Mn Dept Health - Original Birth Certicate access

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/osr/adoption.html#adoptee


Access to the original birth record after an adoption of a person born in Minnesota

Please note that changes made to the birth record after 2000 may not be reflected on the non-certified copy if the birth took place before 2001.

Adoptee - Access to Original Birth Record

An adopted person, age 19 or older who was adopted, may request a non-certified copy of the original birth record. To request a non-certified copy, complete the following form:

Adoptee's Request for Original Birth Record Information and Search for Affidavit of Disclosure or Non-Disclosure (PDF).

Mail the completed form with a fee of $13 to the Minnesota Department of Health, Central Cashiering - Vital Records, P.O. Box 64499, St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0499.

If a birth parent has given permission to release the original birth information to the adopted person, MDH will send the adopted person a non-certified copy of the original birth record. If no Affidavit of Disclosure or Non-Disclosure has been filed, MDH will notify the adopted person that a non-certified copy of the original birth record cannot be released at this time. MDH will also notify the Department of Human Services for the purpose of conducting a search for the birth parent(s) according to Minnesota Statutes, section 259.89. The search may take up to six months. MDH will contact the adopted person when the search is complete.

Birth Parent - Access to Original Birth Record

According to Minnesota Statutes, section 144.218, the original birth record is confidential and released only to a parent who is named on the original birth record. Copies of original birth records are available only through MDH. Please note that the copy of the original birth record you will receive is for information only and may not be used for any legal purpose. To request a copy of the original birth record, complete the Minnesota Birth Record Application for a Non-Certified Copy of an Original Birth Record of Child Who Has Been Adopted (PDF).

Birth Parent - Permission to Release Original Birth Record to adopted person

A birth parent may give or deny permission to release the original birth information to the adopted person when the adopted person has reached age 19 by completing and submitting to MDH an Affidavit of Disclosure or Non-Disclosure Regarding an Original Birth Certificate of an Adopted Person (PDF). Permission may be given or denied at any time. The form is available from any adoption agency in Minnesota, the Department of Human Services or MDH.

Searches for Information about Siblings or Parents who were Adopted

The Minnesota Department of Health does not retain adoption information. The Minnesota Office of Vital Records retains:

 1) current birth records that include the post-adoption names of adopted persons and their adoptive parents; and
 2) the original birth record that includes original birth information.

 The original birth record may be released only:

 1) by court order
 2) to the adopted person if the parent(s) named on the original birth record have given permission; or
 3) to a parent named on the original birth record.

Other than releasing the original birth record as described above, the Minnesota Office of Vital Records does not provide post-adoption services and cannot help with searches for information about siblings or parents.

Visit the Minnesota Department of Human Services website or call 651-431-4682 for information about a sibling or a parent who was adopted, or write to: Minnesota Department of Human Services, Child Safety and Permanency Division, Adoption Assistance Program, P.O. Box 64944, St. Paul, MN 55164-0944.



For more information regarding birth records after an adoption, call 651-201-5970, or email [email protected]