Let me lay out a timeline and then ask my question:


2/08 Wife and I adopt 2 girls internationally (from Liberia, Africa). Children enter US under an IR-4 visa (I believe). Shortly after entering US, we receive green cards for daughters.

8/08 Children are re-adopted in Illinois. We apply for and receive record of foreign birth in Illinois.

As far as I understand, at the point of re-adoption the children have become US citizens under the Child Citizenship Act.

We never bother to file for a Certificate of Citizenship or US Passports for the children.

6/11 We have house fire and lose all original documents related to adoption and immigration, including the green cards and foreign passports for the children. I have digital copies of foreign birth certificate and foreign adoption decree (scanned in), and am ordering new certified copies of the US Adoption Decree and Record of Foreign Birth.

My question: What do I need to do to obtain a passport for the children? According to the Department of State I need:

(1) Evidence of the child''s relationship to a U.S. citizen parent (a certified copy of the foreign birth certificate for children born to an American or, if adopted, a certified copy of the final adoption decree);
(2) the child''s foreign passport with INS''s I-551 stamp or the child''s resident alien card; and
(3) the parent''s valid identification.

Assuming that item (1) is the Illinois adoption decree and item (3) can be satisfied with our passports, I'm not sure what to do about item 2. Should I fill out an I-90? It seems wasteful to pay $450 to get a permanent residence card for a US Citizen. Moreover, there isn't an appropriate classification to check on the form I-90 for residency status.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we can do?