I'll think of a catchy title later...

I've recently had some discussions with other adoptive families about the Certificate of Citizenship. There's been some question whether it is necessary or not, since the CIS doesn't require it and a US passport shows citizenship. I asked our representative at WACAP (our adoption agency) what she thought. Here is her response:

The importance of a Certificate of Citizenship:

Families whose child is issued and IR3 visa (meaning both parents in a married couple or a single mom was there to see the child and participate in the court hearing on the first trip), will be given an automatic Certificate of Citizenship but in cases where only one parent (of a married couple) sees the child prior to a court hearing, your child will be given and IR4 visa and you will must apply for a Certificate of Citizenship later on.

Where this is not formally required by WACAP, we cannot stress enough the value of obtaining this sooner than later.

A USCIS-issued Certificate of Citizenship will be one of the most important documents in your child’s life because it provides solid “proof” that your child is a citizen of the United States of America. There are multiple reasons why getting the Certificate of Citizenship is so very important, and we’ll outline it all. The $600 fee for a Certificate of Citizenship is definitely a major expense for most families, but please don’t let the fee stand in the way of providing your child with proof that they are entitled to all the benefits of citizenship.

Some families that have recently finalized their children’s adoption in their local court believe that getting a passport for their child is sufficient, but passports are only “evidence” of citizenship. Passports can also be lost, stolen or they will expire. Renewing the passport of a minor will occur every 5 years until they are 18. If there are ever gaps in the validity of a passport, you could experience delays and headaches when trying to prove your child’s citizenship. For some families with babies and toddlers this could potentially cost upwards of $500 or more (should passport fees remain consistent) in renewals every five years! Additionally, more and more passport offices are not issuing passports for families with only a U.S. decree of adoption; they are requiring you possess a certificate of citizenship first.

The Social Security office is also becoming more strict about issuing permanent Social Security Numbers for internationally adopted children, and often requires seeing the Certificate of Citizenship.

The Certificate of Citizenship is always kept on file with the USCIS and in the event that a child’s Certificate of Citizenship goes missing, you can acquire another copy for a nominal fee. You never have to prove (all over again) that your child is a citizen of the United States. Down the road, older adoptees (as adults) will have an easier time getting a hold of proof should they need to. There will be times in your child’s life that they’ll need to prove citizenship (higher education, military, travel, their own adoptions, obtaining a mortgage, etc) and having a Certificate of Citizenship provides your child a solid future. Without proper proof, children can be deported back to their country of origin. We therefore, take this very, very seriously.

Any questions about this can be directed to Ethiopia Team or to Janet Anderson who supervises Post Placement and Finalization. (janeta@wacap.org)