How can I find my birth parents or birth relatives?

Adopted children and their birth parents and relatives—also known as their family of origin—who were separated by adoption may decide to search for each other at some point during their lives. Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, offers a publication Searching for Birth Relatives which contains basic information on obtaining birth and/or adoption records, conducting a search, reuniting with their family of origin, the lifelong emotional impact of adoption, and links to relevant organizations.

Many states across the country allow adopted adults and their families of origin to enter their names in a reunion registry, where the two parties may be matched and put in contact with one another. Some states provide a confidential intermediary service to help facilitate adoption reunions. Procedures for mutual consent registries vary significantly from State to State. Most registries require consent of at least one birth parent and an adoptee over the age of 18 or 21, or of adoptive parents if the adoptee is a minor, in order to release identifying information. 

To find out if your state has either of these services, you may conduct a search of Information Gateway's National Foster Care & Adoption Directory using filter options to narrow results. A list of birth family and adoptee search support groups may also be found in the directory. Finally, Information Gateway's publication on Access to Adoption Records offers relevant information on related State laws.