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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) 

Contact

Registry of Vital Records and Statistics

Phone

Main (617) 740-2600

Online

Amendments vip-amend@state.ma.us
RVRS Customer Service vital.recordsrequest@state.ma.us
Delayed records vital.regulation@state.ma.us
Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) vip@state.ma.us
Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) accounts vip-accounts@state.ma.us
Data and Publications vital.datarequest@state.ma.us
RVRS Communications RVRSCommunications@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

    Application for a Non-Certified Record of Birth Prior to Adoption (English, PDF 152.37 KB)
    Application for a Non-Certified Record of Birth Prior to Adoption (English, DOC 88.12 KB)
    Memo: Access to Birth Records Prior to Adoption (Chapter 158 of the Acts of 2022) (English, PDF 205.42 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 (617) 740-2600
    Online
    Amendments vip-amend@state.ma.us
    RVRS Customer Service vital.recordsrequest@state.ma.us
    Delayed records vital.regulation@state.ma.us
    Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) vip@state.ma.us
    Vitals Information Partnership (VIP) accounts vip-accounts@state.ma.us
    Data and Publications vital.datarequest@state.ma.us
    RVRS Communications RVRSCommunications@mass.gov

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