The Top 5 Places to Search for Adoption Certificates
Adoption certificates do not only serve as proofs that adoptions have taken place, they are also regarded as 'evidence of legitimization'. These documents have been used for settling many legal matters such as issues related to probate and property ownership.Access to adoption records has proven to be a hot topic because the number of
adopted individuals has been conservatively estimated to reach 6 million in the
United States. All but five states (Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, New Hampshire, and
Oregon) limit or restrict access to adoption records. Where to Look for Adoption CertificatesAdoption certificates and other records related to the adoption process may be found in a number of places, depending on where the adoption originated and where it was finalized.• Vital Records – The first place to look would be the Vital Records Office in the state where the adoption was finalized. • US Citizenship and Immigration Service – When a child was adopted outside the US, a good place to search would be the immigration office of the state where the child was naturalized. Immigration records typically contain adoption papers, which were attached as supporting documents for the granting of citizenship. • Adoption Agency/Orphanage/Social Service – Another alternative is the child placement agency that handled the adoption. If the originating agency is found abroad, its US counterpart should be able to help. • International Social Services is an international organization that, among its many social service functions, helps adopted individuals look for their overseas birth families. ISS may also be able to help track down adoption papers. • Search Agencies – Some services charge fees for active searches for birth families to be conducted, very much like private detective services. A number of these are even managed by the state government, while others belong to commercial enterprises or support organizations. Some of the latter are country-based (e.g., Korean support group for adopted children). Adoption certificates may be easier to track down than people, so fees should be affordable. • Government of the Birth Country – Foreign governments have vital records offices that may be attached to any number of agencies, such as census or statistics, health, or even law enforcement bureaus. Visit the US Department of State website for country offices that can help find vital records offices abroad. • Lastly, try online public record search services. The good thing about this option is that you find out NOW whether they have the records you are looking for or not. |
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