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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Information for an Individual Who is Adopted

    Individuals who are adopted must submit an Adoptee's Application for Noncertified Copy of Original Birth Record. Eligible applicants include the adopted individual and the lineal descendants of the adopted individual. No other individual, including adopted parents or birth parents, will be considered eligible.

    For birth certificates from other states:  If you are looking for a birth record for someone who was born in another state, see the National Center for Health Statistics' website for contact information.

    Processing Times

    Please allow 45 days processing time.

    Fee

    A $20 fee applies for each application received. To streamline this application process, we will release only one copy per application. Please photocopy this document if you need multiple copies.

    Applications received by ineligible applicants will be rejected and the fee returned. 

    What You Will Receive if You are Determined to be Eligible

    Applications received from eligible applicants with the required fee and identification will be processed within 45 days of receipt. Once your application has been accepted, we will conduct extensive research for the record based upon the information you have provided on your application. You must complete all information listed under the "Information on Official Birth Record (Post-Adoption Record)" section of the application for us to accept your application.

    Please complete as much information as you may know under the "Information on Original Birth Record (Pre-Adoption Birth Record)" section of the form. We understand that you may not know this information.

    Based on the results of our research, we will send you one of the following two documents:

    1.    Noncertified Copy of Original Birth Record

    If your birth record was registered in Pennsylvania, we will issue you a noncertified copy of your original birth record if our records confirm that an adoption was documented by our office. This document will include your original birth name, birth date, county of birth, and name(s) and age(s) of birth parents.

    This noncertified copy represents the initial information reported to us at time of your birth. It will include any parent name listed on your birth record unless we have processed a Name Redaction Request (NRR) form from the birth parent(s) listed on your original birth record. Any birth parent name redacted on the noncertified copy will be displayed as "NAME REDACTED".

    If the name of a birth parent was not recorded at time of your birth, the noncertified copy of original birth record will indicate "NOT RECORDED" by that field.

    If you have been adopted multiple times, we are only authorized to release to you the noncertified copy of your original birth record. You will not be able to receive noncertified copies of your birth record based upon prior adoptions.

    If the noncertified copy of original birth record matches the current copy of your birth certificate, then our records do not document an adoption. Depending on the timeframe during which your birth and/or adoption took place, we may not have original birth information or the adoption information on record for you, or you may not be adopted. If an adoption has not been filed with us, you will receive a copy of the official birth certificate.

    If you are an adoptee and are seeking additional information regarding your birth parent(s), please contact the Pennsylvania Adoption Information Registry (PAIR).  Any birth parent requesting a name redaction on the noncertified copy of original birth record is required to submit contact preference information and medical information to the PAIR program. The PAIR program may also have information on file for parents that have not taken action to redact their name on the noncertified copy of original birth record.

    2.    Statement of No Record Found

    If we are unable to locate a birth record for you, we will issue to you a statement of no record found. Please note that we will not have a birth record for you if you were born outside of Pennsylvania even if you were adopted in Pennsylvania.

    Due to the extensive research that goes into these requests, the application fee will still apply.

    What You Will Not Receive if You are Determined to be Eligible

    1. You will not receive a "certified copy" of the original birth record. Act 127 only authorizes us to release noncertified copies of original birth records to eligible applicants. 
    2. You will not receive any other information on the birth parent(s) or other birth family members, including copies of their birth and/or death records.
    3. You will not receive information regarding name changes or parental changes registered through amendment processes. 

    To find out more information on your birth parent(s), please visit the following resources:

    Birth Certificates

    If you are looking for a copy of your birth record that displays the names of your current adopted parents, please submit an Application for a Birth Certificate.