International Adoption in Oregon: Re-Adoption, Holt International, and Oregon Law

Oregon families pursuing international adoption operate within two legal frameworks simultaneously: the federal immigration and Hague Convention rules that govern the international adoption itself, and the Oregon state law that controls what happens after you return home. Most families focus intensely on the international process and underestimate the importance of the Oregon-specific steps that follow. This guide covers both.

International Adoption Volume in Oregon

International adoptions finalized through Oregon courts have declined significantly over recent years, reflecting national trends. Oregon's Non-Departmental Adoptions Program data shows 28 re-adoptions in FY 2022-23, dropping to 19 in FY 2023-24 and 11 in FY 2024-25. This reflects the broader global decline in international adoption programs — fewer countries maintain Hague-compliant intercountry adoption programs, and many have significantly restricted or closed their programs to foreign adoption.

Despite declining numbers, international adoption remains a meaningful pathway for some Oregon families, particularly through agencies like Holt International that maintain established programs in specific countries.

Holt International: Oregon's Primary International Agency

Holt International Children's Services is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon (250 Country Club Rd, Eugene, OR 97401; 541-687-2202) and is one of the oldest and most established intercountry adoption agencies in the world. Founded in 1955 to facilitate adoptions from South Korea following the Korean War, Holt has expanded to programs in multiple countries and also serves as a domestic infant adoption agency in Oregon.

For Oregon families pursuing international adoption, Holt's Oregon base means the agency has direct experience with Oregon state law requirements, including the re-adoption process, Oregon Circuit Court procedures for foreign decree recognition, and the Oregon Health Authority birth certificate application process.

Holt's specific country programs vary and change as countries open, suspend, or close their programs to foreign adoption. Contact Holt directly for current program availability — their country programs are subject to foreign government policy and Hague Convention status.

Other Oregon-licensed agencies offering international adoption support include Tree of Life Adoption Center in Portland, which provides independent home study services for families working with international programs through other agencies.

The Federal and Hague Convention Framework

International adoptions involving Hague Convention countries follow a federally regulated process under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, implemented in the United States through the Intercountry Adoption Act.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries: If the child's country of origin is a Hague Convention country, the adoption must comply with Hague process requirements, and the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs accredits the agencies permitted to facilitate these adoptions. If the child's country of origin is not a Hague country, orphan petition rules apply under INA Section 101(b)(1)(F).

Visa types: Children entering the United States after an internationally finalized adoption arrive on either an IR-3 or IH-3 visa (if the adoption was fully completed in the child's country of origin and both adoptive parents personally saw the child before the foreign adoption) or an IR-4 or IH-4 visa (if the adoption was not fully completed abroad or only one parent met the child). The visa type determines whether re-adoption in the United States is legally required or merely recommended.

Home study: All international adoption home studies must be conducted by a Hague-accredited agency (for Hague country adoptions). Oregon families typically use an Oregon-licensed agency that also holds Hague accreditation — Holt International and Tree of Life both provide international home study services.

Re-Adoption in Oregon: ORS 109.385

When an Oregon family completes an international adoption abroad and returns home with the child, Oregon strongly recommends — and for some visa types requires — that they file a Petition for Re-Adoption in their local Circuit Court under ORS 109.385.

Why re-adopt in Oregon even if the adoption is already complete abroad?

1. Oregon birth certificate: Re-adoption in Oregon Circuit Court triggers the issuance of an Oregon Certificate of Foreign Birth — a document issued by Oregon Health Authority that functions as the child's Oregon birth certificate. This document lists the child's adoptive name and the adoptive parents and is accepted for school enrollment, Social Security, and passport applications in Oregon. Without it, you rely on the foreign birth certificate (and its translation) for every official document request.

2. Legal clarity: A foreign adoption decree is generally recognized in Oregon, but recognition is not always automatic in every context. An Oregon court order provides definitive, unambiguous legal confirmation of the parent-child relationship under Oregon law.

3. Simplified documentation: For everyday use — enrolling in Oregon schools, obtaining an Oregon driver's license at age 16, applying to Oregon universities — an Oregon-issued certificate is far simpler to present than a foreign decree requiring translation and authentication.

4. IR-4/IH-4 visa holders: Children entering on IR-4 or IH-4 visas did not complete a full adoption abroad. For these families, re-adoption in an Oregon Circuit Court is the step that converts the legal custody into a finalized Oregon adoption.

The Oregon Re-Adoption Process

Re-adoption under ORS 109.385 is primarily administrative rather than substantive — you are asking an Oregon court to recognize and formally record an adoption that is already complete. The process is faster and less complex than a new domestic adoption.

Documents required:

• Certified, apostilled copy of the foreign adoption decree
• Certified translation of the foreign adoption decree (if not in English)
• Certified copy of the child's foreign birth certificate, with translation
• The child's U.S. immigrant visa and passport
• Your home study (already completed for the international adoption)
• Petition for Re-Adoption filed in your local Circuit Court
• ASSIS (Adoption Summary and Segregated Information Statement) — required even for re-adoption

ODHS review: As with other adoptions, the ODHS Non-Departmental Adoptions Unit must be served within 30 days of filing. ODHS submits the ICWA compliance report before finalization can occur. For most international adoptions, ICWA does not apply (as the child is not a member of a U.S. federally recognized tribe), but the inquiry must still be documented.

Timeline: Re-adoption petitions are typically processed faster than new domestic adoption petitions because the legal work is primarily document review. Metro-area counties may finalize re-adoptions in 2 to 3 months from filing; some rural counties move faster.

Filing fee: $263 under ORS 21.135.

After Re-Adoption: Oregon Birth Certificate

After the re-adoption is finalized, your attorney submits the required documents to the Oregon Health Authority Center for Health Statistics. Oregon Health Authority issues a Certificate of Foreign Birth — not a standard Oregon birth certificate, but a comparable document that states the child was born in [country] and was adopted by [adoptive parents]. It includes the child's adoptive name.

This document takes approximately 4 to 8 weeks to receive after finalization. Order certified copies from the court at finalization (get at least three to five) and then apply for the Oregon birth certificate through OHA.

Practical Recommendation

If you are an Oregon family returning from an international adoption, do not skip the re-adoption step to save time or money. The $263 filing fee and several months of processing is a small investment for permanent, simplified legal documentation that your child will use for the rest of their life in Oregon. Work with an Oregon adoption attorney who has handled international re-adoptions, and specifically one familiar with your local Circuit Court's document submission requirements.

For a complete guide to Oregon adoption law and the re-adoption filing process — including what documents go into the petition packet and how ODHS review works for non-foster cases — the Oregon Adoption Process Guide provides the full procedural reference.

See more United States guides →