The Dossier

Below you will find a summary of each piece of the dossier. Remember, make sure to follow your agency's advice when building your dossier.

Once you've gathered all the documents listed below, you'll need to notarize, state certify, and Chinese authenticate each document. Check to see how your agency handles this. Some will do this part for you, others want you to do it. Still others will give you the option.

Certified Birth Certificate

• It is vital to ensure that the birth certificates for your dossier are certified copies. Homemade copies or hospital records are not acceptable. Please note that the birth certificate must be a “certified copy” (issued from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state of your birth). The birth certificates must also be less then 6 months old, as some Chinese consulates will not authenticate documents older than that.

Check with your secretary of state to find out if there are any special regulations in your state. There are a few states that have special requirements (New York is one), but the majority of you can simply fill out an application that can be downloaded off the web. Certified birth certificates are considered already notarized.

VitalChek

For those who have hard-to-get birth certificates, VitalChek is a great option! My mom was born in the Philippines (US Citizen Born Abroad), and her birth certificate was issued by the Department of State. For a fee, VitalChek obtained that document for us! They will also get birth certificates from any US state as well as death and divorce decrees.

VitalChek



Certified Divorce and Death Decrees


• Each spouse must obtain certified divorce/death decrees, if applicable. Please note that a divorce certificate is not adequate; please obtain the entire decree.

Contact the state vital records office or county records office in which the divorce or death took place. As with the birth certificates, each document must be less than 6 months old or some Chinese consulates will not authenticate it. Divorce decrees are usually already notarized by the county clerk who issued it.

Certified Marriage License

• It is vital to ensure that the marriage license for your dossier is a certified copy. Homemade copies are not acceptable.

The marriage license must also be less then 6 months old, as some Chinese consulates will not authenticate documents older than that. Certified marriage licenses are considered already notarized.



Medical Forms


• Each spouse must have a medical form signed by their physician that states they are in good health, are free from communicable disease, and are able to parent a child.

Each adoption agency has a standard medical form that they will give you to present to your doctor. The medical form will ask for height, weight, vision, hearing, a urinalysis, and a blood test (including Hep B and HIV tests), as well as any medications. The date of these tests must be within the past year. This form must be signed by either an M.D. or a D.O. This form must also be notarized.

Note:

The medical form below should NOT be used for your dossier. Please obtain your agency's standard form to give to your physician. The sample below is simply so you can see what the form looks like in general as well as what information is required.

See A Sample Dossier Medical Form

If you have any major health problems or have undergone surgery in the past several years, your doctor will need to write a letter to the CCAA stating what procedure you had done, your prognosis for future health, and that it won't affect your ability to parent. If you have had a health problem or surgery recently, speak to your agency right away so they can assist with your medicals.

Important Note

Every question and blank on the medical form MUST be completed. N/A is not an acceptable answer, and neither is a blank question.

See A Sample Doctor's Letter

Employment Letters

• Both parents must have employment letters verifying the place and length of employment, current annual salary, position, and prospects for continued employment (if possible). The letter must be on company letterhead, and must be dated, signed by the employer, and notarized.

If you are self employed, your CPA must generate the employment letter.

If one of you is not employed, you will need to generate a letter stating that you are unemployed, why you are unemployed, and that your family is financially comfortable with only the income of your spouse. This letter needs to be signed by the unemployed spouse and notarized.

See a sample employment letter.



Financial Statement


• The CCAA requires a financial statement that lists your income, assets, life insurance, investments, savings accounts, and other financial information.

As with the medical form above, each agency has their own standard form. Please consult closely with your adoption and home study agency in order to fill out this form correctly. The financial statement asks for last year's financial information as well as projected numbers for the current year.

The figures on your financial statement MUST match what is stated in your home study and employer letters.

Note:

The sample financial statement below should NOT be used for your dossier. Please obtain your agency's standard form to fill out. The sample below is simply so you can see what the form looks like in general as well as what information is required.

See A Sample Financial Statement



Passports

• You need to include two copies of the information page of each spouse's passport in your dossier. Simply make good color copies.

If you do not have a passport, you need to apply for one immediately. You will not be able to submit your dossier to the CCAA without it! If you already have a passport but it will be expiring soon (within one year), then you need to renew it. If your currently valid passport was lost or stolen, you need to report the loss and then apply for a new one.



• You will also need to include two passport photos of each parent. You can have them taken professionally, or do them yourself at home with a good quality digital camera (that's what we did!)

Your passport photos should be full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background.

Passport photos and copies of your passports do not need to be notarized or state certified.

Photos of Family Life

• You will need to include 6-10 photos of your family life in the dossier. Each agency has different suggestions on what these photos should look like and how to present them. Consult with your agency regarding this topic.






Criminal Background Clearances


• Each parent must obtain a local criminal background clearance. Remember, these documents must be less than 6 months old or some consulates will not authenticate them.

If this is your 2nd adoption, you cannot use a previous criminal clearance for your new dossier. You must obtain completely new documents for each adoption.

Contact your local police department or county judicial office to request a background check and clearance letter. These letters must be notarized.



Adoption Application Letter




• If you have not yet been matched with a child, you will need to write a personal letter of application to the CCAA stating your reasons for adoption, what kind of child you wish to adopt, your promise to care for your new child, and your promise not to abuse or abandon the child.

The letter needs to start off with your names, dates and places of birth, and country of citizenship. The CCAA likes the letter to be in your own personal words

If you are already matched with a child, your Letter of Intent can be substituted here as the information is basically the same.

Note

The sample adoption application letter below MAY NOT be duplicated. The letter needs to be in your own words. Make it personal!! This sample is only to give you an idea of what the letter should like in general.

See A Sample Adoption Application Letter

Home Study

• A notarized home study in your state of residence is required for your dossier. Each state has different home study requirements, so please consult with your social worker for specific guidelines. For general home study requirements, visit our home study information page.




I800A Approval

• You must include a copy of your I800A approval in your dossier. It must be fully notarized, state certified, and Chinese authenticated.

The Next Steps

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