New Hampshire

Overview

Original Birth Certificates. New Hampshire is an Unrestricted State. New Hampshire-born adopted people who are at least 18 years of age have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a non-certified copy of their own original birth certificate. The state also allows birth parents to file a contact preference form and/or health history questionnaire, neither of which will restrict the right of an adult adopted person to obtain the original birth record.

Contact Preference Form. The state allows birthparents to file a contact preference form and/or a health history questionnaire, neither of which will restrict the right of an adult adopted person to obtain the original birth record.

Court Records. Court adoption records are not accessible except by court order and only for good cause. The New Hampshire probate court division has, however, provided information about how to request adoption court records, including a document entitled “Can I see my adoption records?“

Identifying Information. Identifying information is not available except by court order or through mutual consent of the parties. Even if a person has signed a release of information, the agency that handled the adoption may contact the person to determine if they still want the information released. In addition, if the department or agency handling the request for identifying information “questions the safety of releasing information” it may petition the court to determine if it should nevertheless be released.

Descendant Rights. New Hampshire law provides that an adopted person’s immediate family members may also request and obtain the adopted person’s birth record. Immediate family has been interpreted to mean the adult adoptee’s spouse, adoptive parents, siblings and the adoptee’s children.”

Adult Adoption. New Hampshire law provides for adoption of adults. In general, adult adoption requires the assent of the person to be adopted as well as the spouses of either the adopting person or the adoptee. A spouse’s consent may be waived for good cause.

New Hampshire Law: Vital Records and Birth Certificates

Relevant parts of New Hampshire vital records law. The entire New Hampshire vital records statute is available here.

Section 5-C:9. Disclosure of Information From Vital Records
I. Upon written application by an adult adoptee, who was born in this state and who has had an original birth certificate removed from vital statistics records due to an adoption, the registrar shall issue to such applicant a non-certified copy of the unaltered, original certificate of birth of the adoptee, with procedures, filing fees and waiting periods identical to those imposed upon non-adopted citizens of the state.

I-a. The registrar shall prescribe and, upon request, shall make available to each birth parent named on the original birth certificate, a contact preference form on which the birth parent may state a preference regarding contact by an adoptee who is the birth child of the birth parent. Upon such a request, the registrar shall also provide the birth parent with an updated medical history form, which shall be completed and returned, together with the completed contact preference form, by the birth parent to the registrar.

I-b. The contact preference form shall provide the birth parent with the following options from which the birth parent shall select one:

(a) I would like to be contacted. I have completed a contact preference form and an updated medical history form and am filing them with the registrar as set forth in this form.

(b) I would prefer to be contacted only through an intermediary. I have completed a contact preference form and an updated medical history form and am filing them with the registrar as set forth in this form.

(c) I would prefer not to be contacted at this time. I have completed a contact preference form and an updated medical history form and am filing them with the registrar as set forth in this form.

I-c. When the registrar receives a complete contact preference form and a completed medical history form from a birth parent, the registrar shall match the contact preference form and the updated medical history form with the adoptee’s sealed birth certificate. The contact preference form and the updated medical history form shall then be attached to the adoptee’s sealed certificate.

I-d. Only a person authorized by the registrar to process an application made under paragraph I may process a contact preference form and an updated medical history form.

I-e. The applicant, a member of his or her immediate family, his or her guardian, or respective legal representatives shall be considered to have a direct and tangible interest for purposes of this section. Others may demonstrate a direct and tangible interest when information is needed for determination or protection of a personal or property right.

Section 5-C:31 Notice of Adoption
All information on an adoption shall be completed on a form prescribed by the division, in accordance with RSA 170-B:22. A parent or the court shall provide the following information in order to complete the form:

I. The child’s information taken from a certified copy of the adoptee’s original birth record, including the name of the child; the child’s date and place of birth; the child’s sex; the child’s race; and the child’s ancestry.

II. Facts about the child’s birth, including:

(a) Whether there are siblings in substitute care, indicated as yes or no.
(b) Whether there are members of the sibling group adopted together, indicated as yes or no.
(c) Whether the child had a previous adoptive placement, indicated as yes or no.
(d) Whether the child is considered by the court to have special needs, such as a developmental or intellectual disability, learning disabilities, or a medical condition, indicated as yes or no.
(e) The date of adoptive placement.
(f) Sponsorship of adoption indicated as public, private or tribal, agency, independent person or other.
(g) Location of any sponsor of the adoption.

