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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>75367</law_id><section_number>63.2-1227</section_number><catch_line>Filing of petition for agency adoption</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="63.2">Welfare (Social Services)</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Social Services Programs</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="12">Adoption</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="2">Agency Adoptions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>A <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for the adoption of a <span class="dictionary">child</span> placed in the physical <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the petitioners by a <span class="dictionary"><span class="dictionary">child</span>-placing agency</span> shall be filed in the name by which the <span class="dictionary">child</span> will be known after adoption, provided the name is followed by the registration number of the <span class="dictionary">child</span>&#x2019;s original birth certificate and the state or country in which the registration occurred unless it is verified by the registrar of vital statistics of the state or country of birth that such information is not available. In the case of a <span class="dictionary">child</span> born in another country, an <span class="dictionary">affidavit</span> by a representative of the <span class="dictionary"><span class="dictionary">child</span>-placing agency</span> that a birth certificate number is not available may be substituted for verification by a registrar of vital statistics for that country. The report of investigation required by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Investigations; report to circuit court" href="/63.2-1208/">63.2-1208</a> and, when applicable, the report required by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Visitations during probationary period and report" href="/63.2-1212/">63.2-1212</a> shall be identified with the <span class="dictionary">child</span>&#x2019;s name as it appears on the birth certificate, the birth registration number and the name by which the <span class="dictionary">child</span> is to be known after the <span class="dictionary">final order</span> of adoption is entered. The <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for adoption shall not state the birth name of the <span class="dictionary">child</span> or identify the <span class="dictionary">birth parents</span> unless it is specifically stated in the agency&#x2019;s consent that the parties have exchanged identifying information.
		A single <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for adoption under the provisions of this section shall be sufficient for the concurrent adoption by the same petitioners of two or more children who have the same <span class="dictionary">birth parent</span> or parents, and nothing in this section shall be construed as having heretofore required a separate <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for each of such children.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 63-348; 1952, c. 550; 1954, c. 489; 1956, c. 300; 1964, c. 459; 1968, c. 578, &#xA7; 63.1-221; 1970, c. 672; 1973, c. 406; 1975, c. 461; 1978, c. 730; 1983, c. 614; 1988, c. 882; 1989, c. 647; 1991, cc. 76, 602; 1995, cc. 772, 826; 2000, c. 830, &#xA7; 63.1-219.34; 2002, c. 747; 2006, cc. 825, 848.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
