International adoptees and birth certificates?

almost human

I'm from Korea too, but a little further along in the discovery process than Kateiskate.

In Korea, there is no birth certificate per say. There is, instead a family registry, called a Hojuk, which traces the lineage of family clans. When we are born, we are usually listed on the family registries.

We are turned into "orphans," even if we have living parents, by way of a document registering us as orphans.

Once we are an "orphan," we are given a new family registry and we are listed as the head of our family clans! with no parents and, of course, no offspring. Our real Hojuk still exists somewhere in Korea, separated from us, and I hear our names are then "x'd" out...(yeah, that horrifies me too - being literally "x'd" out)

This erasing of our past makes us available for international adoption.

Upon completion of adoption proceedings in our new country, we are given a new birth certificate, one which "live birth" is not in the title. Our adoptive parents are written in where the form states the mother and father's identity. It is very curious, because we were born to people who reside in one state at the time of the "birth" certificate, yet our place of birth is in a foreign country.

I would call this a fake birth certificate, and I would also call this less than ethical.

As part of my documentation process preparing for my return to Korea, I also had to renounce my Korean citizenship. Not only do I have a family registry with my name "x'd" out on it, locked in some vault in Korea, but I have also always been a Korean citizen.

Being an international adoptee is often surreal.

ETA:

One of the wonderful things UNICEF is doing is registering children's births in developing countries. This is badly needed, because there is still inter-country slave trading in parts of Africa and Asia, and there is also international child trafficking. If there is any way we can, we should document and preserve the family ties of children.

kateiskate

I don't have a birth certificate from Korea. I have no record of my actual birth there. The birth certificate I do have has my amom and my adad's names on it.

I'm not even 100 percent I'm korean because theres no info on me before I was left at the orphanage.

Mine says country of birth is Korea.

Mei-Ling

Mine showed Mama and Baba as the natural parents.

The translated version showed them as the natural parents, and then Mom and Dad as my adoptive parents.

I don't have an amended birth certificate that I know of... unless my Canadian citizenship counts?

ETA: It varies. I was just speaking regarding my own situation. I have heard of Korean BCs that were amended...

Jennifer L

I'm sure it varies from country to country, but we have our children's original birth certificates that lists their biological parents. There was not an amended birth cerificate until we re-adopted them in the US (which is required by the state we live in).

ETA: Wow. 3 TDs for stating a fact: that there wasn't an amended birth certificate until coming to the US.

Indian-vision(un-blocked)

Just like Kims answered about Ethiopia and Randy about India. Many many births in India are not recorded as they are often not born in Hospitals. Especially if they poor, from villages or the child out of wedlock.

So often orphanages do not have the exact date of birth of the child nor do they know of the natural parents. In case of adoption like Randy said birth certificates are issued with the date being a guess.

kims

My children are from Ethiopia. When we met their father we did ask about their birth informaton. He told us they don't register births where he is, and they surely don't celebrate birthdays or anything so they just kind of go by what season the children were born in. So the birth certificates the government gave us do list their real family and real place of birth, but the dates are guesses. That was in the papers we got from the relinquishment proceedings. In our adoption paperwork they gave us birth certificates that list us as the adoptive parents.

When we validated their adoptions in our state we were issued birth certificates for them that list us as the parents.

Randy B

My 16 year old has no birth certificate. Canadian or otherwise. She was given a notarized document from the Indian courts which stated her date of birth and her status prior to adoption (ie: no parents, no known family, abandoned at the Missionaries of Charity orphanage in Rajgarth...). Other then that, that was it.

When we formalized the adoption in Ontario we then obtained her adoption papers but nothing more. The only formal ID she has which lists her DOB and such is her Canadian passport and her official citizenship card. Other then that, there is nothing. I did contact the Province to ask about a birth certificate of some sort (someone told me they would issue a "certificate of live birth" card) but they told me that there was no such ID/Birth Certificate document available to her.

It's never hindered her/us in any way however. She was able to get her SIN card (same as a US SSN) and her health card. She was also able to get her Province of Alberta ID card. All that remains is for her to get her drivers license and with the ID she has it won't be a problem.

My child, adopted from Guatemala has an original BC with the birth mother's name. (No father listed, born out of wedlock). Then when we arrived home, the US issued us an "amended BC" listing me as mother.

I think it's pretty cool, that way if my child wants to know anything about his birth mom then he can at least try. I am extremely grateful to his birth mom, I can't imagine how hard it was for her.

Independ"ant"

Its sad that in many countries the Original isn't the Original to begin with. I can't begin to imagine not only having access to a real OBC but not even knowing if I from the country my Aps adopted from. Children are trafficked in from surrounding countries all the time.

Watch the movie Trade (Kevin Kline) when you have a strong stomach to see just how easy its done. The US govt stats at the end of the film is disturbing.

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