III. The natural father’s information, including his full name if stated on the original birth record; his date of birth; his race and ancestry; his marital status; and whether his parental rights were terminated.

IV. The birth mother’s information, including her full maiden name; her date of birth; her race and ancestry; her marital status at birth of child; and whether her parental rights were terminated.

V. Information from both adoptive parents, if a couple is adopting, or one parent in the case where one parent is adopting, including his or her full name; date and state of birth; race and ancestry; marital status; residence at the time of the child’s birth; and any prior relationship with the child.

VI. The names as they shall appear on the new birth record, including the adoptive parents’ names, and the adoptee’s name.

VII. The current mailing address and signature of the adoptive parent or parents.

VIII. The probate court information, including the date of the adoption decree; the name, county and state of the court and the name of the judge or justice presiding; the volume, page, and record number of the probate court filing; the signature and seal of the court and date signed; and the name of the city or town of birth and the date the report was sent by the probate court to the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence, the department of health and human services, and the division.

IX. The city or town clerk information, including the date received by the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence; the date the new birth record was made; the signature of the clerk of the town or city; and the city or town of the clerk.

Section 5-C:32 Adoption Recording Procedures
I. Adoptions shall be recorded pursuant to this section and RSA 170-B:22.

II. In accordance with the reporting requirements cited in RSA 170-B:22, the clerk of the county probate court shall send a completed adoption form, as referenced in RSA 5-C:31, for each child adopted in the state of New Hampshire to the division within 7 days after the final decree is filed.

III. Upon receipt of a notice of adoption from the probate court, the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence shall immediately process a new birth record and, within 2 weeks, forward a copy to the division.

IV. Upon receipt by the division of a notice of adoption in New Hampshire for a child born out-of-state the division shall send notice of the adoption to the vital records agency of the state of birth so that the birth record in that state can be amended and, if the adoption notice received by the division contains inaccurate or missing information, the state registrar shall return the notice to the court issuing the adoption decree via the applicable state’s vital records agency asking for necessary corrections.

V. Upon the receipt of a notice of an out-of-state adoption of a child born in the state of New Hampshire, the division shall send notice of the adoption to the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence. When the clerk receives the above notice, he or she shall follow the procedure outlined in RSA 5-C:33 for amending the birth record. When out-of-state adoptions are being processed, if the information provided to the clerk of birth occurrence does not contain sufficient information needed to complete the amended birth record pursuant to RSA 5-C:33, the clerk shall request the information from the adoptive parents. If a response has not been received within 30 days from the date of the request, the amended record shall be prepared and “not available” shall be entered for information that has not been provided. When a clerk of a town or city receives an adoption notice from a New Hampshire court that contains inaccurate or missing information, the adoption notice shall be returned to the New Hampshire court with a letter asking the court to resolve the question involved.

VI. In the case of a private adoption, when requested by a court of competent jurisdiction, the division shall issue a copy of the original birth certificate.

Section 5-C:33. Procedure for Amending the Birth Record Following Adoption
I. When the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence receives a notice of adoption, a new birth record shall be prepared as specified in RSA 5-C:31.

II. The new birth record shall be substituted immediately for the original birth record by the clerk of the town or city.

III. The original birth record and the notice of adoption shall not be subject to inspection except pursuant to RSA 5-C:9 or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to RSA 170-B:23.

IV. The actual place and date of birth shall be shown on the new birth record.

V. If no original birth record is on file for the adoptee the clerk of the town or city shall prepare a new birth record.

VI. If the date and place of birth have not been determined in the adoption proceedings, a delayed certificate of birth shall be filed with the state registrar as provided in RSA 5-C:38 through RSA 5-C:40 before a new certificate of birth is prepared and, if the required evidence cannot be obtained that would justify the creation of a delayed certificate of birth, the registrar shall authorize the preparation of a birth certificate for the adoptee using court records as the authority for approval.

VII. In the case of a single parent adoption, the information concerning the other parent shall be listed as “not stated.”

VIII. In the case of an adopting parent whose spouse is deceased, upon written request of the adopting parent, the clerk of the town or city shall include the information about the husband when his date of death is not more than 9 months prior to the adoptee’s birth and information on the wife shall be included when her date of death is after the adoptee’s date of birth.

