{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/63.2-1220.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/63.2-1220.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/63.2-1220.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/63.2-1220.3.html"}],"law_id":80979,"edition_id":1,"section_id":80979,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.3","catch_line":"Approval of post-adoption contact and communication agreements","history":"2010, c. 331.","full_text":"A\n\nThe circuit court may approve a post-adoption contact and communication agreement authorized pursuant to \u00a7 16.1-283.1 or entered into pursuant to this article and filed with the court for a petition for adoption if:1\n\nThe court determines that the child’s best interest would be served by approving the post-adoption contact and communication agreement;2\n\nThe adoptive parent or parents and birth parent or parents have consented to a post-adoption contact and communication agreement filed with the court;3\n\nThe agency authorized to place the child for adoption and to consent to an adoption or authorized to recommend the placement of a child for adoption and the child’s guardian ad litem have recommended that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved as being in the best interest of the child, or, if there is no agency sponsoring the adoption, the agency that prepared the adoption report has been informed of the post-adoption contact and communication agreement and has recommended in the agency’s report to the circuit court that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved; however, in cases in which no child placing agency or guardian ad litem for the child is involved, this requirement may be waived; and4\n\nWhere the child is 14 years of age or older, consent to the post-adoption contact and communication agreement is obtained from the child.B\n\nTo be enforceable, any agreement under this section shall be approved by the circuit court and incorporated into the final order of adoption.C\n\nThe circuit court shall not require execution of a post-adoption contact and communication agreement as a condition for approving any adoption.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":290246,"text":"The circuit court may approve a post-adoption contact and communication agreement authorized pursuant to \u00a7 16.1-283.1 or entered into pursuant to this article and filed with the court for a petition for adoption if:","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"A1"},"1":{"id":290247,"text":"The court determines that the child’s best interest would be served by approving the post-adoption contact and communication agreement;","type":"section","prefixes":["A","1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"A1","prefix_anchor":"A1","level":2,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"A2"},"2":{"id":290248,"text":"The adoptive parent or parents and birth parent or parents have consented to a post-adoption contact and communication agreement filed with the court;","type":"section","prefixes":["A","2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"A2","prefix_anchor":"A2","level":2,"prior_prefix":"A1","next_prefix":"A3"},"3":{"id":290249,"text":"The agency authorized to place the child for adoption and to consent to an adoption or authorized to recommend the placement of a child for adoption and the child’s guardian ad litem have recommended that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved as being in the best interest of the child, or, if there is no agency sponsoring the adoption, the agency that prepared the adoption report has been informed of the post-adoption contact and communication agreement and has recommended in the agency’s report to the circuit court that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved; however, in cases in which no child placing agency or guardian ad litem for the child is involved, this requirement may be waived; and","type":"section","prefixes":["A","3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"A3","prefix_anchor":"A3","level":2,"prior_prefix":"A2","next_prefix":"A4"},"4":{"id":290250,"text":"Where the child is 14 years of age or older, consent to the post-adoption contact and communication agreement is obtained from the child.","type":"section","prefixes":["A","4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"A4","prefix_anchor":"A4","level":2,"prior_prefix":"A3","next_prefix":"B"},"5":{"id":290251,"text":"To be enforceable, any agreement under this section shall be approved by the circuit court and incorporated into the final order of adoption.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A4","next_prefix":"C"},"6":{"id":290252,"text":"The circuit court shall not require execution of a post-adoption contact and communication agreement as a condition for approving any adoption.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15614,"edition_id":1,"name":"Post-Adoption Contact and Communication Agreements","identifier":"1.1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14096,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:55","permalink":{"id":271473,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15614,"identifier":"1.1","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1","url":"\/63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14096,"edition_id":1,"name":"Adoption","identifier":"12","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13897,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:52","permalink":{"id":271365,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14096,"identifier":"12","token":"63.2\/III\/12","url":"\/63.2\/III\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13897,"edition_id":1,"name":"Social Services Programs","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12789,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:14","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:14","permalink":{"id":271331,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13897,"identifier":"III","token":"63.2\/III","url":"\/63.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12789,"edition_id":1,"name":"Welfare (Social Services)","identifier":"63.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":270661,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12789,"identifier":"63.2","token":"63.2","url":"\/63.