42 U.S.C. § 14931 — Adoptions of children immigrating to the United States

(a) Legal effect of certificates issued by the Secretary of State. (1) Issuance of certificates. For each Convention adoption, the Secretary of State must issue a certificate to the U.S. citizen parent domiciled in the U.S. stating that the adoption has been granted, or, for a prospective parent, that legal custody of the child has been granted for the purpose of moving the child to the U.S. and adopting. The Secretary can only issue this if (A) the child's country of origin's central authority properly notifies the Secretary, and (B) the Secretary has verified that the Convention's and this chapter's requirements were met. (2) Legal effect of certificates. If attached to the original adoption decree, the certificate counts as conclusive proof of what it certifies for federal and state agencies, courts, and other public and private persons and entities, and it satisfies the certification required by section 1154(d)(2) of Title 8. (b) Legal effect of Convention adoption finalized in another Convention country. A final adoption completed in another Convention country, and certified by the Secretary under subsection (a) or section 14932(c), must be recognized as a final, valid adoption for all federal, state, and local law purposes in the U.S. (c) Condition on finalization of Convention adoption by State court. If a child entered the U.S. from another Convention country to be adopted, an order finalizing that adoption cannot be entered until the Secretary has issued the certificate described in subsection (a).