P.R. Laws tit. 32, § 2699t
(1) The interstate or intercountry adoption of a minor by a resident of Puerto Rico shall be recognized and validated by adoption decree in Puerto Rico. Such adoption cannot be contrary to the body of laws of Puerto Rico or violate the fundamental principles of human rights. Once the adoptee is in Puerto Rico, the adopting party shall file a petition for recognition and validation of adoption under oath at the Part of the Court of First Instance that corresponds to the place of residence of the adopting party, in which the following shall be recorded:
(a) The name(s) of the adopting party, age, occupation, civil status, place of residence, address, and telephone number.
(b) The original name and place of birth of the minor.
(c) The place of adoption and a description of the circumstances which led to the adoption, and
(d) The new name of the minor and his/her age.
(2) The petition shall include the following documents, which shall constitute sufficient proof of the legitimacy of the transaction in the State, territory or foreign country:
(a) A certification of executive order, deed, judgment or decree of adoption issued by the State, territory or foreign country, and if necessary, a certified translation thereof.
(b) An original or a certified copy of the document attesting to the birth of the minor issued by the state, territory or foreign country, and if necessary, a certified translation thereof.
(c) In the case of foreign adoption, a certification of the authorization by the federal government to admit the adoptee into American ground, evidence of which may be the certificate of citizenship, a permanent residence visa or the U.S. passport of the minor.
(d) A report on the expert social study conducted for interstate or foreign adoption duly certified by a licensed social worker.
The court, after having confirmed the authenticity of such documents, and after having evaluated the same, shall rule for the petition for adoption, in which case, the court shall issue an adoption decree. Registration of the adoptee in the special register of the Vital Statistics Registry shall be executed pursuant to that which is prescribed by law on the matter of persons born outside of Puerto Rico and by the Puerto Rico Vital Statistics Registry Act.
The provisions of this section shall also apply to interstate and intercountry adoptions in the course of transacting validation and recognition, as of the effective date of this act.
As for the validation and recognition of interstate and intercountry adoptions provided for in this section, proceedings shall be conducted within a term not greater than ninety (90) days from the date of having filed the petition for validation and recognition.
History —Jan. 19, 1995, No. 9, added as § 613Q on Dec. 18, 2009, No. 186, § 39, eff. 30 days after Dec. 18, 2009.