Arkansas Adoption Records
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Accessing Arkansas Adoption Records
In 2018, Arkansas implemented a new law that allows adoptees to unseal their adoption records once they turn 21. While the law provides a way to access Arkansas adoption records, it also comes with red tape, including notary requirements and a fee.
If you want an easier way to reunite with your biological relatives, Adopted.com can help. We offer a voluntary adoption reunion registry where adoptees, birth parents, and others impacted by adoption can connect very quickly.
To join our registry, you don’t need to get a form notarized or pay a fee. All you need to do is answer ten simple questions that most people know about the adoption.
Our registry spans the state of Arkansas, from Fayetteville to Little Rock and everywhere in between. We offer a safe, secure way to reconnect with your birth family. Register for free today to join a community where reunions happen every day.
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3,229 Are Adoptions in Arkansas Open?
Yes, Arkansas allows families to arrange open adoptions. In an open adoption, the adoptive family knows the birth parents’ identities. One or both birth parents may even have ongoing communication with the adopted child, such as phone calls or face-to-face visits.
However, the official adoption files are sealed even in an open adoption. You cannot access the adoption records unless you’re an adoptee over 21 years old.
How Do I Get My Original Birth Certificate if I Was Adopted in Arkansas?
Your original birth certificate is part of your adoption file. You can get this document by submitting a written request to the Arkansas Department of Health if you’re over 21. When you receive your original birth certificate, it will be marked “not intended for official use.”
Arkansas allows birth parents to redact their names from an adoptee’s original birth certificate. If one or both of your birth parents have asked to keep their identities confidential, their names will be removed from the copy you receive.
How to Unseal Adoption Records in Arkansas
Adoptees in Arkansas can request their adoption files once they’re 21 years old. You must complete a form from the Arkansas Department of Health to unseal your adoption records. You’ll need to provide proof of your identity, such as a driver’s license. You’ll also need to have the form notarized.
If an adoptee has passed away, their surviving spouse, child, or child’s guardian can also request their adoption records. You’ll need to complete the same form and include proof of your identity. You’ll also need to submit your own birth certificate and notarized documentation of your relationship to the adoptee. A marriage or birth certificate can satisfy this requirement.
For all requests, there’s a $100 fee to access adoption files. You can submit a check or money order to the Arkansas Department of Health with your mailed application.
How Do You Access Arkansas Public Adoption Records?
Arkansas adoption records aren’t public, and you can only access them if you’re an adoptee or the spouse, child, or child’s guardian of an adoptee who has passed away. If you don’t fall into one of those categories, you’ll need a court order to unseal adoption records in Arkansas.
While the state limits who can access adoption records, you may be able to access some information through the Arkansas Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry (MCVAR). This voluntary registry can connect birth relatives if they both consent to having contact.
You can register to identify your birth relatives if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18
- A birth parent
- A birth grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or sibling
To register with the MCVAR, you must complete an affidavit form, attend a one-hour counseling session, and pay $20. Once you complete these steps, you will be notified if one of your biological relatives joins the registry.
Additionally, the MCVAR can provide non-identifying information about an adoption, including genetic, health, and social histories. This information doesn’t include the names of the adoptee, the adoptive parents, or the birth parents.
You can register to access this information if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18
- A birth parent
- A spouse, child, or child’s guardian of a deceased adoptee
- An adoptive parent or a legal guardian
- A child welfare agency with custody of an adoptee
To obtain this report, you must complete an affidavit form and pay $5.
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Let Adopted.com help you find your lost family today!
Adopted.com is a powerful adoption reunion registry designed to help you reconnect with your birth parents. By registering, you gain access to a growing database of over 1,205,098 profiles, increasing your chances of finding your biological relatives. The platform respects your privacy and allows you to update your profile anytime.
Registration is free, and the unique search tool ensures measurable match results. When you find your birth parents, remember to approach the reunion with an open heart and understanding, as it can be an emotionally significant experience for everyone involved.
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Arkansas Who Chose To Be Featured
421. MJC278 : Our mother was Martha Jackson born in Illinois in 1957 or 1958. You were her first baby (October 1984), I was her third (February 1988).
422. Kwright7125 : Looking for male born in 1982 or 1983 in the DFW metroplex area, most likely Tarrant county. Not sure if the adoption was done in Texas or not. He is said to be biracial, mother is caucasian was 16 at the time father was african american or hispanic. Possible DOB 12/28.
