Adoption records can be obtained in the state of New Jersey.
Adoption records can include information on the adopted child, the adoptive parents or biological relatives, including birth parents or siblings of the adopted child. In the state of New Jersey, you can find these records through the Department of Children and Families.
Instructions
1. Make sure the New Jersey adoption records you're looking for can be obtained. If the adoption was processed independently, such as by an attorney, or through a private adoption agency, the records are not accessible. If the adoption was processed by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families Division of Youth and Family Services, the Bureau of Child Services, the State Board of Child Welfare or the State Board of Children's Guardians, then the records can be obtained.
2. Meet with the Adoption Registry Coordinator of the New Jersey agency that processed the adoption.
3. Register with the agency. This involves filling out an application form that states your identity and information about the person on whom you wish to find adoption records, including your relationship to that person.
4. Request the type of records you wish to obtain once your registry application is processed. In New Jersey, non-identifying information can be obtained at this point, such as the medical history of a birth parent. Adopted children can also request that a limited search be conducted to locate a birth parent. Note that minors need written permission from their adoptive parents. Birth parents can request information about the events that preceded the adoption of the child. New Jersey law does not permit the location of the adopted child or the identity of the birth parents to be released to birth relatives.
Tags: adopted child, adoption processed, adoptive parents, birth parent, birth parents