IX. When a new birth record following an adoption is prepared by the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence, no copy of the original birth certificate in the state of New Hampshire shall be disclosed except pursuant to RSA 5-C:9.

X. When the adoption concerns a child who had been born at home, the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence shall minimize disclosure of information that would provide a possible connection with the natural mother by recording only the city or town of birth and not the street address on the new birth record; and, if the name of the natural mother is shown on the original birth record as the certifier, informant or attendant, replacing it with the adoptive mother’s name on the new birth record.

XI. When it has been determined by the division that an adoption had previously been decreed by an authorized court, including out-of-state courts, but the amended birth record had not been prepared at the time of the adoption, then the clerk of the city or town of birth occurrence shall immediately prepare a new birth record and the division shall contact the court that authorized the adoption and ask that a certified copy of the adoption decree be prepared and transmitted to the city or town of birth with a copy sent to the division.

XII. Upon receipt of a report of decree of annulment of adoption, the clerk of the town or city of birth occurrence shall replace the amended birth record with the original. The previous amended birth record and evidence shall not be subject to inspection except upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to RSA 170-B:23.

Section 5-C:34 Application for Certificate of Foreign Birth
I. The registrar shall establish a New Hampshire certificate of foreign birth for a person born in a foreign country and for whom a final decree of adoption has been issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in New Hampshire. This certificate of foreign birth shall be established and registered and a certified copy of such certificate issued when the registrar receives a request and a fee of $25 from the adoptive parents or adopted person over 18 years of age for such a certificate and a report of the adoption as provided in RSA 170-B:22. Funds paid to the registrar shall be forwarded to the state treasurer for deposit into the vital records improvement fund established under RSA 5-C:15.

II. A completed application for certificate of foreign birth shall include:

(a) The county of the probate court involved.
(b) The name of the child prior to adoption.
(c) The names of the adoptive parents.
(d) The date the adoption was approved by the probate court.
(e) The full name of the child after adoption.
(f) The sex of the child.
(g) The child’s date of birth.
(h) The city or town, the state or local equivalent and the country of the child’s place of birth.
(i) The child’s alien registration card number.
(j) Information from both adoptive parents, if a couple is adopting, or one parent in the case where one parent is adopting, including each parent’s full name, including the full maiden name of the adoptive mother, if applicable; each parent’s date and place of birth; each parent’s residence address; each parent’s signature or the signature of the child’s legal guardian or legal representative if a minor; and the date signed.
(k) The signature of a justice of the peace, or the signature and seal of a notary public.

III. The applicant shall attach the following documents to the completed application for a certificate of foreign birth:

(a) A report of adoption as required by RSA 170-B:22.
(b) A certified copy of the original adoption decree.
(c) The child’s alien registration card.
(d) The documents used to establish the date and place of birth, such as an English translation of the original birth certificate, a copy of an adoption report from the adoption agency, or any report issued by the government of the country of birth describing facts known regarding the origin of the child.
(e) Cash or a check made payable to “The State of New Hampshire,” in the amount specified in paragraph I.

Section 5-C:35 Certificate of Foreign Birth
I. Upon receipt of a completed application for certificate of foreign birth, the division shall prepare a certificate of foreign birth for the foreign born child pursuant to RSA 5-C:34.

II. A certificate of foreign birth shall include:

(a) A unique file locating number assigned by the division.
(b) The full name of the child after adoption.
(c) The sex of the child.
(d) The date and place of the child’s birth, actual or probable.
(e) The full name of the adoptive parent, including maiden name if appropriate, and his or her dates and places of birth.
(f) The residence address of the adoptive parent.
(g) The county of probate court.
(h) The date of the adoption decree.
(i) The signature of the state registrar and the date the record was filed.

III. When a New Hampshire certificate of foreign birth is prepared it shall be on file only at the division.

IV. The birth certificate established according to this section shall show the true or probable foreign country of birth, and shall state that the certificate is not evidence of United States citizenship for the child for whom it is issued or for the adoptive parents.

V. The registrar shall not establish a New Hampshire certificate of birth if the court decreeing the adoption, the adoptive parents, or the adopted person if 18 years of age or older requests that the certificate not be established.

VI. Any birth certificate established under this section shall not be deemed a record within the meaning of RSA 170-B:23, II.

