S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9498
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 7, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to foreign adoptions
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 4138-b of the public health law,
as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the public health
law relating to foreign adoptions, as proposed in legislative bills
numbers S. 3765 and A. 1944, is amended to read as follows:
1. Whenever the finalization of a foreign adoption or recognition of a
foreign adoption of a person of any age pursuant to section one hundred
eleven-c of the domestic relations law, or the adoption of a foreign-
born person [over the age of eighteen] OF ANY AGE at the time of
adoption has been reported to the commissioner, the commissioner shall
file a birth certificate for the adopted person provided there is no
other birth certificate or other birth record on file other than in the
country where such person was born and provided, further, that a certif-
icate of birth data does not exist for that person. Such birth certif-
icate shall be filed upon receipt of: proof that the adoptive parent was
a resident of this state at the time of adoption or that the adoptee was
lawfully adopted within the State of New York; if the adoptee was
adopted in a foreign country or jurisdiction, a copy of the adoption
documents of the jurisdiction or country in which the person was
adopted; a certified translation of the foreign adoption documents,
evidence of the date and place of the adopted person's birth; and
evidence of IR-3, IR-4 or IH-3 immigrant visa status or a successor
immigrant visa status. The birth certificate shall include the adopted
person's name, sex, date of birth, time of birth, place of birth, moth-
er's maiden name, and father's name. A birth certificate issued pursuant
to this section which has been filed by a local registrar and all
supporting documentation shall be submitted by the local registrar to
the commissioner who shall file a new birth certificate pursuant to this
section.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05172-02-6
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