A foundling certificate is required before such foundling can be legally adopted.

However, the foundling must undergo the proper procedure before the
foundling certificate is issued. Afterwards, the child can undergo the normal
domestic or inter-country adoption.
For the issuance of foundling certificate, the following must be complied with:
1. Registration of the foundling in the Office of the Civil Registrar of the
City/Municipality where the child was found shall be made by the
finder/charitable institution within thirty (30) days from the date of
finding/commitment of the child.
Any report made after the 30-day period shall be considered late, and
the concerned party shall require to state in a sworn statement the
circumstances that caused the late reporting to the civil registrar.

2. The finder shall report the case to the barangay captain of the place
where the founding was found, or the police headquarter, whichever is
nearer or convenient to the finder. When the report is duly noted, the
finder shall commit the child to the care of the Department of Social
Welfare and Development or to duly licensed orphanage or charitable or
similar institution.

If the finder awarded the custody of the foundling, he shall name the
child and shall report the same to the civil registrar of the city/
municipality where the child was found. Otherwise, the giving of name
of the child and its registrations foundling shall be responsibility of the
institution where the child was committed.

3. Requirements for the Registration of the foundling:

 Certificate of Foundling accomplished correctly and

completely;

 Affidavit of the finder stating the facts and circumstances

surrounding the findings of the child, and the fact the
fondling has been reported to the barangay captain or to
police authority;

 Certification of the barangay captain or police authority the

report made by the finder, stating among other things that
no one has claimed the child or no one has reported a
missing child whose may be the same as the foundling as of
the date of the certification.
ADOPTION PROPER
A. Administrative Phase

1. Attendance in adoption forum/seminar

2. Application to DSWD-Field Office/Licensed Foster Care Agencies or Child

Placing Agencies (List is with DSWD Field Office or Standards Bureau)

3. Assessment of the applicant/preparation of Home Study Report (by the

DSWD-Field Office/child placing agency social worker)

4. Matching of child to Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs)

5. Issuance of Pre-Adoption Placement Authority (PAPA) and Affidavit of

Consent to Adoption

6. Placement of child with the PAPs

7. Post-Placement Supervision Period of at least 3 months

8. Issuance of Certificate of Consent to Adoption

B. Judicial Phase

1. Filing of Petition for Adoption

2. Supervised Trial Custody Period of 6 months or less

3. Hearing of the petition in court

4. Issuance of Decree of Adoption and Entry of Judgment (with Amended

Birth Certificate)