Get Your New York Medical And Non Identifying Adoption Information
New York State will provide some adoption information from the adoption records to the adoptee upon registration even if a match is not made if requested:
- Medical Information: Birth parents can give medical and psychological information to the Registry any time after the adoption. If the adoptee is already registered, the information will be shared with him or her. If the adoptee is not registered, the information will be kept until the adoptee registers. Medical information updates must be certified by a licensed health care provider. Any medical information already submitted by birth parents will be given shortly after an adoptee registers
- Non-identifying Information: Also known as non ID this information can include a birth parents general appearance, religion, ethnicity, race, education, occupation, if known. The name of the agency that arranged the adoption, and the facts and circumstances relating to the nature and cause of the adoption can also be convey, again, if available. It can take at least six months to obtain general non-identifying information. While there is no fee to register with the Adoption Registry, some adoption agencies charge up to $50 to provide non-identifying information to the Adoption Registry. The adoptee must pay any agency fee.
Additional Contact Information For The New York State Adoption Registry
The registrys contact phone number can repeat the directions as well if you call: 518-474-9600. We have been able to find additional contact information should you really need to speak to a human being there.
The Coalition is not a government agency, does not provide direct search services, and is unable to assist you with accessing information in closed adoption records. We ARE NOT SEARCHERS, however, we can point you in the right direction. Please see the Guide to Finding Your Birth Parents if Born and Adopted in New York State
Page updated January 8, 2020 All New York State Information can be found at
Adoption Records Closed For Public Protection
Prior to 1917, all birth certificates were a matter of public records until a Minnesota act closed the first set of state records and began the current trend. New York closed early in 35, and by 1960, there were only 20 states where the OBC was still available. The last state to fold was South Dakota in the 90s. Only Alaska and Kansas remained open though out history. Whether it was influenced by the corruption and needed to cover tracks of those like Tann or truly had the noble intentions that we are told of today, the closed records were originally said to be a form of protection. Our Puritanical forefathers were all too quick to pass judgment on both mother and child if born out of wedlock and adoption was thought to spare a innocent babe from the stigma of illegitimacy. There were no social services nor day care for young mother at this time and being with child and unwed was much cause for speculation and ostracized from society. Women who succumbed to love and found their fertility to be an enemy, had little hope of finding home nor employment and turned to various charitable organizations in desperate need of help.
Unwed mothers should be punished and they should be punished by taking their children away. Dr. Marion Hilliard of Womens College Hospital, Daily Telegraph,
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Note: Catholic Charities Does Not Provide Adoption Services
Adoptees looking for their original NYS Birth Certificate:In January of 2019 New York State law changed to allow adoptees to access their original birth certificate. This document is valuable to adoptees interested in researching their family history because it will provide the adoptee’s birth name and the name of the birth mother and possibly the birth father . The Birth Certificate is ONLY available from New York State. Please click the link below to be redirected to the New York State Department of Vital Statistics to learn how to order an original adoptee birth certificate. Please note that only the adoptee or a direct descendent of the adoptee is eligible to apply, and those details are provided on the site.
Researching Relevant State Laws
Understand the difference between identifying and nonidentifying information.
You will want to research and understand New York statutes about the release of these two different levels of information.
Nonidentifying information: Nonidentifying information includes the health, behavioral health, developmental, educational, and social histories of the child and the child’s parents and other birth relatives. Nearly all states allow an adult adoptee to access nonidentifying information about birth relatives, generally upon written request. Usually, the adoptee must be at least age 18 before he or she may access this information. Information may include:
- Date and place of the adoptee’s birth
- Age of the birth parents and general physical description, such as eye and hair color
- Race, ethnicity, religion, and medical history of the birth parents
- Educational level of the birth parents and their occupations at the time of the adoption
- Reason for placing the child for adoption
- Existence of other children born to each birth parent
Identifying information: Identifying information is information from the disclosure of adoption records or elsewhere that may lead to the positive identification of birth parents, the adult adoptee, or other birth relatives. Identifyinginformation may include current or past names of the person, addresses, employment, or other similar records or information.
Study the laws specific to New York.
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Register With New York State
The New York State Health Department does maintain a Free Adoption Registry that can help an adoption search and even facilitate a reunion. It is a mutual consent adoption registry which means that both parties searching must be signed up for a match to be made. Available medical information and non-identifying adoption information is also provided to adoptees over the age of 18 in New York.