New Hampshire Law: Court Records

Relevant parts of New Hampshire adoption law. The entire New Hampshire adoption statute is available here.

Section 170-B:23. Confidentiality of Records
Notwithstanding any other law concerning public hearings and records:
I. All hearings held in adoptive proceedings shall be in closed court without admittance of any person other than essential officers of the court, the parties, their witnesses, counsel, and representatives of the agencies present to perform their official duties.

II. All papers and records, including birth certificates, pertaining to the adoption, whether part of the permanent record of the court or of a file in the division, in an agency or office of the town clerk or the bureau of vital records and health statistics are subject to inspection only upon written order of the court for good cause shown, except as otherwise provided in RSA 170-B:24.

III. Nothing contained in this section or RSA 170-B:24 shall prevent the department or the licensed child-placing agency from sharing with the adoptive parents all information it has available about the minor child being placed for adoption. The department or the licensed child-placing agency shall delete any information which would tend to identify a birth parent.

Section 170-B:24. Requests for Identifying and Non-Identifying Information
I. Requests for non-identifying social or medical information shall be handled in the following manner:

(a) Requests for non-identifying social or medical information may be made by an adoptee over the age of 18; a parent of an adoptee under the age of 18; or a birth parent of an adoptee.

(b) When any of the above listed people submits a request for non-identifying social or medical information, the department or agency shall disclose such information relating to the adoptee, the birth parents, or the blood relatives. The department or the agency shall delete any information from the health history or background which would tend to be identifying. Court approval is not required for information disclosed under this paragraph.

II. If the parties mutually agree to the release of identifying information, it shall be released as provided in this paragraph.

(a) Only the following people may sign a written release authorizing the department or licensed child-placing agency to disclose identifying information about an adoptee, a birth parent, or a blood relative:

(1) An adoptee over the age of 18 may sign a release to authorize disclosure of identifying information as provided in this section.

(2) The adoptive parents of an adoptee under the age of 18 may also sign a release to authorize disclosure of identifying information as provided in this section. However, said release shall become void when the adoptee reaches the age of 18.

(3) A birth parent of an adoptee may sign a release authorizing disclosure of identifying information as provided in this section at the time of surrender or later. A separate release shall be signed by each birth parent.

(b) Any release made pursuant to this section may be revoked or amended at any time.

(c) The person signing the release of information or its revocation shall file a copy of such release or revocation with the department or licensed child-placing agency conducting the assessment under RSA 170-B:18, if any. The department or licensed child-placing agency shall then file a copy of the release with the court in which the adoption petition was filed.

(d) The release of information shall contain the social security number of the person signing the release. The social security number shall be used only for purposes of locating that person and shall not be otherwise disclosed.

(e) When the department or agency involved in the adoption receives a request for identifying information where a release has been signed and not previously revoked, the department or agency shall attempt to contact the person who signed the release to reaffirm that person’s desire to be contacted. If the person reaffirms his or her desire to be contacted or the department or agency cannot locate the person who signed the release or if the person is deceased, the department or agency shall disclose identifying information to the person who requested it. Court approval is not required for information disclosed under this paragraph.

(f) When the department or agency involved in the adoption receives a request for identifying information where no release has been signed or the previously signed release has been revoked, the department or agency may, after review of its records, attempt to contact the person whose identity is sought, to ascertain if they desire to release identifying information. If the person whose identity is sought, and the person seeking identifying information agree to the release of identifying information, the department or agency shall release it. Court approval is not required for information released under this subparagraph.

III. Court approval shall be required prior to the release of identifying information in the following cases:

(a) If the parties do not agree, or if they cannot be contacted, or if the department or agency questions the safety of releasing information pursuant to paragraph II, the requesting party or the department or agency may petition the court having jurisdiction for the release of identifying information. The department or agency shall file a report of the department or agency’s action with the court. The court shall on its own motion or on request of any party hold a hearing on the issue of releasing identifying information. The department or agency involved shall receive notice of the hearing and be entitled to participate in any hearing under this section.

(b) For all other requests for identifying information under this section, court approval shall be required. The court shall request a review of the record and the facts of the request from the department or agency involved in the adoption. The court may hold a hearing on the issue of releasing identifying information. The department or agency involved shall receive notice of such hearings and be entitled to participate in any hearing under this section.

IV. Any person violating this section or RSA 170-B:23 shall, if a natural person, be guilty of a misdemeanor, and any other person shall be guilty of a felony.

