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Home > Adoption> Search and Reunion > Searching for Birth Relatives
Searching for Birth Relatives
Resources on how to conduct a search for birth relatives (within the United States and internationally) and a list of support groups for people who are searching.
General adoption search and reunion
Access to Adoption Records
In nearly all States, adoption records are sealed and withheld from public inspection after the adoption is finalized. Most States, therefore, have procedures by which parties to an adoption may obtain nonidentifying and identifying information about an adopted person and the adopted person's birth relatives from an adoption record. This resource, current through June 2004, provides definitions of nonidentifying and identifying information, an overview of who may access such information, and information about access to original birth certificates. Formerly titled: Access to Family Information by Adopted Persons
The Adoptee Search: Looking for the Missing Piece (PDF - 73 KB)
Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc. (2000)
A guide for the parents of children who are searching for birth relatives.
Adoption Organizations That Provide Support to Adopted Persons, Adoptive Parents, and Families
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Related Organizations List |
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Child Welfare Information Gateway
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2008 - 0 pages |
This resource listing provides the addresses and phone numbers of selected organizations that provide support to adoptees, adoptive parents, and other family members touched by adoption. Each entry includes a brief description of the function of the organization and e-mail and web addresses when available.
The ALMA Society (Adoptee Liberty Movement Association)
This organization advocates for adoptees' rights and maintains a comprehensive and successful reunion registry.
Beginner's Search Checklist
American Adoption Congress
Information and resources to help beginners get started.
Birthright: An Adoptee's Right to Know (PDF - 125 KB)
National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning (2004)
A brief history of policies regarding adoption records, related resources, and a summary of the dispute over whether adoption records should be open or closed.
International Soundex Reunion Registry
A free mutual consent reunion registry for people seeking birth relatives.
Intestate Inheritance Rights for Adopted Children
Leaving a will is the best way to ensure heirs or descendants may inherit from your estate. Issues of property distribution may arise when a birth parent or adoptive parent dies without making a valid will or without naming an heir to particular property (referred to as "intestacy"). In these cases, State law determines who may inherit from whom. Laws in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands specify an adopted child?s rights of inheritance from and through the adoptive and birth parents. Current through March 2006.
Search and Reunion Etiquette - The Guide Miss Manners Never Wrote
American Adoption Congress
Addresses the distinction between search and reunion and discusses the process of accomplishing both.
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Intercountry search and reunion
Access to Information and Search and Reunion in Korean American Adoptions: A Discussion Paper (PDF - 182 KB)
Freudlich (2001)
A white paper commissioned by the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network.
Birth Family Search
Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network
Resources for searching for birth family in Korea.
International Social Services
The U.S. branch of this international agency provides search services to help adoptees find birth families abroad.
Searching for Birth Parents and Relatives
Adopted Vietnamese International
Resources for searching for birth family in Vietnam.
Ten Questions to Ask Yourself
Holt International (2000)
Questions to help adoptees assess their readiness for an adoption search and reunion.
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