For more information on who can register and how, please see New York Adoption Information Registry
New York States Birth Parent Consent Program
The services of the Adoption Information Registry have been expanded so that birth parents can register whether they give consent or do not give consent for the release of their contact information to the adoptee. If the parents have registered their consent, the contact information will be released to the adoptee only after he or she reaches at least eighteen years of age and registers with the Adoption Information Registry.
The newer service is referred to as the Birth Parent Consent Program and began on November 3, 2008.
Birth parents can register to release of their contact information to the adoptee using this form DOH-4455: Adoption Information Registry Birth Parent Registration Form. This allows the adoptee access to their birth parents identifying contact information after they register with the Adoption Information Registry.
The Birth Parent Consent Program requires birth parents to complete the Birth Parent Registration Form at the time of surrender. The form will be filed by the attorney or the adoption agency handling the adoption with the court. The court will forward the form to the Adoption Information Registry when the adoption is finalized.
The Birth Parent Consent Program does not replace the traditional Adoption Information Registry and differs from the traditional Adoption Information Registry in two important ways.
For more information, please consult the attorney or adoption agency handing your childs adoption or the back of Form DOH-4455.
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Accessible Navigation And Information
Use the following links to quickly navigate around the page. The number for each is also the shortcut key. You can jump to:
NYS Adoption Services 52 Washington Street Room 332 North
You are on this page: Bureau of Permanency Services
Children of all ages are waiting to be adopted. The Bureau of Permanency Services welcomes responsible, caring adults who are ready to share their time, their hearts, and their lives with our waiting children. When you adopt a waiting child, you will be giving that child a permanent family and another chance in life. All children deserve a loving, committed, safe, and permanent family.
We encourage you to use our website to learn more about the process of adoption in New York State. We trust you will find it an informative and useful guide as you make this most important decision to parent a child. Below, you will find questions about the different types of adoption in New York State. The primary focus of OCFS is the adoption of children from foster care, but there are other adoption processes such as adopting a child who is not in foster care or adopting internationally.
Adoption is a process that creates a binding, legal relationship between parent and child. It is strongly recommended you consult with an adoption attorney while navigating any formal legal process, including adoption.
Please note that the following information is general guidance and does not contain formal legal advice.
A Conversation With Voters
To the Editor:
Re The Anti-Robocall: Listening to Voters Talk :
This wonderful article identifies a way to improve the minimal communication that currently prevails among those holding different opinions regarding values and public policy.
As psychologists and spiritual teachers have long observed, deep, nonjudgmental listening to others with diverse perspectives can increase compassion for one another and perhaps lead to compromise solutions to the serious problems afflicting our nation and the world.
Would that our Congress might take heed and schedule such listening sessions about the national issues too often discussed secretly that leave the public uninformed. Broadcasting honest dialogues that state positions and not just attacks on the other side on TV and the internet would manifest a concern for an informed citizenry.
Bruce Kerievsky
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What Is The Home Study Process
A home study is a series of meetings, interviews, and training sessions involving the agency and the prospective adoptive family. Under most circumstances, New York State regulations require agencies to complete a home study within about four months of the family submitting an adoption application.
The following is meant to help you prepare for the home study. Please note that a home study for a private placement adoption may vary from these requirements.
As part of the agency adoption study process, LDSS or VA must explore the following characteristics of applicants:
- Capacity to give and receive affection.
- Ability to provide for a childâs physical and emotional needs.
- Ability to accept intrinsic worth of a child, to respect and share his or her past, to understand the meaning of separation he or she has experienced, and to have realistic expectations and goals.
- Flexibility and ability to change.
- Ability to cope with problems, stress, and frustrations.
- Feelings around parenting an adopted child and the ability to make a commitment to a child placed in the home.
- Ability to use community resources to strengthen and enrich family functioning.
Additional factors explored within the adoption study process include an applicantâs:
- Age.
- Ability to budget financial resources
- Child care experience.
- Education.
Find New York Birth Records
New York Birth Records are documents relating to an individual’s birth in NY. These can include birth certificates, birth indexes, and birth databases. Some states may also have paternity registries and affidavits of parentage for children born to single parents. Birth Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or the County Clerk’s Offices, which may be run by the New York state government or at the local level.
Find Birth Records, including:
- Certified copies of birth certificates
- What birth records are used for
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Who Is Eligible To Get A Copy Of A Pre
- An adoptee who is 18 years of age or older
- Direct Line Descendants – A Direct Line Descendant is a child, grandchild, or great grandchild, etc. of the adoptee
- A lawful representative of the adopted person
- A lawful representative of a deceased adopted persons Direct Line Descendant
What identification needs to be submitted by the applicant?
