We record only court-ordered adoptions for children born in Colorado or outside the United States. We forward all other adoption documents to the child's state of birth.
1. Attorney or Court Report of Adoption:
- When an adoption is finalized in a Colorado court, the report of adoption is sent to the Vital Records office. The new birth certificate will be processed about four weeks after we receive the report.
2. Notification of New Birth Certificate Letter:
- Once the new birth certificate is complete, we’ll send a notification of completion and a Birth Certificate Application to the attorney listed on the Report of Adoption. If an attorney isn’t listed, we’ll send this information to the adoptive parent(s).
3. Application for Birth Certificate:
- Complete the Birth Certificate Application and submit the form with all the required documents, as well as fees for the adoption registration and a certified copy of the certificate.
More options
- Foreign-born adoption:
- The certified Report of Adoption and Final Decree of Adoption should be received from either the court where the adoption took place or the attorney.
- “Issued Pursuant to Adoption”:
- If you select this option on the Birth Certificate Application, the statement "Issued Pursuant to Adoption" will print on the face of the birth certificate if there’s a record of an adoption on file in our office.
- No Report of Adoption submitted:
- If the attorney or court didn’t submit a Report of Adoption, a completed Data Worksheet for New Birth Certificates must be submitted with the adoption decree.