Obtaining Birth and Adoption Records
If you want to find birth or adoption records, the information below may be of help.
Birth Records
We strongly suggest you get your adopted child’s original birth records and/or the birth records that have been amended after the adoption has been finalized. Often getting the adoption birth records may be a problem since child adoption records are sealed. Many states have very special procedures by which parties to a child adoption may obtain non-identifying as well as some identifying information. You may want to check the laws of the state in which the birth father and birth mother reside and the state in which the child adoption was, or will be, finalized.
Since the access to records may be very limited, many birth mothers, birth fathers, and adopted children search for each other. Two places to search are state reunions and child adoption registries.
Where to Write for Vital Records
The site of the National Center for Health Statistics may help you to get information on birth records.
International Documents
If you have adopted a child internationally, you should make sure to get records from the agency you worked with. If they are not able to provide needed items, the vital records office in the foreign country may be able to help. Mailing addresses of offices of vital records in foreign countries can be found on this U.S. state Department website.
Additional Resources
Good information on this topic is also available from the Child Welfare Information Gateway articles Access to Family Information by Adopted Persons and Obtaining Birth and/or Adoption Records.
To see how your state law addresses adoption and birth records, please visit ChildAdoptionLaws.com.