Adult Adoptees

Michigan law is quite specific regarding information which agencies may or may not release to adult adoptees.

Identifying Information is:
• the name of the child before placement in adoption
• the names of biological parents at the time of termination of parental rights
• the most recent addresses of biological parents
• names of biological siblings at the time of termination

Non-Identifying Information is:
• Date, time, and place of births of the adoptee. This includes the hospital, city, county, and state.
• An account of the health, psychological and genetic history of the adoptee.
• An account of the healthy, psychological and genetic history of the biological parents and siblings.
• Description of the adoptee and the adoptee’s birth family at the time of birth including:
- Given first name of adoptee at birth
- Age and sex of siblings of adoptee
- Adoptee’s enrollment and performance in school, educational testing results, and special education needs
- Adoptee’s racial, ethnic, and religious background
- General description of birthparents, including age at termination of parental rights
- Account of adoptee’s past and existing relationship with any individual or facility with whom the adoptee had lived or visited on a regular basis
- Educational, occupational, professional, athletic, or artistic achievements of the birth family
• Circumstances of any court order terminating parental rights of a birth parent
• Length of time between termination of parental rights and child’s final placement
• Status of termination (voluntary or court ordered)

Please select the link based on your date of birth to see how to obtain information.

Michigan Law is very specific about what information can be released to adoptees born before Sept. 12, 1980. The only way this adoptee can obtain identifying information is if the birthparent has filed a form with the Central Adoption Registry in Lansing consenting to the release of their identifying information.

If CFS receives the request from the Central Adoption Registry stating that there is consent on file, we may release identifying information to the adoptee.

If there is no consent on file, the adoptee may obtain a non-identifying background report through CFS for a $60 fee. The adoptee may also use a court appointed Confidential Intermediary to try and obtain identifying information. Confidential Intermediary information may be found by clicking on the “Obtaining Information through the Court System” link.

Adult adoptees born after September 12, 1980 may obtain identifying information of their birth family if there is no statement of denial on file with the Central Adoption Registry in Lansing. The adoptee may also obtain a non-identifying background report through CFS for a $60 fee.

If there is a statement of denial on file, the adoptee may use a court appointed Confidential Intermediary to try and obtain identifying information. Confidential Intermediary information may be found by clicking on the “Obtaining Information through the Court System” link.

Any adult adoptee adopted through CFS can receive a non-identifying background report for a processing fee of $60. This background report contains mostly general information about the birth parents and their extended families, and is very helpful if the adoptee is looking for information about their medical history. CFS will include as much detail as possible in this report without divulging identifying information. Please click the “Information Available to Adult Adoptees” link for more information about identifying vs. non-identifying information.

If the adoptee is not able to receive information due to a statement of consent not being on file, or a denial being on file, they may file a petition to use a court-appointed confidential intermediary to further their search. A confidential intermediary is a court appointed liaison between the petitioner and the individual being sought. Their job is to contact the individual being sought and inquire if they would like contact with the petitioner, or if they would like to place a statement of consent to release information in their file. The intermediary acts as a go-between for these two people and can arrange a meeting with them if both parties wish to do so. The intermediary fee generally runs around $300, but can vary with each specific case. It is important that the petition for the confidential intermediary is filed in the county court in which the adoption was finalized. For more information on the Confidential Intermediary process through Oakland or Wayne County, please click on the corresponding form link below. (This service is available strictly through the court system, and is not affiliated with CFS.)