How do I get a copy of the adoption order in California?

You get a copy of your California adoption order by asking the clerk of the Superior Court in the county where your adoption was finalized, and you should ask for certified copies, since agencies usually want an official copy rather than a photocopy.

Ask the clerk when your adoption is finalized. The easiest time to request copies is while you are still at the courthouse. Ask the Superior Court clerk how certified copies are requested, what each one costs, and whether they are handed to you that day or mailed. Fees and timing differ from county to county, so the clerk in your county is the right person to confirm them.

Request more than one certified copy. Several agencies and offices will each want an original certified copy, and they may keep it. You will likely use copies for:

• Asking California Department of Public Health Vital Records about a new birth certificate
• Adding your child to health or other insurance coverage
• Updating school records
• A passport application
• Your own family records

Adoption gives your child a legal parent-child relationship, including eligibility for Social Security and insurance benefits, and the order is the proof you will show to establish it. If you chose a name change as part of the adoption, the order is also what you will use to update the child's name on these records.

If you need a copy later. If your adoption was finalized some time ago and you don't have copies, contact the Superior Court clerk in the county where it was finalized. Have this ready:

• The child's name and your name as they appeared on the petition
• The case number, if you have it
• The approximate date the adoption was finalized

The clerk can tell you how to request the copy, what the certification fee is, and how long it takes. If you don't know the case number, the clerk can tell you how to search for it.

Keep copies safe. Store at least one certified copy with your other important family papers, such as birth certificates and Social Security cards, and avoid laminating it, because that can make it unusable for official purposes.

A few situations to check with the clerk or an attorney. Adoption records can carry special handling depending on the circumstances, and who is allowed to request copies may depend on your case. If your adoption involved a contested consent, an unknown parent, or a child with Native American heritage, ask the Superior Court clerk or an attorney how that affects getting copies of your file.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county, which you file yourself without an attorney. The cost is $349 for the first child (or one adult adoptee) and $99 for each additional child. Your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 1219 California families so far.