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 1,205,104 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
661. Lisamiller50154170 : This is your mom and im looking for u
662. Blair1 : He was lived in lake wales Florida when he was born. His birth name was James Edward Sapp. He had a half sister named Reagan. He was around 5 or 6 when he was adopted. His mothers name was Nikomi Adams. His fathers name is James Sapp Jr.
663. Robbiejeanmccoy : My birth name Is Robbie Jean McCoy. Birth parents Ozie McCoy and Bertha Lee Sanders. I was born in Little Rock Ar university hospital. Adopted by Ethel Green Lake Village AR around November of 1965. Please email me if you are interested in connecting. Would love to meet my biological family
664. Kenyatta365 : Would to find birth siblings, after being separated i have found 1. Birth sibling and birth mother ,now lookn for next 2 oldest brothers
665. SamanthaMorgan : I really would like to talk to my parents and just get to know them I just fell like somethings missing and I think its them
666. Laurencarol06 : Born in Little Rock, Arkansas at a hospital Name at birth: Gloria Ross No known siblings at the time of adoption (asked at adoption) Around 3 months old when adopted In family child care until around September 24, 1965
667. CrisB : I believe I have twin siblings who were adopted at birth on 8-29-1974 or 8-29-1973. Possibly boy and girl. My mother signed birth certificate as Jackie Rhoades. Believe Dr name was William (s). She was 19. Delivered in Green county ,Arkansas or Paragould Arkansas. Also, it was a closed adoption. That’s all I really know. Have been searching for many years with dead ends. I’m an only child and mother and father have passed. We would only share mother.
668. AmandaLukens : I was born at gravette medical center in gravette Arkansas. Born 10-30-1978 My adopted mom worked as an Lpn at the hospital where I was born. My adopted parents names are Benjamin and Linda lukens.
669. BeardDR35 : Finley Beard is my Great Grandpa who died tragically in 1948 at age 47 in Oregon. I know very little about my blood kin from his lineage. His sister, Lucille Beard, was born two-ish years later and adopted out of Shawnee, Oklahoma from Arkansas. Their parents are believed to be Ben Beard & Jennie Curry (Deans?) whom married in Arkansas in Nov 1899. Ben kept Finley and orphaned Lucille. Ben later married Nancy "Nannie" Wallace in Nov 1904 and they had 6 more children then moved west in the 30’s (Okies & Dust Bowlers). A DNA test was done on my Dad (Finley’s Grandson) and Lucille’s son but apparently they were not a match. Any information regarding Lucille’s adoption, parents, and anything regarding Finley’s folks would be greatly appreciated. (FYI- 4 years ago I sent off for birth records in Arkansas and all four documents came back empty)
670. Amwhit : Am looking for birth family. Was born and adopted in October of 1967 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
671. TabathaCarr : My name is Tabatha Carr. I was born Tabatha Chandler. I am searching for my sister Brittany. She was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on February 19, 1992 to Tracy Wallace. She has 2 older sisters, 1 younger sister and 1 younger brother. All of us girls was placed into foster care in Van Buren in 1998. We stayed with a couple Jim and Debbie Alexander for a year. Myself, my sister Renee and our infant sister Loran was adopted by a family from Jonesboro, Arkansas ( The Dubars). Brittany was moved to a girls home or a mental institution from what I was told. She had ADHD and a bad temper so the case worker said that no one would ever want to adopt her. I don’t know if she was ever adopted but I was told that an older couple had adopted her but I never got a name. I haven’t seen my sister since I was 9 years old. I am now 29. I would love any help in trying to find her.
672. TabathaCarr : I am searching for my sister Loran Rachelle Wallce. She was born January 20, 1998 in Fort Smith or Van Buren, Arkansas to Tracy Lynn Wallace. She has 3 older biological sisters. Myself, Whitney Renee Nichols and Brittany Wallace. She was placed into foster care in the summer or fall of 1998. She was in a foster home with us other girls in Van Buren at Jim and Debbie Alexander’s house. Myself, Renee and Loran was adopted by Vernon and Sharon Dubar of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Her name was changed to Rachel Leeann Dubar. After a few years the parents decided they didn’t want her anymore and placed her back into the foster care system with Renee. I don’t know if she ever got adopted again or if her name ever changed back.
673. LordNurgle : Last name of birth parent wasFoxx
674. Crrochester : I was born in Blytheville Arkansas even though the adoption took place in Kansas, I was reported to have been born to a single woman. My biological father I was told was in the military. I am not trying to uproot your life just want to thank you for giving me a chance to be successful. Would like to know is there anything from a health perspective that I am predisposed to thank you.
675. CDenton : The adopted child was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The mother’s name was Patricia Katherine Vest and she was from Modesto, California.