423. ShilohSanders5915 : I am looking for my boyfriends half sister. Her birth name would be Joise and her birth mothers name is Adela. He is wanting to get to know her.
424. Leanne0423 : Ive been adopted twice in Texas and Arkansas. I’d like to find out how to obtain these records
425. Latoiatoxner : Her birth name was April. Born to Melonie in Little Rock Arkansas. Curtis surname
426. JCF1953 : My Son was born 2/18/88 at BMC. He wants to find his Birth Mother to find out his health history .
427. Barbph14 : Blythesville, Arkansas
428. Pjwinters : My mom adopted out a child that was born between her two marriages. My sisters and I are trying to find our lost sibling and would love to touch base with him or her.
429. EagleMack : Jonesboro, AR
430. Shastabulmer : As we had discussed at the adoption, I would like to be involved in my daughters life and have the option of an open adoption. I beg of you because there is not a day that goes by that I don’t cry and yearn for my little girl!
431. Ebaatz0419 : My sister Nadine Dianna (Corder) Blake, had a son with issues with her family. She choose to give him to a family I think is boston or somewhere there abouts. this was about 18-22 years ago. I here he is a great base ball player... his adoptive parents were surgions and physicians... I would love to hear from him so we can connect our family again.. and give him some much needed information on his mother, sister, nephew. and his other extended family members. thank you Aunt Elizabeth
432. Cowboy255 : St. Vincents Hospitol Carl Pettit Mary Katherine Pierce
433. Sheilaheard25 : North little Rock hospital friends of children was the agency but was told the state closed it. Was to be an open adoption but was not kept that way. I just want to find my son and know he’s had a good life and I made the right choice. My name then was Sheila Watt.
434. AlisonBorn6-1-52 : HISTORY & UPDATE of Finding my Adopted Sister in Arkansas (DOB 6/1/52) In 1952, my mom was put on a bus, at age 19, and sent to a home for unwed mothers because she was pregnant. When she arrived in Hot Springs, AR, she was told that a Jewish couple was interested in adopting a Gentile baby. (Mom is 100% German). She agreed to allow the Jewish couple to adopt, and in exchange she was given room and board at a Lake Hamilton resort, where she also worked until she was within two weeks of her due date. Mom was told to use a fictitious name - her mother’s maiden name... Hoffmann, and her middle name... Jane, made her "Jane Hoffmann." Within 2 weeks of her due date, she was moved to Levi Hospital in Hot Springs, where she gave birth to a girl on June 1, 1952. She used the name Jane Hoffmann while she was in Hot Springs. The assumption was that the birth certificate would have either the "fake" name or the name of the adopted family. Last month I contacted the Melting Pot Genealogical Society. They researched with the name of "Jane Hoffmann," and found no records. When we met with Barbara and Carolyn at MPGS and they helped us navigate our search. We began at the Garland County Probate Court Court and we were given a set of case numbers with no identifying information…all types of court cases between 1952 and 1955. Told to look in giant book with thousands of case numbers, we began our search, eliminating docket #’s and looking for "adopted" in the subject, as we moved through the 25 pound book. A few hours later, I found one adoption in the number system that said "adopted," with name was ALISON MARIE TILLEN! This was an unexpected entry, as we believed the court records would reflect the baby’s adopted name, "infant." Years ago, when mom told me about the adoption, she called the baby "Alison," but did not recall that "Alison" was used on any birth certificate, and because she was using a fictitious name, so mom’s name (Naomi Tillen) would not appear in any court documents. All this time we never dreamed that there would be an adoption record with the name of "Tillen." But it makes sense that after a mother delivers a baby, there is a birth record with the baby’s name. No one was looking for a baby named Alison, because she was adopted in 1952. and all the circumstances were secret. We hired an attorney is filing the petition to open the sealed records, but because she could “not find case law to open petition the judge,” she did not file a petition. We left Hot Springs in 2013 with no resolution for finding Alison Marie Tillen, born 6/1/1952. Please help find Alison. Sadly, our mother passed away in 2015.
435. Jbatesgilbert : Hi! I’m searching for 2 half-sisters. We share a father. Birth names were Jennifer and Susan Bates, burn around 1978 or 1977. Adopted around 1980 or so in Louisiana.
