I adopted my son from Paraguay in 1989. The adoption was finalized there and I filed the INS form N-600. He received a Resident Alien Card at that time. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 granted automatic citizenship to all foreign born adopted children (the law was retroactive). Now I need to prove his citizenship and they tell me to file a N-600 and pay $255 for a Proof of Citizenship" document. He is not on record as a US citizen... although I had no problems obtaining a SSN or Selective Services card!

Any idea how I can prove his status without repeat paperwork and high cost?

This is the government, you file form N600 and pay a 255 fee.

And honestly in the aspect of life 255 isnot "alot of money"

Remember this is government it does not have to make sense.

You could hire an immigration attorney, but I doubt you'd save money that way. I'd just file it again.

I adopted my son from Paraguay in 1989. The adoption was finalized there and I filed the INS form N-600.

Hi! I also have 2 children adopted pre-Child Citizenship Act. First of all, check his Paraguayan passport. Is the immigration stamp Visa an IR-3 or IR-4. If it's an IR-3, then that is proof of US Citizenship, the US Govt has that information on record, and you just need the N-600 form. In 2000, the rules to obtain an IR-3 was that both parents had to see the child before the adoption was final. I don't know if they were different in 1989.

If your son is IR-4, then you need to re-adopt him in your county. Since he's over 18 years old, I'm not sure how you'd go about doing this. So I'd recommend seeking out an immigration attorney or at least contact your county Probate Court.

Your final goal should be to get get a US Certificate of Citizenship. In this post-9/11 age, even a passport is not a guaranteed proof of US Citizenship because it has an expiration date.

After receiving the Certificate of Citizenship, you should file a G-884 to return all original documents pertaining to your son's adoption. There is no fee for this.

Good luck -- the paperwork chase just never ends with an international adoption, does it?

LauraP
Mom to Joe, Megan, and Rosa -- all born in Guatemala