Archive Website of the UK government

What and who is on the register

You can only find the whereabouts of an adopted person or birth relative if they have chosen to be entered on the Contact Register. Applicants can also record a wish for specific or no contact with a named individual.

Contacting a birth relative if you are adopted

You can add your details to the Adoption Contact Register if you are over 18, your birth was registered with the General Register Office, and you know:

• your original birth name
• your date of birth
• the full name(s) of your birth mother (and birth father if known)

If you do not have all this information, you can apply for access to your birth record.

Looking for siblings who have also been adopted

It is possible for an adopted person to be linked with adopted siblings, but be aware you need to register on both parts of the Adoption Contact Register – in part 1 as an adopted person and part 2 as a birth relative.

Contacting an adopted person if you are a birth relative

If you are a birth relative, you need to be 18 years of age and provide satisfactory documentary evidence to prove your relationship to the adopted person you wish to contact.

To find out what documentary evidence is required, depending on your relationship to the person you are looking for, download the table of evidence below.

Adding yourself to the Adoption Contact Register

You have several options when you sign up to the Register:

• contact – if both parties have chosen contact, the adopted person receives the name and address supplied by the relative, or the intermediary
• specific contact – this allows the adopted person to select certain relatives they may wish contact ; it will be assumed that they do not want contact with unnamed relatives
• no contact – if one party chooses no contact, you are both notified of the specific wishes; if both parties choose no contact, then you do not receive notification if a link is made
• specific no contact – this allows the adopted person to select specific relatives they do not want contact with; it is assumed that they do want contact with an unspecified relative

If you are an adopted person

If you are an adopted person, register on Part 1:

• download and complete form ACR 105, giving your current name and address in addition to your original birth details
• the fee for an adopted person’s details to be entered on Part 1 of the Contact Register is £15.00
  

• Download 'How to Contact a Birth Relative - form ACR 105' (PDF, 92K) Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

If you are a birth relative

If you are a birth relative, register on Part 2:

• download and complete form ACR 108, giving your current name and address and provide documentary evidence to prove your relationship to the adopted person
• the fee for a relative’s details to be entered on Part 2 of the Contact Register is £30.00
  

• Download 'How to Contact an Adopted Person - form ACR 108' (PDF, 98K) Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

Sending your application

Applications should be sent to:
Adoptions Section
Room C202
General Register Office
Trafalgar Road
Southport
PR8 2HH
Fax: +44 (0) 151 471 4755

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

If you need more help

Adults Affected by Adoption - NORCAP also has an adoption contact register, which you can use by following the link below.

• Adults Affected by Adoption - NORCAP Opens new window