Application must be submitted with copies of either A or B:
New York State Department of HealthBureau of Vital Records, PAC UnitP.O. Box 2602
Walk-in Services ARE CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Third Party Pickup
We do not encourage third party pickups. If you are unable to come to our office yourself, we recommend that you order your certificate by mail or via internet or telephone. More information about third party pickup.
How Do I Adopt A Child From Another State
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children is an agreement among all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that establishes procedures for the placement of children across state lines. The childâs originating state and receiving state must approve the childâs movement before the child can legally move. OCFS administers the ICPC in New York State.
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Backlog In Requests For Pre
NEW YORK – A new law took effect this year allowing adopted adults access to their original pre-adoption birth certificates for the first time.
What You Need To Know
- A new law took effect this year allowing adopted adults access to pre-adoption birth certificates
- The city department of health has received more than 5,400 requests
- Roughly a quarter of the city requests have been processed
Some, like Patricia Wilson, say after filing requests in January and February, they are still waiting for their record.
âI said, âWow, I want to get this last piece of information, I want that connection to my biological mother,â so I submitted the form,â Wilson said.
Wilson was adopted by a New York City couple when she was two months old. She describes her childhood in Queens as picture-perfect.
At six-years-old, she learned she was adopted. She waited until her father passed away in 1997 to begin searching for her biological parents. After piecing together information from the adoption agency, social media, and DNA test, she discovered her biological father was a sailor in World War II and obtained photos of him.
Wilson doesnât have a photo of her birth mom, who was a 38-year-old nurse when Wilson was born.
When Wilson learned about a new state law that gives an adoptee access to their original birth certificate, Wilson thought it would offer a feeling of connection to her birth mother.
âBecause it is kind of the only tangible piece from when I was with her,â Wilson said.
How Do I Register
If you want to register, you must submit a signed and notarized application. If you are registering as the Adoptee or as a Biological Sibling of an Adoptee, you must include a photocopy of your current birth certificate including parents’ names.
Applications received from an adoptee or biological sibling without a copy of the applicant’s birth certificate will be returned without processing.
Adoptees born in New York City who do not have a copy of their amended birth certificate should order one directly from New York City. Please see the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene web site for more information.
Change of address: If you have already registered and wish to update your address with the Adoption Information Registry, do not submit a new application simply notify us in writing of your new address. Include your Registry Number or your name and date of birth so that we can update your application. Send to: Adoption Information Registry, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602
You can download your application as a PDF document from the choices listed below:
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How Do I Choose An Adoption Agency
Choosing an agency is a very important step. Talk to different agencies and adoptive parents or parent support groups to learn how the agencies work with prospective adoptive parents and to compare your options. Keep in mind that it is very difficult to change agencies once the adoption process has begun. Before you sign any contract with an adoption agency it is recommended that you ask an attorney to review the contract.
Obtaining Birth And/or Adoption Records
In most States, adoption records are sealed after an adoption is finalized. The adopted person, birth parents, and adoptive parents must follow procedures established by the State to obtain identifying confidential information from the adoption records, but they may be able to obtain nonidentifying information from the agency that arranged the adoption. This section contains resources that address accessing adoption records in each State and .
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Why Open Adoption Records
Some might ask why anyone would even care. To some adoptees denied, they want it because they cannot have it. Its the mere principle. Given that all anyone usually has to do to obtain a copy of their birth certificate is write a letter to the county clerk from which they were born, state their pertinent information such as name, birth date, mothers maiden name, a copy of ones drivers license and a 10 to 15 dollar fee being treated differently simply because on is adopted is unconstitutional and prejudicial based on the situation of ones birth. The adoptee had no say as to the conditions of their birth and parentage, being the innocent party in decisions made by adults, and continues to be treated like the perpetual child in the eyes of the state.
The one thing that the OBC does that a ABC cannot do is give them their natural parents names. This is often the reason why the governments get all wiggy when asked to allow access. When adoptees want access to their OBCs it is usually because that would be the easiest way for them to search and find their natural parents. With internet databases galore literally at their fingertips, finding a lost family member is sometimes a quick click away, but still the search is hastened when one has the actual name of the person they seek. With the secrets of adoption and the silence of agencies swore to carry those secrets, the OBC is the clearest sure fire way to have that name.