Connecticut
Connecticut Adoption Records: Requesting Your Birth Certificate from the Town Registrar
Connecticut adult adoptees can get their original birth certificate directly, without a court order, since Public Act 21-21 took effect on July 1, 2021. The distinctive part is where the request goes: not a state vital-records office, but the registrar of vital statistics in the specific Connecticut town where the adoptee was born.
That town-level structure is unusual among the states in this cluster. This page covers who qualifies for direct access, the town-registrar request process, and Connecticut's DCF-run search-and-consent service for everyone else.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Can an Adult Adoptee Get an Original Birth Certificate in Connecticut?
Yes, since July 1, 2021. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-53 provides that upon written request, the registrar of vital statistics of the municipality of an adopted person's birth shall, not later than thirty days after such written request, issue an uncertified copy of an original certificate of birth.
Eligible requesters are the adopted person, once 18 or older, and, separately, that person's adult child or grandchild with relationship documentation. Anyone else generally needs a court order under a narrower provision, § 45a-751c, which applies specifically to an authorized applicant seeking a deceased adoptee's record.
How to Request Your Original Birth Certificate
The request goes to the town clerk or vital-records office of the town where the birth occurred, not a state agency. Connecticut's Department of Public Health maintains a directory of town vital-records offices through its adoptions and foreign-births page. The application is titled Request For Original Birth Certificate, Town of Birth.
The fee is $65, as of August 2026. Applicants send a photocopy, not the original, of a government-issued photo ID, and an adult child or grandchild applicant must also include documentation proving the relationship. The statutory turnaround is no later than 30 days from the written request.
The Sealed Adoption Court File
Connecticut's broader adoption case records, as opposed to the birth certificate itself, are addressed separately under § 45a-754, which establishes general confidentiality for adoption-matter records and cross-references §§ 45a-743 to 45a-753 for the substantive access framework. The exact unsealing standard for that court record was not independently confirmed with a direct quote for this article; readers with questions about the court file specifically, rather than the birth certificate, should confirm current procedure with the probate court that handled the adoption.
DCF's Search-and-Consent Process
For anyone who is not the adult adoptee or their adult child or grandchild, Connecticut runs a search-and-consent process rather than a named registry. Under § 45a-751, an authorized applicant may request the release of information that identifies or would tend to identify biological relatives, and the child-placing agency or the Department of Children and Families will attempt to locate the person sought.
This process, run through DCF's Adoption Search Unit at (860) 550-6582, is now largely a supplement to the unrestricted § 7-53 birth-certificate route for the adoptee's own request, rather than Connecticut's primary access mechanism. Whether the same unit also handles non-identifying-information requests specifically, as opposed to only identifying-information search-and-consent, was not separately confirmed for this article; contacting the unit directly is the reliable way to find out for a specific situation.
Related Connecticut Records
See Connecticut death records for locating a deceased birth parent's record, Connecticut court records for the state's broader court-records rules, and Connecticut marriage and divorce records for tracing a name change. For the general difference between a standard and an original birth certificate, see are birth certificates public records. For the national landscape and search strategy, see how to get your original birth certificate and how to find birth parents.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Connecticut adoption-records law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and office contact information change; verify current details with the relevant town registrar, the Department of Children and Families, or a licensed Connecticut attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation. Locating a birth relative is not guaranteed to succeed or to lead to contact.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a court order to get my original birth certificate in Connecticut?
No, if you are the adult adoptee or their adult child or grandchild. Since July 1, 2021, that group can request it directly from the town registrar. Others generally need a court order.
Where do I send my Connecticut original birth certificate request?
To the registrar of vital statistics in the specific town where you were born, not a state office.
How much does it cost and how long does it take in Connecticut?
The fee is $65, as of August 2026. The town registrar has a statutory 30-day deadline from the written request.
Can my adult child request my Connecticut adoption birth certificate?
Yes, if you were the adopted person. Your adult child or grandchild can request it on the same basis, with documentation proving the relationship.
Who do I contact to search for a biological relative in Connecticut?
The Department of Children and Families' Adoption Search Unit, at (860) 550-6582, runs a search-and-consent process under § 45a-751 for identifying information.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 3 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Connecticut General Statutes, Title 45a (Probate Courts and Procedure), Chapter 803
§ 45a-751(Formerly Sec. 45-68j). Release of identifying information by child-placing agency or department.In force
(a) Any authorized applicant may, by applying in person or in writing to the child-placing agency or department, request the release of information that identifies or would tend to identify biological relatives who are unknown as the result of an adoption or termination of parental rights. The child-placing agency or department shall attempt to locate the person or persons sought in the request. (b) Following such attempt, the child-placing agency or department shall furnish the information requested unless: (1) The consents required by section 45a-751b are not given; or (2) the child-placing agency or department determines at any time that the release of the requested information would be seriously disruptive to or endanger the physical or emotional health of the applicant; or (3) the child-placing agency or department determines at any time that the release of the requested information would be seriously disruptive to or endanger the physical or emotional health of the person whose identity is being requested.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at cga.ct.gov
§ 45a-754(Formerly Sec. 45-68m). Records related to termination of parental rights, removal of parent as guardian, appointment of statutory parent, adoption matters, temporary guardianship and emancipation of minors. Confidentiality. Exceptions.In force
(a) All records of cases related to termination of parental rights, removal of a parent as guardian, appointment of a statutory parent, adoption matters, temporary guardianship and emancipation of a minor shall be confidential and shall not be open to inspection by or disclosed to any third party, except that (1) such records shall be available to (A) the parties in any such case and their counsel; (B) the Department of Children and Families; (C) any licensed child-placing agency involved in any such case; (D) any judge or employee of a court of this state who, in the performance of his or her duties, requires access to such records; (E) the Office of the Probate Court Administrator; and (F) courts of other states under the provisions of sections 46b-115a to 46b-115gg, inclusive; and (2) access to and disclosure of adoption records shall be in accordance with subsection (b) of this section. (b) Access to adoption records shall be in accordance with sections 45a-743 to 45a-753, inclusive. The records may also be disclosed upon order of the judge of probate to a petitioner who requires such information for the health or medical treatment of any adopted person.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at cga.ct.gov
Connecticut General Statutes, Title 07 (Municipalities), Chapter 93
§ 7-53Birth certificates of adopted persons born in this state.In force
(a) Upon receipt of the record of adoption referred to in subsection (e) of section 45a-745 or of other evidence satisfactory to the department that a person born in this state has been adopted, the department shall prepare a new birth certificate of such adopted person, except that no new certificate of birth shall be prepared if the court decreeing the adoption, the adoptive parents or the adopted person, if over fourteen years of age, so requests. Such new birth certificate shall include all the information required to be set forth in a certificate of birth of this state as of the date of birth, except that the adopting parents shall be named as the parents instead of the birth parents and, when a certified copy of the birth of such person is requested by an eligible party as described in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 7-51, a copy of the new certificate of birth as prepared by the department shall be provided.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at cga.ct.gov
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Sources and References
- Connecticut General Statutes § 7-53, Birth Certificates of Adopted Persons Born in This State(cga.ct.gov).gov
- Connecticut General Statutes § 45a-754, Records Related to Adoption Matters, Confidentiality, Exceptions(cga.ct.gov).gov
- Connecticut General Statutes § 45a-751, Release of Identifying Information by Child-Placing Agency or Department(cga.ct.gov).gov
- Connecticut Department of Public Health, Adoptions and Foreign Births(portal.ct.gov).gov