On the 24th of December we got the present, the one we were waiting for, we got it in the mail…
Yes, the new birth certificates arrived at last!
We started the re-adoption process around mid-September, so it took a little more than 3 months to finish and get the papers. These are called “certificate of foreign birth” and are similar to the regular birth certificates, only that they list the place of birth in Ethiopia.
Curiously, the two certificates are formatted differently, even when they were issued the same day and by the same Department. Maybe because one is for a boy and the other one for a girl?
Having the certificates means that they are already US citizens and can apply for a US passport!! Their names have also been changed; well, we only replaced their middle name that was “Miguel” for both of them according to the Ethiopian tradition.
Now while we get the passports, we also have to update their names in their Social Security Cards and start yet another process to get their Certificate of Citizenship, to have one more paper that documents their citizenship just in case. That certificate requires a lot of paperwork, but we only have to send all the documents, pay a fee and wait, but in the meantime they can travel with us already as US citizens.
Having received the birth certificates also means the children have been legally recognized as our children by the State of Oregon.
Best Christmas present!                                          

AliciA