2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 16. Public Health › Article 5. Vital Statistics › §16-5-16. Certificate of Adoption

(a) When a court of competent jurisdiction has entered an order of adoption in this state, it shall require the preparation of a certificate of adoption on a form prescribed and furnished by the state Registrar. The certificate of adoption shall be certified by the clerk of the court and shall provide:
(1) Facts necessary to locate and identify the certificate of birth of the person adopted or, in the case of a person who was born in a foreign country, evidence from sources determined to be reliable by the court as to the date and place of birth;
(2) Information necessary to establish a new certificate of birth of the person adopted; and
(3) Information sufficient to identify the order of adoption.
(b) Each petitioner shall furnish the information necessary to prepare the certificate of adoption. The court may require any social service or welfare agency or any person having knowledge of the facts to provide the additional information as may be necessary to complete the certificate of adoption.
(c) Whenever an order of adoption is amended, vacated or annulled, the clerk of the court shall prepare a report, which shall include the facts necessary to identify the original certificate of adoption and the facts in the new order necessary to amend the birth record.
(d) Not later than the tenth day of each calendar month, the clerk of the court shall forward to the state Registrar certificates of adoption and reports of annulments or amendments entered in the preceding month, together with the related reports as the state Registrar shall require.
(e) When the state Registrar receives a certificate of adoption, report of annulment of adoption, or amendment of an order of adoption for a person born in a state other than West Virginia, he or she shall forward the certificate or report to the state Registrar in the state of birth.
(f) When the state Registrar receives a certificate of adoption, report of annulment of adoption, or amendment of an order of adoption for a person born in a foreign country, and the person was not a citizen of the United States at the time of birth, the state Registrar shall prepare a "Certificate of Foreign Birth" as provided by subsection (h), section eighteen of this article. If the person was born in Canada, the state Registrar shall send a copy of the certificate of adoption, report of annulment of adoption, or amendment of an order of adoption to the registration authority in Canada.
(g) When the state Registrar receives a certificate of adoption, report of annulment of adoption, or amendment of order of adoption for a person born in a foreign country who was a citizen of the United States at the time of birth, the state Registrar may not prepare a "Certificate of Foreign Birth" but shall notify the adoptive parents or the registrant of the procedures for obtaining a revised certificate of birth through the United States Department of State.
(h) In addition to the information furnished in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, each person whose name is to appear on the certificate of adoption as a parent, whether as an adoptive parent or as a natural parent who joins in the adoption without relinquishing parental rights, shall furnish to the clerk of the circuit court the social security number or numbers issued to the parent. A record of the social security number or numbers shall be forwarded to the state Registrar along with the certificate of adoption, as provided in subsection (d) of this section.