Washington
Washington Adoption Records: Original Birth Certificates and Sealed Files
Washington's 2019 reform gives an adult adoptee the original birth certificate on request by default, but the state's Contact Preference Form has multiple options, and only one of them actually blocks release of the certificate. Getting this precisely right matters, because the other "no contact" options on the same form still let the certificate go out.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Can an Adult Adoptee Get Their Original Birth Certificate in Washington?
Yes, by default, for adoptions finalized after October 1, 1993. provides that 'the department of health shall provide a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate to an adoptee eighteen years of age or older upon request, unless the birth parent has filed an affidavit of nondisclosure before July 28, 2013, or a contact preference form that indicates he or she does not want the original birth certificate released.'
The Contact Preference Form: Only One Option Blocks Release
This is the detail worth getting exactly right. Washington's Contact Preference Form gives a birth parent several choices about how they want the relationship to work, and most of those choices do not stop the certificate from being released. A birth parent who prefers not to be contacted directly, for example, can still consent to the certificate going out; the form's consent language states, 'I give the department of health consent to provide the adoptee with a noncertified copy of his or her original birth certificate,' a box that can be checked even alongside a preference for no direct contact.
Only the specific option stating the birth parent does 'not want a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate released to the adoptee,' typically paired with a completed birth-parent updated medical history form in place of the certificate, actually blocks release. In other words, "no contact" and "no certificate" are two different choices on the same form, and only the second one stops the document from reaching the adoptee. This is a genuinely different design from Vermont's post-2023 reform, where the birth-parent nondisclosure option no longer touches the certificate at all; Washington's veto option, when selected, is a real block on the document itself, not merely on contact.
The other mechanism that can block release is older: a birth parent's affidavit of nondisclosure filed before July 28, 2013. That affidavit remains effective until the birth parent's death.
What About Adoptions Finalized Before October 1, 1993?
covers this cohort too, in a separate part of the same section: "For adoptions finalized on or before October 1, 1993, the department of health may not provide a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate to the adoptee until after June 30, 2014. After June 30, 2014, the department of health shall provide a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate to an adoptee eighteen years of age or older upon request, unless the birth parent has filed a contact preference form that indicates he or she does not want the original birth certificate released."
June 30, 2014 has long since passed, so a Washington adoptee whose adoption was finalized on or before October 1, 1993 gets the same default release today as a post-1993 adoptee: the certificate goes out on request unless the birth parent selected the specific Contact Preference Form option that blocks it. The statute ties the older, pre-July 28, 2013 nondisclosure-affidavit mechanism to a different part of the section, so a pre-1993 adoptee should not assume a good-cause court order is required; the default-release rule applies to this cohort too, not just to adoptions finalized after October 1993.
Court-File Sealing and the Good-Cause Standard
sets the general rule for the underlying court file: 'all records of any proceeding under this chapter shall be sealed and shall not be thereafter open to inspection by any person except upon order of the court for good cause shown, or except by using the procedure described in .' This statute cleanly cross-references both the confidential-intermediary program and the certificate-release and contact-preference mechanism described above as named alternate paths around the good-cause court-order default.
Washington's Confidential Intermediary Program
Washington runs a genuine confidential-intermediary program under , distinct from a plain opt-in registry. An approved intermediary 'may attempt to locate members of the birth parent or adopted person's family' and must file 'an oath of confidentiality and a certificate of completion of training with the superior court of every county in which they serve as intermediaries.' This is a trained, court-certified search service, not simply a signup list waiting for a match.
How to Request an Original Birth Certificate in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, processes requests. As of August 2026:
- Form: "Adoptee's Request for Original Birth Certificate from a Sealed File" (DOH 422-102).
- Fee: $20.00 per copy, non-refundable.
- Identification: a current state-issued photo ID or passport.
- Where: Attn: Adoptions, Center for Health Statistics, PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709.
- Timing: the department notes that sealed files are not located in its office, so the process may take several weeks or more.
Non-Identifying Information
This research did not locate a Washington-specific statute or agency page dedicated solely to non-identifying-information requests, separate from the certificate-release and confidential-intermediary framework described above. An adoptee interested in non-identifying background information should contact the Department of Health or the agency that handled the adoption directly.
Finding Birth Parents in Washington
Because most post-1993 Washington adoptees can get the original birth certificate directly, that document is often the best starting point for a search, alongside the confidential-intermediary program for a more active search. RecordingLaw's guide to finding birth parents covers non-identifying information, intermediary searches, DNA testing, and search etiquette, and is upfront that not every search leads to contact or a welcoming response.