Section 170-B:31 Amended Birth Certificate
A birth certificate issued for an adoptee shall make no reference to adoption and shall conform as nearly as possible to any other birth certificate.

New Hampshire Law: Adoption Generally

Relevant parts of New Hampshire adoption law. The entire New Hampshire adoption statute is available here.

Section 170-B:4 Who May Adopt
Any of the following adults may adopt:

I. Two adults together.

II. An unmarried adult.

III. The unmarried parent of the adoptee.

IV. A married adult without that person’s spouse joining as a petitioner, if the adoptee is not the petitioner’s spouse; and if any one of the following circumstances apply:

(a) The petitioner’s spouse is a parent of the adoptee and assents to the adoption;
(b) The petitioner and the petitioner’s spouse are legally separated;
(c) The failure of the petitioner’s spouse to join in the petition is excused by the court by reason of prolonged unexplained absence, unavailability, or circumstances constituting an unreasonable withholding of assent; or
(d) The petitioner’s spouse assents to the adoption and the adoptee is over the age of 18.

V. An unmarried adult with the assent of at least one of the adoptee’s parents and with the intention to share parenting responsibilities with one of the adoptee’s parents.

VI. A person or persons who are parents of a child conceived via assisted reproduction as defined in RSA 168-B:1, II for the purpose of confirming the legal relationship between child and parent.

Section 170-B:3 Who May Be Adopted; Requirements
Any individual may be adopted, provided, however, that:

I. If the adoptee is 14 years of age or older, he or she must assent to the adoption unless the court determines that it is not in the best interests of the adoptee to require assent. Such an assent shall be executed by the adoptee in writing and signed in the presence of the court in which the petition for adoption has been filed.

II. If the adoptee is alleged to be incapacitated, incompetent, mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or is in any other way emotionally or mentally deficient, the court may also appoint a guardian ad litem to protect that adoptee’s interests.

III. If the adoptee, whether a minor or an adult, is married, the spouse of the adoptee shall also assent to the adoption. The court may waive this requirement for good cause shown.

Section 170-B:11 Consequences of Surrender
I. All parental rights, with the exception of inheritance rights and privileges as provided in RSA 170-B:25, II, shall cease and the right to notice of any future hearings shall be waived by a surrender executed in accordance with RSA 170-B:9 and approved by the court.

II. Except in cases where one parent will remain a parent, upon approval of a surrender of a minor executed by the parent, the court shall issue an order granting temporary care, custody, and control of the child to the prospective adoptive parents or where applicable, to the department or agency. The temporary order shall impose upon the prospective adoptive parents or the department or agency, the responsibility for the support and medical and other care of the minor child. The temporary order shall not be valid for longer than 6 months, unless otherwise ordered by the court, and, with the exception of adoptions in which the department or an agency is involved, shall cease upon the granting of the interlocutory decree of adoption. In adoptions in which the department or an agency is involved, during the interlocutory period, the department or agency shall continue to have a legal relationship giving it responsibility for oversight of the support, medical, and other care of the minor child.

III. At the time of giving the surrender, the parent may elect to waive notice that a final decree of adoption has been entered.

IV. A surrender by a parent, executed and acknowledged in accordance with the provisions of RSA 170-B:9, may not be withdrawn except as provided in RSA 170-B:12.

V. A surrender executed by any individual not a parent waives any objection to the adoption.

VI. The status of all children for whom care, custody, and control has been transferred through surrender shall be reviewed at least once every 6 months, unless waived by the court, until an adoption decree has been finalized.

Section 170-B:20 Dismissal of Adoption Proceedings
I. If at any time between the filing of a petition and the issuance of the final order completing the adoption it is known to the court that circumstances are such that the adoptee should not be adopted, the court may dismiss the proceedings.

II. Before entering an order to dismiss the proceedings and prior to a hearing, the court shall give notice of not less than 5 days to the petitioners and to the department or agency having made the assessment, and they shall be entitled to be present at such hearing to admit or refute the facts upon which the impending action of the court is based.

III. If the petition is dismissed or withdrawn, the custody of the minor child shall revert to the department or agency having had custody prior to the filing of the petition. In all other cases when a petition is dismissed or withdrawn, the minor child shall be placed in the custody of the department and the court shall order the department to make further assessment and report to the court regarding a suitable plan for the future well-being of the minor child.

