I know that most adopted people have two birth certificates - their amended one (with the adoptive parent's names) and the original (with the biological parent's names and information). I have my original birth certificate with my adoptive parent's names on it. My parents told me that this was the only one because they signed an "agreement" with my birth mother. Is this possible, or does every adoptee have two birth certificates?
2011-12-29T15:10:14Z
Thank you so much for all of these answers! I've spoken to my father (who is a lawyer) and he said that everything was handled legally, and that yet I only have one birth certificate. I've researched my state's laws, and something doesn't seem right. My parents knew my birth mother personally before I was born. But I believe, if done legally, I should have two certificates.
Dreamweaver back for more2011-12-27T16:22:35Z
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Im an adoptee. I do not have my original birth certificate. In the US it is almost impossible to get your original birth certificate. The original MUST have your BIOLOGICAL parents names on it. What you have is the amended birth certificate. Legally, they could not be on your original unless you physically came out of your adopted mothers' stomach. sorry. They, or you, have been misinformed.
It is possible that a pregnant woman, who is known to a couple who are planning to adopt, will agree to sign the birth certificate with the adoptive mother's name. This is fraud, of course. Usually it is done by plan, and adoption attorneys are involved. The adoptive father's name will be added, also.
The plan must be set up ahead of time, with the pregnant mother entering the hospital under the adoptive mother's name. All hospital records will have the adoptive mother's name to cover the lie. There will be only one birth certificate, and it will say that the adoptive mother gave birth, and it will be the original because there will be no other BC.
(edit: this is fraud in the USA, but there are other countries where both sets of parents names are on the OBC and then there will only be one birth certificate. Other countries may do things differently, so I cannot say what might have happened if you were born in a country other than the US.)
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There have also been states that did not require adoptive parents to file a request for an amended BC. In those situations, the adopted person was able to keep their OBC with their original parent's name(s). But, it doesn't sound like that is what you have.
There will have been an original birth certificate with the birth parents on it. But no, not every adoptee _has_ two birth certificates. In some places, once the adoption is final, the original certificate is considered to no longer exist. There's no way to get hold of a copy unless you already have one.
I have two birth certificates, my amended birth certificate....thats the only one I can legally use for identification purposes, and my original birth certificate, which I applied for after I turned 18. I live in Australia where we have legal access to our OBC's once we're adults. If the birth certificate you have has your adoptive parents name on it, its not your original birth certificate but an ammended one.
ETA: Hang on, we're all getting bogged down in semantics here. An original birth document exists, it has to. In many places its permanantly sealed after adoption, giving no access to that document to anyone.....doesnt mean it doesnt exist though. It just means that it may as well not exist which isnt the same thing. I didnt have my original birth certificate when I was younger because, as was traditional at the time, my adoptive mother burnt it after the adoption was finalised, but it still existed. Just because you only have your ammended BC doesnt mean the original doesnt exist.
This is where other countries could learn a thing or two from other countries such as the UK. My son's adoptive parents were given an adoption certificate which has their names listed as the parents. On the (original) birth certificate my name is listed as his mother. He was entitled to get this when he was 18 although I sent him a copy for his 24th birthday.