Documents in our dossier

Here is a list of the documents we have to have in our dossier. Everything must be notarized, certified (by the Secretary of State) and authenticated (by the Chinese Consulate). For example, our application letter had to be signed by us in front of a notary. Then it went to Richmond where they confirmed the notary was valid. Then it went to the Secretary of State to be approved. Finally it went to the Chinese Consulate for their blessing. Each of these steps takes anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks.

Dossier:
Application Letter (a letter from us to China, requesting permission to adopt)
Home Study
Birth Certificates
Marriage License
Medical Forms
Employment Verification Letters
Certificate of Financial Status
Police Reports
I-171H (approval from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service for us to adopt a
child from China. This can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months,
depending on your local department)

The following documents are also a part of our dossier, but do not need notarized, certified or authenticated:
Several Documents from our Home Study Agency (our China agency and our home study
agency are two different agencies. This is not always the case, but is for us.)
Lifestyle Photos (pictures of us)
Passport Photos
Passport Signature Page

Looking back on it, it doesn't look so bad, but it was, I assure you!