get a passport, you’ll need:
* certificate of citizenship
* application for the passport
* your identification
* passport photos
Take everything to the passport office along with $30 for the passport and money to pay the clerk. The certificate of citizenship will be returned to you along with the passport. Children’s passports are good for five years.
REQUEST FOR THE RETURN OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
This is INS Form G-884. Once you get your child’s citizenship, you can file this form to receive the packet that you left with INS when your child first entered the US. Submit this form with two legible copies of the following documents:
* alien registration card
* birth certificate
* citizenship certificate
When you send copies, you’ll need to sign that they are true and accurate copies just like you did when preparing your dossier. You’ll also have to submit proof of your relationship to your child because you’re submitting the request on her/his behalf. Your notarized signature goes on the back of the form. You must specifically list what documents you want returned to you: medical report, copy of adoption decree, abandonment certificate, and you can try for “anything else pertaining to the INS visa application of the adoption of….”
YOUR WILL
Your will is one of the most important documents you’ll ever sign. Here are five critical don’ts to consider:
* Don’t put it off until later.
* Don’t do it by yourself.
* Don’t rely on it solely.
* Don’t put it away and forget about it.
* Don’t put it where no one can find it.
INSURANCE
Don’t forget to sign your child up with your health insurance plan. Do it as soon as you can after returning home. Many insurance companies require that your inform them of a change in family status within 30 days.
