LEGAL FORMS FOR OBTAINING YOUR BIRTH RECORDS PRO SE
"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are, and where we have come from. Without this
enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning; no matter what our attainments in life, there is the most disquieting loneliness." Alex Haley
ALL the forms on this website are a free service to help birth families find each other. An estimated 1 in 10 Americans are adopted. At least as many more Americans have an adoption in their immediate family. DEFINITION: "Immediate family" includes: one's grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, spouse, children and grandchildren. -The Family History Center, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; reprinted in "Dear Abby," Los Angeles Times, 5-30-92.
On this website you can prepare self-generating forms that you simply fill out, submit, and either print from the screen or download to your computer to print and be filed with the proper agency or court of record. The finished documents will appear in PDF format. If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read PDF files, go to this link at Adobe and download it in order to access your documents. It is a very small download. You must be at least 18 years old to file any of these documents, and up to 21 in some states.
In order to use these forms you will first need to find out where to file them, ie: the state registrar, Department of Health Vital Statistics Division, courthouse, adoption agency, and/or the attorney who handled your adoption. The most common place would be with the agency or attorney who handled the adoption with the exception of the Petition that has to be filed with the court of record. The court that has your file will be the court that finalized the adoption and the court of record. For state-by-state online adoption laws in your state for statutes, age requirements, etc. check State Adoption Laws and Statutes.
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IMPORTANT EARLY STEPS TO TAKE
In oder to try to obtain information from your sealed adoption records there are certain steps you need to take. The most important for the process of filing documents are, in this order:
The absolute first most significant thing you can do is register with the International Soundex Reunion Registry, ISRR. Their new location is: P.O. Box 371179, Las Vegas, NV 89137. By phone call (775) 882-7755 or 888-886-ISRR. You need to be 18 to register. They do NOT accept applications via the internet! Your free registration form can be filled in and printed out afterwards from their only official website at: www.isrr.net and then snail mailed to the above address. This is the oldest and largest free reunion registry in the world (but donations are accepted) and the most likely place to find a match if anyone in your birth family has registered as well. It is a confidential, mutual consent registry, which means that information sent to the ISRR will not be given to any third party or used to solicit business for professional searchers. If you are already registered you should call the phone number above to update your contact information if it has changed.
Second, send a Waiver Of Confidentiality first to The Department Of Health, then the adoption agency, state records agency, and/or the attorney who handled your adoption, etc. If your birth family has also filed a Waiver Of Confidentiality, this should give you your birth record information in most states.
Third, send a letter requesting Non-Identifying information to The Department Of Health, adoption agency, state records agency, and/or the attorney who handled your adoption, etc. Most states will supply you with non-identifying information at the very least. The addresses for vital records by state can be found at the National Center for Health Statistics.
Last, if none of the above steps have produced your information for you after waiting a reasonable length of time, often determined by state law, you can file a Petition with the Court where your adoption was finalized in order to request an original birth certificate. As most searchers know at this point, patience is your best friend. Courts move slowly, releasing information even slower.
The Petition is a legal document that you can do Pro Se (by yourself) and that you will take to the courthouse of record to request opening your own sealed adoption records. Simply complete the questionnaire and then click on the "Submit" button to generate a finished Petition that can then be printed from your printer.
A few states require only an Affidavit to request birth record information and if that is the case in your state, fill out the Affidavit form on this website and submit it. You should also request copies of your medical records, if applicable, from your doctor if your request is medically associated. At the very least, you will need a letter from your doctor stating your specific medical needs for your genetic records.
These forms have been formatted for use by adoptees searching for birth parents information, but a birth parent searching for a birth child can also use the forms as templates for adapting to their own use.
An important thing for all searchers to remember is to always keep copies of every form, document, or written communication you submit to anyone in your search efforts. As with any of your valuable papers (insurance, titles, deeds, birth certificates, etc.), putting an extra set of copies in a large envelope to leave with a friend, family member, or originals in a safe deposit box is prudent in case of fire.
STATES THAT HAVE OPEN ADOPTION RECORDS
Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Oregon, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Tennessee will provide you, as an adult adoptee, with an uncertified copy of your original birth certificate. Maine-born adoptees will soon have the right to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate effective January 1, 2009. Massachusetts adult adoptees 18 and over born on or before July 17, 1974 or on or after January 1, 2008 as well as their adoptive parents will soon be given access to their original birth certificate with those born between these dates denied access. Contact MA Vital Records to find out when this law goes into effect. Michigan will allow an adopted person to get a copy of his or her original birth certificate upon reaching age 21. Deleware adoptees over the age of 21 can phone 302-739-4721 to request application for ORIGINAL birth certificate.
New York provides free forms from Family Court Forms 26A through 27E. Information can also be disclosed to adult adoptees who were born and adopted in New York through the Adoption Information Register operated by the State Department of Health. In addition, birth parents can use the registry to find their children and a sibling can use the registry to find their birth sibling(s). If the counties don't accept those forms you will most likely need a Court Order.
Occasionally a state will require a Motion rather than a Petition. We do not provide this document, but a sample of the Washington D.C. Motion and accompanying documents can be found on Monique's Web Site. Wyoming also requires a Motion and Affidavit to open adoption records as per Wyoming Statutes § 1-22-203(b).
The adoption song on this video is being sung by Diane Brown, the birth sister of the adoptee it was written for. To read the story behind the song, go to this link Reunion.
