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Apply for a pre-adoption birth record

Access to birth records established prior to an adoption may be restricted. Check eligibility before you apply.
Application form (PDF) 

Contacts

Registry of Vital Records and Statistics

Phone

Main: Call Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Main: at (617) 740-2600
Amendment Unit Call Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Amendment Unit at (617) 740-2674

Online

RVRS General Inquiries Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSGeneralInfo@mass.gov
Amendments Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSAmendments@mass.gov
Vital Record Registration Inquiries Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSRegistration@mass.gov
Data and publications Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at vital.datarequest@mass.gov
VIP Registration Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at VIP@mass.gov

The Details

What you need

Eligibility: You are able to apply for a copy of a birth record established prior to an adoption (without first obtaining a court order) if you are:

  • An adult adoptee (18 years or older) who was born in Massachusetts.
  • An adult child (18 years or older) of a deceased parent who was an adoptee born in Massachusetts.
  • The parent or legal guardian of a child (under 18 years of age) whose deceased parent was an adoptee born in Massachusetts.
  • The adoptive parent of a child (under 18 years of age) born in Massachusetts.

Effective 11/3/22, there are no longer restrictions based on year of birth for adoptees, and other authorized persons, seeking the original of a birth record prior to adoption.

To apply, you must complete the application for a non-certified record of birth prior to adoption.

Check which forms of ID are accepted for pre-adoption birth record applications.

Fees

Name Fee Unit
In person $20 each
By mail $32 each

How to apply

Bring your completed application (PDF) l (DOCX) to the Registry of Vital Records during business hours.

Payment may be made by cash or check. Please make checks payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Send your notarized and completed application (PDF) l (DOCX), along with a check payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to:

Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
150 Mt. Vernon St.
1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125

Please complete your application carefully. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Next steps

What do I receive?

When we receive your application, we will search our files. If a birth record from before an adoption is found, you will be sent:

  • A certified mail return receipt
  • A copy of that birth record
  • The legal parents listed on the record at time of birth

Note: Only completed applications will be processed. Applications will be processed in the order that they are received.

More info

When trying to obtain a pre-adoption certificate, it is important to remember:

  • RVRS only holds adoption birth records from 1931 to the present.
  • RVRS does not have birth records for any person born outside of Massachusetts.
  • If your application can not be processed for any reason, it will be returned to you with a refund.
  • If you do not sign for the record that is sent to you by certified mail, and the record is returned to RVRS, you will not be issued a refund.

Downloads

Open PDF file, 152.37 KB,  Application for a Non-Certified Record of Birth Prior to Adoption (English, PDF 152.37 KB)
Open DOC file, 88.12 KB,  Application for a Non-Certified Record of Birth Prior to Adoption (English, DOC 88.12 KB)
Open PDF file, 205.42 KB,  Memo: Access to Birth Records Prior to Adoption (Chapter 158 of the Acts of 2022) (English, PDF 205.42 KB)
Open DOCX file, 42.2 KB,  Memo: Access to Birth Records Prior to Adoption (Chapter 158 of the Acts of 2022) (English, DOCX 42.2 KB)

Contact

Address
150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125
Directions 
Phone
Main: Call Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Main: at (617) 740-2600
Amendment Unit Call Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Amendment Unit at (617) 740-2674
Online
RVRS General Inquiries Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSGeneralInfo@mass.gov
Amendments Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSAmendments@mass.gov
Vital Record Registration Inquiries Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at RVRSRegistration@mass.gov
Data and publications Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at vital.datarequest@mass.gov
VIP Registration Email Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at VIP@mass.gov

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