For the national framework, see the Adoption Records by State hub and the guide to getting an original birth certificate. Washington readers may also find Washington death records and Washington court records useful for related family-history research.
Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about adoption records law in Washington State. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for consultation with a licensed Washington attorney. Statutes, forms, and fees can change; the information here was last verified on 2026-08-11.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Washington birth parent block release of the original birth certificate?
Only if the birth parent selected the specific Contact Preference Form option stating they do not want the certificate released, or filed a nondisclosure affidavit before July 28, 2013. Other 'no contact' options on the same form still allow the certificate to be released.
Does choosing 'no contact' on Washington's Contact Preference Form stop the birth certificate from being released?
Not by itself. A birth parent can prefer no direct contact while still consenting to release of the certificate. Only the form's specific do-not-release option blocks the certificate.
How much does an original birth certificate cost in Washington?
The Department of Health charges $20.00 per copy, non-refundable, as of August 2026.
What is Washington's confidential intermediary program?
A court-certified search service under RCW 26.33.343, in which a trained intermediary files an oath of confidentiality with the superior court and attempts to locate birth family members, distinct from a simple signup registry.
Does Washington's default-release rule apply to every adoption regardless of when it was finalized?
Yes, though the statute reaches it through a separate subsection. Adoptions finalized on or before October 1, 1993 became eligible for release only after June 30, 2014; since that date, they get the same default release as adoptions finalized after October 1, 1993, gated only by the same Contact Preference Form block option.
How long does it take to get a sealed original birth certificate in Washington?
The Department of Health notes that sealed files are not kept in its office, so processing can take several weeks or more.
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.
Revised Code of Washington
§ 26.33.330Records sealed—Inspection—Fee.In force
(1) All records of any proceeding under this chapter shall be sealed and shall not be thereafter open to inspection by any person except upon order of the court for good cause shown, or except by using the procedure described in RCW 26.33.343. In determining whether good cause exists, the court shall consider any certified statement on file with the department of health as provided in RCW 26.33.347. (2) The state registrar of vital statistics may charge a reasonable fee for the review of any of its sealed records.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 26.33.343Search for birth parent or adopted child—Confidential intermediary.In force
(1) An adopted person over the age of twenty-one years, or under twenty-one with the permission of the adoptive parent, or a birth parent or member of the birth parent's family after the adoptee has reached the age of twenty-one may petition the court to appoint a confidential intermediary. A petition under this section shall state whether a certified statement is on file with the department of health as provided for in RCW 26.33.347 and shall also state the intent of the adoptee as set forth in any such statement. The intermediary shall search for and discreetly contact the birth parent or adopted person, or if they are not alive or cannot be located within one year, the intermediary may attempt to locate members of the birth parent or adopted person's family. These family members shall be limited to the natural grandparents of the adult adoptee, a brother or sister of a natural parent, or the child of a natural parent. The court, for good cause shown, may allow a relative more distant in degree to petition for disclosure.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 26.33.345Search for birth parent or adopted child—Limited release of information—Noncertified copies of original birth certificate—Contact preference form.In force
(1) The department, adoption agencies, and independent adoption facilitators shall release the name and location of the court where a relinquishment of parental rights or finalization of an adoption took place to an adult adoptee, a birth parent of an adult adoptee, an adoptive parent, a birth or adoptive grandparent of an adult adoptee, or an adult sibling of an adult adoptee, or the legal guardian of any of these. (2) The department of health shall make available a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate of a child to the child's birth parents upon request. (3)(a) For adoptions finalized after October 1, 1993, the department of health shall provide a noncertified copy of the original birth certificate to an adoptee eighteen years of age or older upon request, unless the birth parent has filed an affidavit of nondisclosure before July 28, 2013, or a contact preference form that indicates he or she does not want the original birth certificate released: PROVIDED, That the affidavit of nondisclosure, the contact preference form, or both have not expired.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
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Sources and References
- Revised Code of Washington 26.33.345, Search for birth parent or adopted child, contact preference form(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Revised Code of Washington 26.33.330, Records sealed, inspection, fee(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Revised Code of Washington 26.33.343, Search for birth parent or adopted child, confidential intermediary(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Washington State Department of Health, Original Birth Certificate for an Adopted Person(doh.wa.gov).gov