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If a child is born and adopted in England or Wales

Registering an adoption can take up to six weeks, from the time the court issues the adoption order to the General Register Office updating the Adopted Children Register. This replaces the original birth record, which is marked ‘adopted’.

You then receive a free short adoption certificate. If you would like more short copies or a full certificate you need to order them. You can do this online or by telephone.

• Order an adoption certificate

What if there is a mistake on the Court Order?

If you notice a mistake on the Court Order, you should contact the court that dealt with the adoption and request an amended order. The Adopted Children Register will be updated automatically.

If a child is born and adopted overseas

Children born and adopted overseas can be registered in the Adopted Children Register providing the adoptive parent(s) are habitually resident in England or Wales at the time of adoption. If not, you will need to seek legal advice to check whether the adoption can be recognised in this country.

To check if the country in which the adoption occurred is recognised please refer to the 'Every child matters' website from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

• Every child matters - adoptions Opens new window

If the child is born in England or Wales, and adopted overseas

Children born in England and Wales but adopted overseas can be registered in the Adopted Children Register provided that their birth was registered in England and Wales.

What you need to do if a child is born or adopted overseas

Applying to register a child’s details to be added to the adoption register can be done by the adoptive parent(s), a person with parental responsibility for the child or the adopted person themselves if they are over 18 years of age.

You can download the forms below or contact the General Register Office on +44 (0)151 471 4830. Alternatively you can email:

adoptions@ips.gsi.gov.uk

Documentation you will need

You will need to provide original evidence of the adoption, such as:

• a certified copy of an adoption entry
• a certificate that the adoption has been granted

Any supporting documentation should be provided by the organisation granting the adoption and signed by a person authorised to do so. You cannot send certified or notarized copies from solicitors.

If the documentation is not in English, you will need to provide a translation. This must be signed and endorsed by the translator with their name, address, occupation and a statement that the translation is true and accurate.

Your supporting documentation, along with a free short birth certificate will be sent to you on completion of the application.

• Download 'Adoption Application - resident in England - Form 52' (PDF, 107K)

• Download 'Adoption Application - resident overseas - Form 52b' (PDF, 98K)

• Download 'Registering Foreign Adoptions - information for applicants' (PDF, 66K)

• Help with PDF files

For events registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland

You can contact the relevant General Register Office using the links below.

• General Register Office for Scotland Opens new window

• General Register Office for Northern Ireland Opens new window