Many people have questions about adoption birth certificates, including “What does an adoption birth certificate look like?” and “What happens to the original birth certificate after adoption?” Let’s answer these questions.
After the baby is born, the hospital birth certificate representative will present your baby’s birth mother with a birth certificate to sign in the hospital. She’ll fill out her name, the name she wants to give her baby, and the father’s name if she’d like.
As a result, your adopted child will have two birth certificates:
- the original one, which the state’s vital statistics agency will issue at birth
- the certificate issued when the courts finalize your adoption
What’s the Difference Between the Two Birth Certificates?
Both certificates will have the most important details on them: date and time of birth, location of birth, etc. The original birth certificate lists your birth mother’s name and the name she gives her baby. She can save this one for a keepsake. The attending physician will then send a copy of the original birth certificate it to the state registrar.
If you want to change the child’s name, they will do so on the new amended birth certificate, which will also list your names.
What Happens to an Original Birth Certificate After Adoption?
Once the court finalizes your adoption, the court forwards the order for adoption to the vital records department in the state where your baby was born. They will often forward another document, known as a certificate of adoption.
The vital records department in that state uses these two documents to find the original birth record of your adopted baby. Once located, the department creates an “amended” or “replacement” birth record using the adoption order.
This amended record becomes the new vital record for your adopted child. In most cases, the amended record changes the adopted child’s name. It also replaces the names of the originally listed birth parents with your names.
It may take a bit of time for you to get your child’s new amended birth certificate showing you as parents. Receiving your child’s updated birth certificate is part of the adoption finalization process.
Your child’s birth mother may offer you a copy (or original!) of this first birth certificate. It makes a lovely keepsake if you wish to include it in your child’s baby book.
Can an adoptee get their original birth certificate?
In some states, the original certificate is sealed after the adoption and is inaccessible. If your child wants access to it once they turn 18, they can often file a petition.
It can be challenging for adoptees to access their original birth certificate after adoption, which has led to an increased push for legislative changes on birth certificate access for adoptees. We still have plenty of work to do to ensure adoptees have the same unrestricted access to their birth certificates as everyone else.
Why are original birth certificates sealed in adoption?
Starting in the late 1930s, states began sealing original birth certificates after adoptions to prevent public access. This practice aimed to reinforce the adoptive family by limiting outside interference, including contact from birth parents who had relinquished their rights. Additionally, sealing the original and issuing an amended birth certificate was a way to conceal evidence of an “out-of-wedlock” birth, shielding children—particularly those born to single mothers—from the social stigma of illegitimacy.
As society’s views on illegitimacy have evolved, the reason for sealing these records diminished, especially once adoptees reached adulthood. In contrast, open adoption eliminates the need for adoptees to search for their original birth certificates, as they maintain direct connections with their birth families and have access to their origins from the start.
The Benefits of Open Adoption
Choosing an open adoption means you are giving your child the benefit of knowing and loving not just you, but their birth parent(s), too. You can talk to your child about their adoption from day one, so they can know where they came from and how their life story began.
Being open and candid about this encourages your child to ask questions and get to know who they are. Eventually, as they get older, you can talk to them about the two birth certificates that they may have, and they can grow up understanding the truth about their story.
Adapting your discussions to your child’s developmental stage is important. But no matter what, keep these things in mind.
Provide Support – It Goes a Long Way
An adopted child may have lots of questions about why things happened and how their adoption relates to their identity. Be positive and supportive, always speaking positively about your child’s birth family and their decision to choose adoption. Remind your child that their birth parents’ choice was made out of love.
Encourage Your Child to Embrace Their Story
Growing children are always learning about who they are, what their gifts and interests are, and what makes them tick. Also, learning that part of them, and connecting it to their adoption story, encourages them to embrace it and own it. Let them share it with other people on their own time and terms if they choose to share it at all.
Show Appreciation for the Adoption Process
Your adoption process may be difficult and emotional. But no matter what, always talk about adoption as an incredibly special and positive thing. Seeing your positive behavior and attitude about it will help your child feel more confident in their story and their identity. Pessimistic comments could cause confusion or make them question their place in your family.
Lifetime Adoption
After learning the answers to what happens to the original birth certificate after adoption, you probably have many more adoption questions as you embark on the path to the child God has meant for you. Our Frequently Asked Questions for adoptive parents and free adoption webinars are a great place to find more answers.
In addition, you can also speak with an experienced adoption professional by calling 727-493-0933. We are happy to help you get your adoption questions answered!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 27, 2021, and has since been updated.
As Vice President of Lifetime Adoption, Heather Featherston holds an MBA and is passionate about working with those facing adoption, pregnancy, and parenting issues. Heather has conducted training for birth parent advocates, spoken to professional groups, and has appeared on television and radio to discuss the multiple aspects of adoption. She has provided one-on-one support to women and hopeful adoptive parents working through adoption decisions.
Since 2002, she has been helping pregnant women and others in crisis to learn more about adoption. Heather also trains and speaks nationwide to pregnancy clinics to effectively meet the needs of women who want to explore adoption for their child. Today, she continues to address the concerns women have about adoption and supports the needs of women who choose adoption for their child.
As a published author of the book Called to Adoption, Featherston loves to see God’s hand at work every day as she helps children and families come together through adoption.
I found this post really informative and helpful. As someone who is going through the adoption process, it’s great to have a clear understanding of what the adoption birth certificate will look like. It’s comforting to know that the process is well-regulated and that there are standardized forms for adoption birth certificates. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!