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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3,233 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 1,201,335 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
46. Suehunley : Born in Olney, Maryland, adopted out by Frederick Co. adoption agency
47. LDW52 : Monroe, Louisiana-birth/around 3:23 pm on 12/31/81 Pine Bluff, Arkansas-adoption Birth Mother-19 or 20 years old with a 4 year old son Lawyer in Monroe: first name Kirby Price Lawyer in Arkansas: Stephen Matthews Judge in Jefferson County, Arkansas: Lawrence Dawson
48. Cookie174 : Frank Gary freeman
49. MAUDRIEWIMBLEY : Nelson Brown and Lizzie Brown-adopted parents Theodore & Jenette Stills-birth parents
50. Friendlytacos : I’m looking for my mother‚ her name was or still might be Jody Mundy. I know she has 3 other daughters.
51. Mrvines : was adopted at birth. my adopted parents last name is Magar.
52. Jessicastull : i know her name is tammy she called me after i turn 18 and i hang up on her cause i never knew it was the first time i heard of it and i went into shock.
53. BuckyPhoto : I am looking for my two children who were adopted together‚ Lance (older) and Savannah (younger). I understand if they don’t want a relationship with me‚ the adoption was the only way I could keep them safe from their father‚ but there are medical history updates they NEED to know about‚ that could be life-threatening. I tried to get help from the state before choosing to terminate my parental rights but policies at the time didn’t offer any supports. I was emancipated out of my birth parents home as a teenager‚ and my grandparents and sister were unable to care for them… it was the only option. Their safety was more important than the heartache. I still love them very much‚ and I hope their adoptive parents gave them the life I was unable to at that point in my life. They may be interested in knowing they have four younger siblings now‚ and their older sister doesn’t have a relationship with their biological father but is still in my life. She has a daughter now and a husband in the Air Force‚ and is open to meeting them as well. She has family in Willow and they’re stationed in the Dakotas for now‚ but will be returning within the next few years. I don’t live in the area anymore but can travel back or communicate remotely. If they would prefer to communicate with me through someone else just for medical history‚ I understand. After the adoption I joined the Army and settled down outside the installation where I was stationed to go to college and for military contract work. I hope I’ve become someone worth knowing. They were never EVER unwanted! At the time of adoption Lance was in a developmental Pre-K in Highland‚ Arkansas ‚ and may be neurodivergent‚ though it could have just been delays from prematurity. They may or may not have poor vision‚ and are likely very tall because their biological father and I are both very tall. When they were little‚ Lance had brown hair‚ Savannah had blonde. They were both born in Mountain Home‚ Arkansas. While I was trying to get help from the state to get us away from their father‚ they were in a foster home in Calico Rock‚ Arkansas.
54. Nicolerc : His birth mother’s name on the OBC is Anita Sue Otto and she listed her age as 21. He was born at St Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, Arkansas. According to the biological summary his birth mother provided, he has a biological brother a year or two older who was also placed for adoption.
55. Patticakes : I’m looking for Susie M. Carey, born in St Louis MO on May 3, 1907. Her mother was Gertrude Basham Carey (my great grandmother) and father was Vollie Carey. Gertie and Vollie split up and she took baby Susie with her to Chicago. She kept her with her for at least a year, but at some point between 1908-09ish, put her in a foster home for care, and then without her permission or knowledge, Susie was adopted by another family, and Gert never saw her again. I’m positive Susie is dead by now but I’m hoping she lived long enough to have descendants - it’s possible she never even knew she was adopted. If your grandmother or great grandmother was adopted somewhere in the midwest (Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, or Kentucky), and born 5/3/1907, I’d love to hear from you - maybe we can solve a centuries old mystery together!
56. Lildre : I was adopted at 6 weeks old on November 16‚ 1977 in Little Rock‚ Arkansas. My birth mother was around 18 years old.
57. CodyArroz : Born in Mountain Home, AR in 1974 or late 1975, was giving up for adoption sameday as born
58. Brandymanjoe : Birth mother-Faythe Peach born in Texas Could have lived in Arkansas at time of my birth-had one son before me born in 1950-my birth father was only around for a couple of weeks according to info at the time. I found that I have either Jewish Iranian or Eskimo blood on my birth father’s side‚ as I had a surgery that used a certain anesthesia that I couldn’t process because I didn’t have the enzymes. My original name- Dennis Wayne Peach Birth father unknown Born in Memphis Adoptive parents-Martin and Muriel Corley Baptised catholic in Paragould‚ Arkansas
59. Abridwell85 : I have a sister who was born shortly after me( I was born in 1985). Our mother was Shirley and we lived in Blytheville‚ AR. Her name was supposedly Jessica and she was sent to a home in Ohio. Birth month and date of her is unknown.
60. Rdugan6 : I was told my last name at birth was Pearson (sp?) I have 2 sister. Born in Memphis‚ TN on Feb. 8th 1968. Adopted from Paragould Children’s Home in Paragould‚ Arkansas
