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SB 927

Intercountry adoption finalized in a foreign country.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Marie Alvarado-Gil and 14 co-sponsors

Allows readoption of foreign, finalized intercountry adoptions to grant California birth records and official/legal parent recognition, with self-petition options if filers fail.

In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
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Bill Summary · SB 927

Summary of SB 927 (2025-2026) — Intercountry Adoption Finalized in a Foreign Country

Purpose and intent

SB 927 seeks to establish a clear process for documenting and recognizing in California the facts of intercountry adoptions that were finalized abroad. The bill allows, and in some cases requires, a formal readoption petition to create a California record of the foreign adoption, ensuring the adoptee has a legally recognized birth record and parentage in California.

Key objective: Provide a mechanism for adoptees to obtain a California birth record and official recognition of their adoptive parents as legal parents, based on a foreign, finalized adoption.

Key provisions and changes

  • Expanded eligibility to file for readoption

    • Current law requires petition to readopt within the earlier of 60 days after the adoptee enters the U.S. or the adoptee’s 16th birthday (for a state resident who finalized an intercountry adoption abroad).
    • SB 927 authorizes an adoptee of any age to file a petition on their own behalf if both:
    • the adoptive parent(s) failed to file the petition, and
    • the intercountry adoption agency that facilitated the adoption failed to file a petition.

  • Petition content and requirements (for readoption)
    The petition must include:

    1. A certified or official copy of the foreign decree/order/certification of adoption indicating finalization abroad.
    2. A certified or official copy of the child’s foreign birth certificate.
    3. A certified translation of non-English documents (the court will accept translations already prepared abroad for visa/passport purposes).
    4. Proof of lawful entry into the U.S. as an immediate relative of the adoptive parent(s).
    5. A report from at least one postplacement home visit by an intercountry adoption agency or a licensed contractor in California.
    6. A copy of the home study report previously prepared for the international finalized adoption by a California-licensed intercountry adoption agency.

  • Readoption determination

    • A readoption order will be granted only if the court receives the postplacement visit reports (5) and the home study report (6). The court may consider these materials when deciding whether to grant or deny the petition.

  • Agency and parental duties if filing is late or missing

    • If adoptive parents fail to file within the mandated timeframe or fail to provide copies to all agencies, the facilitating adoption agency must file the petition within 90 days of the child’s U.S. entry and provide a file-marked copy to the adoptive parent(s) and other involved agencies within five business days.
    • The adopting parent(s) may owe the agency for costs incurred in fulfilling these requirements.
    • The California Department of Justice or the relevant department may take disciplinary action against a licensed adoption agency that fails to file the petition.

  • Adoptee filing by self (age does not bar relief)

    • An adoptee of any age may file on their own behalf under the described conditions if both the adoptive parent(s) and the facilitating agency failed to file.

  • Human trafficking safeguards

    • If the court believes the child may be a trafficking victim or a child described in Welfare and Institutions Code Section 300, the court must notify appropriate authorities in line with existing law.

  • Clerk and State Registrar actions

    • The court’s order granting readoption must be submitted to the State Registrar within 10 business days.
    • The State Registrar will issue a delayed birth registration listing the adoptive parent(s) as legal parents.

  • Birth certificate accessibility

    • A California resident who adopted a child via a foreign, finalized intercountry adoption may obtain a birth certificate for that child under existing Health and Safety Code provisions.

Who is affected

  • Intercountry adoptees with finalized foreign adoptions.
  • Adoptive parents and the adoption agencies that facilitated foreign adoptions in California.
  • California courts handling readoption petitions.
  • California State Registrar and the HHS/Health and Safety Code framework governing delayed birth registrations.
  • Postplacement agencies and home-study providers involved in intercountry adoptions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Provides an alternative path for adoptees to petition for readoption beyond the prior 60-day/16th birthday deadline, enabling self-file petitions regardless of age under specified circumstances.
  • Requires timely agency action (within 90 days of U.S. entry) if parents/AGencies fail to file.
  • Requires submission of a court order to the State Registrar within 10 business days, triggering delayed birth registration.
  • Incorporates postplacement reports and home study into readoption consideration, ensuring oversight and quality of the foreign adoption record.

Observations

  • The bill does not create new foreign adoptions but formalizes California's process to recognize and document them domestically.
  • It strengthens safeguards against trafficking by mandating proper notification if trafficking indicators arise.
  • It enhances adoptee rights by allowing self-initiated petitions regardless of age when the standard filer fails to act.

Sponsor/Support: Multiple senators listed as co-sponsors, indicating broad legislative interest. The measure is amended and moving through the Assembly’s committees with no anticipated appropriation.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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