Adoption Record

After an adoption is finalized, the state issues a document that allows for a new birth certificate to the adoptee. His or her original birth certificate is then sealed and filed in the state's adoption records. These records are sealed and kept anonymous until someone from the adoption triad attempts to retrieve the file.

The main reason someone would want to access the adoptee's original birth certificate is to find out more about their biological parents' or grandparents' medical history. Most states will release nonidentifyig information from an adoption record, which may include, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway: the date and place of the adoptee's birth, whether the adoptee had any biological siblings at the time of adoption, the reason he or she was placed into an adoptive home, as well as information about the birth parents' age, hair and eye color, race, ethnicity, religion, medical history, education level and occupation.

In order to access these records, many states require mutual consent from both adoptive parties. This means that the adoptee and birth parent will both need to register with the registry. When both register, the two parties will receive the other person's contact information. If the adoptee has registered with the state but wants to be more proactive, then he or she can sometimes get a court order to appoint a confidential intermediary, or C.I., to get access to the adoption record and facilitate communication between the two parties.