New Jersey Adoption Records
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Accessing New Jersey Adoption Records
A law was passed in New Jersey that allows adoptees to access their original birth certificates. However, the law also gave birth parents the option to remove their names if they didn’t want to be identified.
Other New Jersey adoption records are sealed, making learning more about an adoption difficult. If you’ve run into problems accessing information, Adopted.com can offer some help.
Our voluntary adoption reunion registry allows adoptees and their birth relatives to connect through mutual consent. To join the registry, you just need to answer ten simple questions about the adoption, which most people already know. Once you register, you can quickly start connecting with your matches immediately, without the red tape.
We have the largest voluntary adoption reunion registry in the United States. Whether you’re in Atlantic City, Newark, or any other part of New Jersey, you have the potential to find your birth family. Register today with Adopted.com, a community where reunions happen every day.
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5,950 Is New Jersey a Closed Adoption State?
New Jersey has historically been a closed adoption state, but in 2017, a new law made it easier for adoptees to access information. Adult adoptees in the state can now obtain their original birth certificates without a court order. The law gave birth parents three years to redact their names from these documents if they wanted to stay anonymous.
What Happens to the Original Birth Certificate After Adoption in New Jersey?
After an adoption is finalized in New Jersey, the state issues an amended birth certificate, also known as an official birth certificate. This document lists the child’s adoptive parents, not their birth parents. The official birth certificate becomes the child’s legal birth record. The original birth certificate is sealed as part of the adoption record.
How to Get Adoption Records in New Jersey
In New Jersey, adult adoptees can request a copy of their original birth certificate from the New Jersey Registrar of Vital Statistics. You don’t need a court order to obtain this document.
To obtain your original birth certificate, complete the Application for an Uncertified Copy of an Adopted Person’s Original Birth Record. Mail the application to the address listed. You’ll need to include an acceptable form of identification and a fee. If you want multiple copies, there’s a fee per additional copy.
Once the state processes your request, you’ll receive an uncertified copy of your original birth certificate. This document will contain your birth parents’ names, as long as they didn’t choose to redact their information before Dec. 31, 2016. Birth parents can no longer remove their names from original birth certificates.
Original birth certificates are not public adoption records in New Jersey. However, a few people besides the adoptee can request a copy of this record. They include:
- An adoptee’s spouse, sibling, or direct descendent (child or grandchild)
- An adoptive parent or legal guardian
- An adoptee’s legal representative
If you’re a birth parent in New Jersey, you cannot access adoption records, but you can complete a contact preference form. This form states if and how you want to have contact with the adoptee. If you complete this form and the adoptee requests their original birth certificate, they’ll also receive your contact preferences.
Birth parents can complete a contact preference form at any time. If you choose to complete the form, you must also submit a family history information form. This form asks about your medical, cultural, and social history.
Are Adoption Records Open in New Jersey?
No, adoption records are closed in New Jersey. However, the state allows some access to specific records. Anyone adopted in New Jersey can obtain their original birth certificate once they turn 18. Some relatives can also obtain copies of an original birth certificate, including an adoptee’s spouse, child, and sibling.
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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 1,189,519 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 New Jersey Who Chose To Be Featured
1. Scbysnack1 : FOUND - AUGUST 2022 Michigan‚ Muskegon‚ Grant‚ Washburn‚ Constance‚ Jerry‚ Loretta‚ Lima‚ Newaygo‚ Ken‚ Larry‚ Orville‚ Ravenna‚ White Cloud‚ Westbrook
2. Athomas130 : Brother looking for older adopted full-blood brother born at Columbia Hospital for Women‚ Washington‚ D.C.‚ in March of 1967. It’s believed the adopting family was from NY (possibly NJ?)‚ and may have named their newly adopted son John (though it was Ivan at birth). The adopting parents may have divorced‚ and the adopting father lived in Baltimore. Grandmother from Texas visited the adopting family 6 months after birth to see her newly adopted grandson. Our parents went on to marry‚ and eventually had myself‚ and another son‚ who has since passed. Looking to pass on family health history and reconnect if desired. -abt
3. Kristen333 : I was born 7/28/1967. Female,searching for birth parents. I was adopted through Spence Chapin, NYC, born at Roosevelt Hospital. Name on original birth certificate was baby girl Erwin.
4. KevinMulvihill : Kevin Mulvihill‚ born 10/2/65‚ Birth Mother Judith Mulvihill‚ Age 20‚ Lived at 884 Pavonia Avenue‚ Jersey New Jersey‚ adopted 4/25/67‚ Essex County Court Probate Division Docket No. 9950. Adopted by Dean and Kathy Collins.
5. Lluxy1 : Trenton, NJ
6. MARCALINA : I’m looking for my brother adopted in 1961 in New Jersey.
7. TheresaLopezSymonds : I hope you had great parents and a great upbringing. I miss you every day! You mean the world to me! I hope some day soon I will meet you. You have two brothers name Christian and Steven and they can not wait to meet you. I am here for you in any way and everyway you want me to be. I love you and respect your wishes but I hope and pray you will come looking for us soon. Love Mom
8. Cathian64 : I gave birth in September of 1989 in Muhlenberg Hospital‚ Plainfield‚ NJ. Birth certificate would have shown Baby girl Baker Bahnck. Catholic Charities handled the adoption.
9. Lostsibling : I have been looking for my sister that was adopted right after birth my mother had a affair and gave up the baby girl. I have been told that she was adopted by a friend of the family but not sure I never get a straight answer. My mother died about a year and a half ago of breast cancer.
10. Eileen817 : i want to find my son. He was born in Lakewood‚ NJ.
11. Jenn2672 : I am searching for my twin aunts. Both adopted in 1951 in NJ. Born in Englewood Hospital, Englewood, NJ. We only found out about them a few years ago and the records are sealed in NJ and we can not get a court order to open them. They are the sisters of my father, who grew up in the foster care program. I would like to reunite them.
12. Laurazeth : I’m seeking for my birth mother/father or bith siblings if there is any. I was born in Camden NJ on October 15th 1969 adopted out of the Lutheran Welfare Association in Jersey City‚ New Jersey. (as I was told). I’m 100% that my adopted parents would NOT have lied to me. Though I can not ask either because‚ they both have passed. My mother passed when I was 14 & my father just passed in 2020.
13. Lilirishbrat96 : I am searching for my birth mother and family. My birth mothers name is Sheila and my sisters name is Christina. My mother was also 19 when she had me and her birthday is sometime in May. I was born on March 19, 1986 in Princeton, NJ, my mother called me Erin... I have a picture of my mother and sister from 1984, and a Perpetual Mass Association card from The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington, NJ, I was Adopted from St. Elizabeth in Yardville, NJ on or around April 30, 1986 to Joyce and James Sorenson of Toms River, NJ. my name was also changed to Catherine Sorenson when I was adopted. If you have any information on my mother or family please contact me. I would really like them to be part of my life and my three children’s lives.
14. Erinsmom1008 : Surname at birth was Ciccone
15. Swisix8 : I am looking for any family members. I was born at All Souls Hospital in Morristown New Jersey and adopted through Catholic Charities.
