Accessing court adoption records
All of the court’s adoption paperwork is not available to the public unless a judge orders it to be. An adopted person can’t see their adoption court files about their biological parents unless they prove to the court that there is a good reason to do so. Placement agencies can only release certain information to an adopted person, adoptive parent, or biological parent.
Other adoption records
The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics has a procedure for people who have been adopted and want to see their birth records under M.G. L. c. 210, § 5D.
Visit the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics to apply for a pre-adoption birth record.
To see historic adoption records, please see Get access to historic adoption records.