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Log on to the Guatemala Adoption Forum and along with the other “Wait Lists” posted there, you will find one called the BC Waiters List. So the question that seems obvious would be what is a BC. BC simply stands for Birth Certificate.
SOO the next question that begs to be asked is why on earth is there a “Birth Certificate Waiters List?” The answer is simple and yet complicated so I’ll do my best to give you just an overview from what I’ve learned. As is customary, where I err, those with more or different experience can chime in the comments section more information.
Birth Certificates first come into the picture fairly early as you will hear that the original birth certificate is part of the adoption file. For some cases this requires no time as by the time the referral is made, the BC is already a part of the file. However, in cases where the child has been abandoned, obtaining the original Birth Certificate can be somewhat more time consuming. This original Birth Certificate is the one that identifies the child with the birth parents or if abandoned it identifies the child as such.
The “BC” that you will see being discussed much more on adoption boards and listservs is the new Birth Certificate after the adoption has been completed in the PGN. In order to have your case submitted to the US Embassy and in order to obtain a passport, a new Birth Certificate must be issued listing the adoptive parents and giving the child their new last name. This process varies in time based on where the child was born. Our little girl was born in Santa Maria Chiquimila, Totonicapan. This tiny remote place was very quick to issue a new birth certificate since there was very little else going on that week. However in places like Quetzaltenango, Esquintla, and especially Guatemala City, there is a lot of work being done by very few people. This often causes back-ups in the issuance of Birth Certificates. Therefore, a great frustration that many people run into is having great excitement over the completion of their adoption in the PGN and yet having to wait a week or even weeks for the Birth Certificate (BC) to be issued. Currently the average wait for a new Birth Certificate to be issued after the PGN has been completed is approximately 16-22 days.
A key piece of information to know is what location your child’s Birth Certificate will be issued from. Then keep a pulse on how long it is taking in those respective offices. This will prevent you from being taken by surprise.
Finally, a key issue to consider upon returning home is readoption. Some cases will require re-adoption based on returning to the USA on an IR-4 Visa. However it would be my suggestion to consider re-adoption even if returning with an IR-3 Visa. Readoption allows the county you apply in to issue a US Birth Certificate from that Registrar of Deeds. Then when it comes time for your child to do anything that requires copies of their Birth Certificates, they can obtain it from that county rather than having to pursue it from Guatemala.