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":65888,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.2","catch_line":"Authority to enter into post-adoption contact and communication agreements","url":"\/63.2-1220.2\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.2","metadata":false},{"id":80979,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.3","catch_line":"Approval of post-adoption contact and communication agreements","url":"\/63.2-1220.3\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.3","metadata":false},{"id":59619,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.4","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to approve post-adoption contact and communication agreements","url":"\/63.2-1220.4\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.4","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":65888,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.2","catch_line":"Authority to enter into post-adoption contact and communication agreements","url":"\/63.2-1220.2\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":59619,"structure_id":15614,"section_number":"63.2-1220.4","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to approve post-adoption contact and communication agreements","url":"\/63.2-1220.4\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.4","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/63.2-1220.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2010. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 331<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":74001,"section_number":"16.1-283.1","catch_line":"Authority to enter into voluntary post-adoption contact and communication agreement","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-283.1\/"}],"permalink":{"id":271479,"object_type":"law","relational_id":80979,"identifier":"63.2-1220.3","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.3","url":"\/63.2-1220.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/63.2-1220.3\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/1.1\/63.2-1220.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Approval of post-adoption contact and communication agreements","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 63.2-1220.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The circuit<\/span> court<\/span> may approve a post-adoption contact and communication agreement authorized pursuant to \u00a7 16.1-283.1<\/a> or entered into pursuant to this article and filed with the court<\/span> for a petition<\/span> for adoption if: <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> The court<\/span> determines that the child<\/span>’s best interest would be served by approving the post-adoption contact and communication agreement; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> The adoptive parent or parents and birth parent<\/span> or parents have consented to a post-adoption contact and communication agreement filed with the court<\/span>; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> The agency authorized to place the child<\/span> for adoption and to consent to an adoption or authorized to recommend the placement of a child<\/span> for adoption and the child<\/span>’s guardian ad litem<\/span> have recommended that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved as being in the best interest of the child<\/span>, or, if there is no agency sponsoring the adoption, the agency that prepared the adoption report has been informed of the post-adoption contact and communication agreement and has recommended in the agency’s report to the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> that the post-adoption contact and communication agreement be approved; however, in cases in which no child<\/span> placing agency or guardian ad litem<\/span> for the child<\/span> is involved, this requirement may be waived; and <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> Where the child<\/span> is 14 years of age or older, consent to the post-adoption contact and communication agreement is obtained from the child<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> To be enforceable, any agreement under this section shall be approved by the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> and incorporated into the final order<\/span> of adoption. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The circuit<\/span> court<\/span> shall not require execution of a post-adoption contact and communication agreement as a condition for approving any adoption. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAPPROVAL OF POST-ADOPTION CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION AGREEMENTS (\u00a7 63.2-1220.3)\n\nA. The circuit court may approve a post-adoption contact and communication\nagreement authorized pursuant to \u00a7 16.1-283.1 or entered into pursuant to this\narticle and filed with the court for a petition for adoption if:\n\n 1. The court determines that the child’s best interest would be served\n by approving the post-adoption contact and communication agreement;\n\n 2. The adoptive parent or parents and birth parent or parents have consented\n to a post-adoption contact and communication agreement filed with the court;\n\n 3. The agency authorized to place the child for adoption and to consent to an\n adoption or authorized to recommend the placement of a child for adoption and\n the child’s guardian ad litem have recommended that the post-adoption\n contact and communication agreement be approved as being in the best interest\n of the child, or, if there is no agency sponsoring the adoption, the agency\n that prepared the adoption report has been informed of the post-adoption\n contact and communication agreement and has recommended in the agency’s\n report to the circuit court that the post-adoption contact and communication\n agreement be approved; however, in cases in which no child placing agency or\n guardian ad litem for the child is involved, this requirement may be waived;\n and\n\n 4. Where the child is 14 years of age or older, consent to the post-adoption\n contact and communication agreement is obtained from the child.\n\nB. To be enforceable, any agreement under this section shall be approved by the\ncircuit court and incorporated into the final order of adoption.\n\nC. The circuit court shall not require execution of a post-adoption contact and\ncommunication agreement as a condition for approving any adoption.\n\nHISTORY: 2010, c. 331.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}