Adoption Records and State of Maine Adoption Reunion Registry

Access to Original Birth Certificates before Adoption

In Maine, adopted people who are 18 or older and were born in Maine can access their original birth certificate by filing an application for an original birth certificate before adoption with Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS). This application must be notarized and requires a $10.00 non-refundable fee. Additionally, descendants of a deceased adopted person also have the right to request and obtain the adopted person's original birth certificate.

1. Complete the Application: Application for Original Birth Certificate Before Adoption (PDF) and submit to: DRVS, Data, Research, and Vital Statistics, Vital Records Unit 220 Capitol Street, State House Station 11, Augusta, Maine 04333-011
2. Pay the Fee: There is a $10.00 non-refundable fee associated with the application.
3. Receive the Non-Certified Copy: Once the application is processed, the DRVS will issue a non-certified copy of the original birth certificate to the applicant.
4. Contact Preference and Medical History: If a contact preference or medical history form has been submitted, that information will also be provided.

The State of Maine Adoption Reunion Registry

If you are adopted, or if you placed a child for adoption, or if you are the biological sibling of an adopted person, you may wish to learn more about your birth family. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Reunion Registry can help and, in some cases, even facilitate a reunion.

Maine's Adoption Reunion Registry is the only official registry for people born or adopted in the State of Maine authorized to access sealed information. The Adoption Reunion Registry was established in 1979. Authority for the Maine Adoption Reunion Registry is based on Maine law, 22 MRS §2706-A. The Registry is administered by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.

The State Registrar maintains original birth certificates for adoptees born in Maine. Records of adoptions that were initiated, processed, or finalized in Maine are also maintained by the Department.

The registry's purpose is to facilitate reunions between birth parents and adoptees, or adoptees and their birth families, by providing a platform for individuals to register their information and potentially find each other. The Department currently has over two thousand individuals registered with the program and many families have been reunited.

What kinds of information are available?

Three kinds of information are available: non-identifying, identifying, and medical.

• Non-identifying Information: If you are adopted, you can get non-identifying information about your birth parents even if they do not register with the Adoption Registry or consent to sharing. This includes their general appearance, religion, ethnicity, race, education, occupation, etc; the name of the agency that arranged the adoption; and the facts and circumstances relating to the nature and cause of the adoption. Please be advised that an adoptee's birth location and birth date are never changed on an amended birth certificate.
• Identifying Information: If all are registered and all have given their final consent, adoptees and their birth parents, or adoptees and their biological siblings, can share their current names and addresses. If only one parent signed the surrender agreement or consented to the adoption, then the registration of the other parent is not needed for the exchange of identifying information between the adoptee and the registered birth parent.
• 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. The information is important to adoptees because it can indicate if they have a higher risk of some diseases. Medical information updates must be certified by a licensed health care provider.
• Form: Birth Parent Updated Medical History (PDF)

The Adoption Information Registry cannot:

• search for missing registrants;
• release copies of original birth certificates or adoption records;
• release non-identifying information or medical information to birth parents;
• respond to medical emergencies.

Who May Register?

Adopted Persons

Adopted persons 18 years of age or older may register if:

• they were born in Maine, or
• their adoption was initiated, processed, or finalized in Maine, or
• they were freed for adoption but not subsequently adopted.

Adopted persons 18 years of age or older may register even if the adoption was subsequently annulled or their adoptive parents no longer have parental rights.

Biological Parents

Biological or birth parent(s) whose child was born or adopted in Maine, or who surrendered parental rights or had parental rights terminated in Maine, may register.

Adoptive Parents

The adoptive parent(s) of an adopted child who is less than 18 years old may register for the child if:

• the child was born in Maine, or
• the adoption was initiated, processed, or finalized in Maine.

The adoptive parent(s) may register on behalf of an adopted person who has been determined by a court to be incapacitated. The adoptive parent(s) of an adopted person who has died may also register.

Legal Guardians

The legal guardian may register on behalf of a person:

• whose adoption was annulled, or
• whose adoptive parents no longer have custody, or
• who has been determined by a court to be incapacitated, or
• who was freed for adoption but not subsequently adopted.

Other Relatives

• Full or half-siblings of an adopted person, or a person freed for adoption, may register if they are 18 years of age or older.
• The legal guardian of a person under 18 who is a full or half-sibling of an adopted person or a person freed for adoption may register.
• Relatives of the biological parent of an adopted person, if that biological parent is deceased: mother, father, grandparent, full sibling, half-sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin.

How long will it take?

Any medical information already submitted by birth parents will be given shortly after an adoptee registers. It will take at least six months to obtain general non-identifying information. It may take years to receive identifying information, or it may never be available. This is because it cannot be released until all necessary parties have registered and consented to the release of the information.

What are the fees?

A registration fee of $50.00 must accompany the completed registration form.

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.

You can download your application as a PDF document from the choices listed below:

• Adoption Registry Application Instructions (PDF)
• Adoptee Registration Form(VS-210B) (PDF)
• Birth Parent Registration Form(VS-210A) (PDF)
• Person Freed for Adoption but Not Subsequently Adopted(VS-210C) (PDF)

Change of address: If you have already registered and wish to update your address with the Adoption Reunion 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:

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics, Vital Records Unit

220 Capitol Street
State House Station
11 Augusta, Maine 04333-011