Accessing records and family tracing
Access to adoption records
In Australia, adopted people can ask for their adoption records. Each state and territory has a central authority that looks after this. You need to apply through the central authority that handled the adoption.
If your adoption happened where you live now, contact your local office. If it happened in a different state or territory, contact the office there.
Post-adoption exploring and searching
Many adoptees want to learn about their background and connect with birth families. It is your choice how you approach post-adoption exploring and searching. Searching for family and personal history can be a positive experience. However, it is important to be respectful and careful.
Not everyone in other countries views adoption in the same way as people in Australia. Birth families may prefer no contact. They may also have different preferences about how they would like contact to happen. Because of this, contacting a birth family may have serious effects.
State and territory central authorities can advise about cultural considerations and post-adoption searching.
Tracing and reunification
Under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption(Opens in a new tab/window) (Hague Convention), adopted people have the right to know about their identity and where they come from. However, this information must be shared carefully to protect the privacy and legal rights of birth parents and others involved. Countries must keep adoption records and allow access to them according to their laws.
Tracing family members usually means looking at official adoption records. Government authorities or adoption agencies hold these records. Australian state and territory central authorities can help by contacting the child’s country of origin. However, some countries have strict privacy rules or limited access to records.
In Australia, there are free and paid services to help people search for their birth families. When using these services, make sure they follow the law and respect everyone’s privacy.
More information
- Learn more about the state and territory central authorities. They are listed in the intercountry adoption contacts.
- Learn more about available intercountry adoption support.
- Learn more about available community, peer and advocacy groups.
If you think your intercountry adoption may have involved illicit or illegal practices, learn more about responding to allegations of illicit or illegal practices.