I recently read about an adoptee who applied for her passport and her application was denied. She and her family were planning a vacation out of the country and her and her husband had applied for their passports together. Her husband had received his passport a couple of weeks before she received a letter advising her that her application for a passport was denied because her birth certificate was dated over a year after her birth.

It is my understanding that the folks who issue the passports consider a birth certificate issued more than a year after birth is referred to as a delayed birth certificate and they require some documentation regarding the reason for the delay.

She immediately contacted the person whose name was at the bottom of the letter and explained that she was adopted. She was advised that she would need to provide the “original adoption court papers”.

In doing some research I did find at www.familiesusa.org and several other websites regarding applying for a passport the discussion of a delayed birth certificate. The situation above is viewed by the US Department of State as a delayed birth certificate and a passport won’t be issued unless you can provide documentation used to create it and is signed by the attending physician or midwife, lists and affidavit signed by the parents or shows early public records.

So, if you are applying for a passport, check the issue date of your birth certificate before sending your application. If your adoptive parents don’t have or you can’t access the original documents from the adoption for a variety of reasons, contact the county your adoption was finalized. You would want to contact the Prothonotaries office and request a certified legal document proving that you were adopted for the purpose of applying for a passport since your birth certificate is dated more than one year after your birth.