California Adoption Laws

Adoption Laws in California

How to access adoption records?

• Obtain the non identifying information:

  Adults who are adopted and of 18 years or more than that and the adoptive parents of any adoptee of 18 years or more can request for non identifying information from the government department which has joined the adoption petition or from the adoption agency.

  In case of rejection of the request, the party which wants the information can formally request the court where the adoption process was finalized. At the time of placement the birth parents of the child can get the information about the adoption as well as the adoptive parent(s).

• Obtain identifying information:

  Birth parents may get the information about the adopted adult of age 21 or more, if the adopted adult given consent to disclosure of it in written form. Those adoptions which are finalized on the day or after the 1st January 1984, adopted person of age 18 years or more may get the information about the birth parent(s), in case the birth parents of that adoptee have given consent to the disclosure in written form.

  If the adoptive parents of a person are of age 21 or more, they may get the information from the birth parents if they need that information for the medical purpose or other special circumstance if found needful by the 'State Department of Social Services' or any of the licensed adoption agency.

  One can file for the disclosures of the information at the government agency or adoption agency that joined in the adoption petition. Those adoptions decided with favorable response of both of the requesting parties and before 1st January 1984, the agency of adoption can also arrange the meeting of the adopted adult and the birth parents.

  The agency may release the information like the name and address to each other, in case birth siblings filed the consent and are of age 21 or more than it.

• Program of consent:

  This state doesn't have the mutual consent registry.

  The California Department of Social Services that is CDSS organize consent program all over the state for 18 years and of more age adoptee, their birth parent(s), as well as the siblings of adoptee of 21 years age or more. Adoption agencies as well as CDSS are prohibited from soliciting consents or waivers by law, and they are not allowed to provide searching services to adoptee, siblings or the birth parents.

  This program is for the adoptions finalized only in this state and adoption parties can participate in it, but have to submit formal request for getting the contact form for birth parent(s) and the adoptee, or can claim to restrict the access of adoption records for the siblings of the adoptee.

  One can get these forms contacting to the California Department of Social Services, or by contacting the local licensed private or public adoption agency. On getting the notarized request from an adoptee as well as the birth parent(s) or from an adoptee, CDSS or adoption agency which is licensed can handled the adoption process and may disclose the name and latest address known of both the parties for direct contact.

• Contact:
  California Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry
  CDSS
  Adoption Branch
  744 P St.
  MS 19-31
  Sacramento, CA 95814
  (916) 322-3778

• Providing the adoptee information:

  Any of the Department or the licensed agency may provide the photographs, letters or other things which are the personal properties of adopter's ownership on written formal request to adoptee of 18 years or more age, adopters in case the adoptee is minor that is of age less than 18 years or the birth parents.

• Obtain the original birth certificate:

  An adoptee has to request the court where his/her adoption was done.