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Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry

The purpose of the voluntary registry is to facilitate contact between adult adoptees (who were born in Colorado), siblings/half-siblings, and their birth parent(s). We will also facilitate voluntary contact between a former foster child who may or may not have been adopted, who's 18 or older, and who is searching for a birth sibling who is 18 or older, who may or may not have been adopted and who may or may not have been in the foster care system. Relatives of deceased adoptees and relatives of deceased birth parents also can register. Relatives include spouse, birth parent, adoptive parent, sibling, or a child who is 21 years or older.

How to apply

All parties must submit a notarized Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry Application, photocopy of a valid ID, non-refundable processing fee and proof of relationship.

Eligible parties include:

  • Adoptee.
  • Birth parent.
  • Sibling (including foster, adopted or not adopted).
  • Relative of a deceased adoptee.
  • Relative of a deceased birth parent.

“Relative" includes an individual's spouse, birth parent, adoptive parent, sibling, or child who is twenty-one years of age or older.

If you are:

  • A former foster child, you must share at least one birth parent of the person you are looking for.
  • A relative of a deceased adoptee or a relative of a deceased birth parent, you will need to submit, along with the application and the fee, a photocopy of your valid ID and a certified copy of the adoptee's or birth parents’ death certificate and proof of your relationship to that person, such as a certified marriage record or certified birth certificate.

If a match occurs:

You will be contacted by the Vital Records office in the manner you indicated on the application.

Matching requirements

A birth parent will not be matched with the qualified adult adoptee without the consent of the other birth parent unless:

  • There is only one birth parent listed on the birth certificate, or
  • The other birth parent is deceased, or
  • We can't locate the other birth parent after an exhaustive search, the cost of which will be fully funded by the birth parent seeking a match.

A former foster child who may or may not have been adopted can be matched with the adult-adopted sibling only if the person you are looking for also has registered with the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry.

On June 5, 2015, House Bill 15-1355 was signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. This act established a process for Confidential Intermediaries to arrange contact among consenting adult adoptees, adoptive and biological parents, and biological siblings. The Colorado Confidential Intermediary services provide for a more active search process than the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry. Contact a Colorado Confidential Intermediary for more information. This act has also allowed access to adoption records to adult adoptees, descendants, and adoptive family members.

 

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