At the time a child is born a birth certificate is issued. If this child is adopted, an amended birth certificate is created with their adoptive parents’ names listed rather than their birth parents’ names. The original birth certificate is then sealed for privacy reasons.
In 2013, a new law (SHB 1525) took effect in Washington state that allows all adoptees to obtain original (pre-adoption) birth certificates. These are documents that have not been amended to list adoptive parents on the document. This law also allows birth parents to have a say in whether they’d like to release their identity (through making the original birth certificate available) or to keep it confidential.
ADOPTEES – Once 18 years old, you may request a copy of your original birth certificate where you will find information about your birth parents’ full names, the place of your birth and other identifying information about your birth parents.
BIRTH PARENTS – At any time, you may request a copy of your birth child’s original birth certificate. You also have 5 options to determine consent for contact:
- I would like to be contacted.
- I would like to be contacted only through a confidential intermediary.
- I prefer not to be contacted and have completed the birth parent updated medical history form and give consent to provide the adoptee with a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate.
- I prefer not to be contacted and have completed the birth parent updated medical history form and do not give consent to provide the adoptee with a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate.
- You are not required to do any of the above in which case the adoptee will be provided a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate.
Birth parents can file contact preference and medical history forms with the Department of Health.