ABA Family Legal Guide

Family Law

Children

Adoption

Who has access to adoption records?

In most states, court adoption records are sealed and can only be opened by court order (although a few states--Oregon, Kansas, Tennessee, and Wyoming--allow all adopted children access to their adoption records). Procedures and standards for opening records vary by state. Increasingly, states require that certain nonidentifying information, such as the medical history of the biological family, be made available to the adoptive parents at the time of adoption. Some states also have registries in which parties to the adoption can agree to a later exchange of information, including names and addresses.