Art. 1283.16 Change of name; issuance of birth certificate

When a court finalizes the adoption of a foreign orphan, the judge can change the child's full name as part of the final decree. If the name is changed, the child's last name must match the last name of the adoptive parent.

Once this happens, the clerk of court has to send the adoption paperwork to the state registrar. This paperwork goes on a specific form provided by the Department of Children and Family Services. The state registrar then uses this information to create a new birth certificate for the child, showing the child's new name.

This means adoptive parents don't have to take separate legal action to update their child's birth certificate. The name change process and the birth certificate update happen together, as part of finalizing the adoption.