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(Pre-adoption Birth Record, Contact Preference,
Medical History)
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ORDER?
- Must be the adoptee or their legal representative - not other
family members
- Adoptee must be 21 years of age
- Adoptee must be born in Oregon
- Must be for a birth record where we have received an adoption
report which sealed the original record and created a new record.
HOW SHOULD APPLICANTS ORDER? Applicants who
request records should clearly identify themselves as an "ADOPTEE
SEEKING A PRE-ADOPTION BIRTH RECORD." Without this information we
will send the current legal record.
- Enclose a $20 non-refundable search fee payable to DHS Vital
Records.
- Include your current legal birth record information:
- Full legal name (after adoption)
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Adopted mother's full maiden name
- Adopted father's full name
Each order should show the adoptee's mailing address and daytime
telephone number. Our office will call if we find the applicant has
not given us correct and complete record information that matches
the legal birth certificate. Pre-adoption birth records may only be
ordered by the adoptee and will only be mailed to the adoptee or
their legal representative. Attorneys should include a written
statement of whom they represent and the current legal birth record
information listed above. Anyone else ordering needs a permission
note with a notarized signature of the adoptee to show they are
representing the adoptee.
Applicants may order by mail, in person or by phone or fax.
However, due to the special processing steps, copies cannot be
issued the same day or the following day. Fax and telephone orders
billed to credit cards include an extra $12.50 fee for expedited
service. However, due to the extra processing steps, orders cannot
be expedited by the next day. We recommend that you order in person,
or by mail and pay by check or money order to avoid the extra
charge. Orders for pre-adoption records will always take several
weeks to process.
HOW WILL APPLICATIONS BE PROCESSED? Processing
steps include:
- Reviewing orders for completeness of current legal record
information and enclosure of a $20 fee. Orders with missing
information or fees will receive follow-up correspondence
requesting additional information or fees.
- Locating the current full legal birth certificates and
creating a matching list of sealed file numbers for these records.
- Requesting retrieval of sealed files by number from an
off-site storage facility.
- Once sealed files are received, we will match records using
the sealed file number and make certified copies. We will also
check for a contact preference form from the biological parent. If
a match is found, a copy of the contact preference form will be
included with the pre-adoption birth record. Records will then be
mailed to adoptees or their legal representatives
HOW QUICKLY WILL I GET MY RECORD? Processing of
orders for preadoption birth records will normally take from four to
six weeks. In a few cases where the sealed file is not easily
identified or found, additional time may be needed to research and
locate the file. In these cases the adoptee will be notified of the
results of the search and the specific problem in locating the
preadoption record.
WHAT WILL THE APPLICANT RECEIVE?
- There is a small chance that the sealed file will be opened
and no original birth certificate will be found.
- If found, the certified copy of the original record will be
clearly marked as a pre-adoption record from a sealed file. It
will not be accepted by government agencies as a legal birth
certificate for purposes of identification.
The information on this pre-adoption birth certificate was
provided by the birth parent(s) at the time of your birth. The
information may or may not be accurate. At the time of a child's
birth, a birth parent may give a child any name they want or they
may not name the child. The mother's name and the father's name on
this document, may or may not be accurate. After the adoption was
finalized, the birth parent(s) could not make any changes to the
birth record.
If you want more information about locating birth parent(s),
you may want to contact an Oregon volunteer adoption registry. If
you know what adoption agency handled your adoption, you should
contact that adoption agency directly. If you do not know that
information, you should contact Adoption Services/Registry at
(503) 945-6643.
ARE THERE OTHER ADOPTION RECORDS THAT AN ADOPTEE MAY
ORDER?
Ballot Measure 58 applies only to the release of the original
birth certificate in the sealed file maintained by the Center for
Health Statistics. We must receive a copy of a certified court order
to release an adoption report. The Center for Health Statistics'
sealed file does not usually contain any medical records.
An Oregon adoption agency may have some medical information. You
should contact the adoption agency that was involved with your
adoption. If you do not know what adoption agency was involved, you
may call Adoption Services/Registry at 503/945-6643.
VOLUNTARY ADOPTION REGISTRIES
The
Voluntary Adoption Registry was created in 1983 to assist
adoptees, birth parents, biological siblings, and other eligible
persons who wish to learn more about an adoption that was completed
in the State of Oregon. The registry is maintained by the State
Children, Adults and Families and creates a method of communicating
information if both parties consent.
If you were party to an adoption completed in Oregon and would
like more information, contact:
Department of Human Services
Adoption Services/Registry, 2nd Floor South
500 Summer Street NE, E71
Salem, OR 97301-1068
If the adoption was arranged by Albertina Kerr, Boys and Girls
Aid Society, or Waverly, contact that agency directly. Many other
private agencies in the state maintain their own mutual consent
registries.
COUNSELING REFERRALS If you would like to speak
with a counselor about meeting a biological parent, you can obtain a
list of counselors from any adoption agency, including the
Children, Adults and Families office.
HOW CAN BIRTH PARENTS STATE THEIR PREFERENCE ABOUT
PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THE ADOPTEE?
BIRTH PARENTS MAY FILE CONTACT PREFERENCE FORMS
The 1999 Oregon Legislature passed HB 39194 to provide a way for
birth parents to file a form with the Oregon Center for Health
Statistics (CHS) stating their preference about personal contact
with the adoptee. The completed preference form will be filed in the
CHS sealed file. Contact preference forms are mailed to adoptees
when the birth records are released. If the preference form is filed
within six months of issuance of the preadoption birth certificate,
Vital Records will forward the contact preference form to the
address of the adoptee listed on the order form.
If the birth parent wants contact, he/she may
complete the CONTACT PREFERENCE FORM (available
below) and mail it directly to:
- Oregon Center for Health Statistics
- Certification Unit
- PO Box 14050
- Portland OR 97293-0050
If the birth parent does not want contact, a Birth
Parent Updated Medical History form (available below)
must be filed either with the adoption agency involved, or with
Department of Human Services
Adoption Services/Registry, 2nd Floor South
500 Summer Street NE, E71
Salem, OR 97301-1068
Once the medical history form has been received, a certification
statement will be forwarded to the Oregon Center for Health
Statistics office. Without this certification document, CHS
cannot file and release the contact preference form for birth
parents who do not want contact.
You may send both the Contract Preference Form and the Birth
Parent Updated Medical History to the adoption agency or Adoption
Services/Registry. They will forward the Contact Preference Form
along with the Certificate to the Oregon Center for Health
Statistics.
If you have any questions about the forms or the filing of these
forms, you may call either the Oregon Center for Health Statistics
at 971/673-1190 or Adoption Services/Registry at 503/945-6643.
Download Order Forms (pdf)
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