IV. The court may order and require persons having an obligation, to contribute to the support and maintenance of the minor child in such amounts and at such times as it determines are just and reasonable.

Section 170-B:21 Appeals and Validation of Adoption Decrees
I. An appeal from any final or interlocutory decree rendered by the court may be taken in the manner and time provided in RSA 567-A, except that no appeal shall be allowed from any order or decree involving proceedings for adoption unless taken within 30 days from receipt of such order or decree.

II. Subject to the disposition of an appeal upon the expiration of one year after a final adoption decree is issued, the decree cannot be challenged by any person including the petitioner, in any manner upon any ground, including fraud, misrepresentation, failure to give any required notice, or lack of jurisdiction of the parties or of the subject matter.

Section 170-B:22 Report of Adoption
I. Within 7 days after the final decree is filed, the clerk shall send a hard copy of the report of the adoption to the town clerk of the town where the adoptee was born, to the commissioner, and to the department of state, division of vital records administration. The department of state, division of vital records administration shall provide suitable forms for such reports.

II. Each month the clerk shall send to the department, on forms supplied by the department, summaries of the affidavits filed pursuant to RSA 170-B:19, V. The department shall publish an annual report relative to general fees and other charges for adoption and related services.

Section 170-B:25 Effect of Petition and Decree of Adoption; Inheritance
I. Upon the issuance of the final decree of adoption, the adoptee shall be considered the child of the adopting parent or parents, entitled to the same rights and privileges and subject to the same duties and obligations as if such adoptee had been born of the adopting parent or parents.

II. Until the issuance of the final decree of adoption, the adoptee shall be considered the child of such adoptee’s birth parent or parents only with respect to inheritance rights or privileges; but, when a child is adopted by an individual who intends to share parenting responsibilities with one of the adoptee’s parents, the child’s relationship to such parent shall in no way be altered by reason of the adoption.

III. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon the issuance of a final decree of adoption in which only one spouse is petitioner and the adoptee is over the age of 18, the adopted child shall be the child of the adopting spouse. Such child’s relationship to the assenting parent shall not be altered if the child and the parent so agree. Such child shall no longer be deemed to be the child of such child’s other birth or legal parent.

IV. Until the issuance of a final decree of adoption, all reciprocal rights of inheritance between the adoptee and the adoptee’s birth parents and their respective collateral or lineal relatives shall continue to exist.

V. Upon the issuance of a final decree of adoption, all reciprocal rights of inheritance between the adoptee and the adoptive parents and their respective collateral or lineal relatives shall contemporaneously begin.

VI. Nothing contained in this section shall limit in any way the right of any person to provide for the disposition of his or her property by will. The rights of a child adopted after the making of a will by the adoptive parent or parents shall be the same as the rights of an after-born child. When the adoptive parent is an individual who intends to share parenting responsibilities with one of the adoptee’s parents, nothing contained in this section shall affect the rights of inheritance between the child and such child’s legal parent or their collateral or lineal relatives. In the absence of specific language to the contrary, an adoptee shall be considered the same as a birth child, issue or heir of the body.

170-B:26 Change of Name
If in a petition for the adoption of a child a change of name is requested, the court, upon decreeing the adoption, may also decree such change of name.

170-B:27 Readoption
I. Any adoptee may be readopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. All provisions relating to the birth parent or parents shall apply to the adoptive parent or parents except that in no case of readoption shall a birth parent be made a party to the proceedings, nor shall the surrender of parental rights by a birth parent be necessary. For purposes of service of process, necessary parties and surrender, the adoptive parent or parents shall be substituted for the birth parent.

II. The court may validate and issue an adoption decree for an adoption finalized in another jurisdiction, provided that evidence satisfactory to the court is produced to demonstrate the validity of such adoption. For the purposes of this paragraph, satisfactory evidence includes documentation from the United States Department of Justice or the United States Department of State that a legal adoption has been completed in another country. Probate court rules shall specify such acceptable documentation.

170-B:29 Recognition of Foreign Decree Affecting Adoption
A decree of court terminating the relationship of parent and child or establishing the relation by adoption issued pursuant to due process of law by a court of any other jurisdiction within or without the United States shall be recognized in this state and the rights and obligations of the parties as to matters within the jurisdiction of this state shall be determined as though the decree was issued by a court of this state.