Expanding your family through adoption is a beautiful journey that sometimes leads you across borders. While the prospect of bringing a child home from overseas is exciting, it also involves some of the most complex legal requirements in family law.
At Foster + Bloom, our international adoption lawyers provide the specialized knowledge required to navigate state, federal, and international regulations. Our goal is to ensure your child’s transition to their new home in Indiana is legally secure and permanent.
Why You Need a Lawyer for International Adoption
If you are researching how to adopt a baby from another country, you have likely discovered that the process is governed by a multi-layered legal framework. Every journey must comply with the laws of the child’s country of origin, United States federal immigration laws, and Indiana state statutes.
Many international adoptions are also subject to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. An international adoption lawyer is essential to ensure that every document and procedure meets these rigorous standards, protecting you from legal vulnerabilities that could impact your child’s citizenship or your parental rights.
What Does an International Adoption Attorney in Indiana Do?
Our role as your international adoption attorneys in Indiana is to provide comprehensive legal counsel. We handle the technical legal details so you can focus on preparing for your child’s arrival. Our services include:
- Document Preparation: Ensuring all foreign and domestic legal filings are accurate and properly translated.
- Immigration Compliance: Working as an immigration and adoption specialists to navigate USCIS requirements.
- Visa Guidance: Helping families understand the differences between visa types and their impact on citizenship.
- Court Representation: Representing your family in Indiana courts for re-adoption or decree domestication.
How International Adoption Attorneys and Agencies Work Together
Many families search for an international adoption lawyer nearby while also working with an adoption agency.
These two roles are complementary but distinct. While your agency focuses on social work, home studies, and identifying a child, our firm focuses on the legal protection of your family. We collaborate closely with your agency to ensure that the legal arc of your journey—from foreign travel to final U.S. recognition—is seamless and secure.
How to Adopt a Baby From Another Country: The Legal Process
The legal path for adopting overseas generally follows these phases:
Step 1 Home Study & Application: Completing a Hague-compliant home study and filing with USCIS.
Step 2 Matching & Referral: Accepting a referral from a foreign country that meets international legal standards.
Step 3 Foreign Legal Proceedings: Completing the adoption or guardianship process in the child’s country of origin.
Step 4 Visa & Immigration: Securing the appropriate travel visa to bring your child to the U.S.
Step 5 Indiana Finalization: Completing a re-adoption or domesticating a foreign adoption decree once you return home to Indiana.
FAQs About International Adoption in Indiana
Do I need to re-adopt based on my child’s visa?
This depends on the visa type. An adoption lawyer can explain fully depending on your situation, but children entering on an IR-4 visa or an IR-3 visas usually will need a “re-adoption” or domestication to ensure your child has an Indiana-issued decree and birth record.
Do I need a Certificate of Foreign Birth in Indiana?
In most cases yes. Working with a lawyer to obtain a certificate of foreign birth for your child often makes your life easier as this document can be used for school enrollment and government identification more often than a foreign document.
How long does it take to finalize an international adoption?
While the preparation and overseas portion can take years, the legal finalization in Indiana (the re-adoption) typically takes a few months once you have returned home.
Why Work With Foster + Bloom for International Adoption?
When you are looking for an attorney for international adoption, experience matters. Foster + Bloom is dedicated to family-building and is one of the most experienced teams for family formation law. As a specialized family building attorney team, we have guided many families through the unique hurdles of international law.
We are not just international adoption attorneys; we are specialists who understand the emotional weight of your journey. We are here to provide the clarity and guidance you need to bring your child home with confidence.