Florida keeps every adoption record sealed by default, but state law gives you three ways to access them depending on what you need. You can request non-identifying background information (including medical history) directly from the agency that handled the adoption, register with the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry to exchange identifying information by mutual consent, or petition the circuit court that finalized the adoption to unseal records for good cause. Each path works on its own, and you can pursue more than one at the same time.
Every document tied to a Florida adoption is confidential: the original birth certificate, court filings, agency files, and related government records. All are exempt from public records laws and can be inspected only by court order or through specific statutory exceptions.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature Court files are indexed only under the adoptive family’s name, so the child’s birth name never appears on a public docket.
Requesting Non-Identifying Information
This is the easiest path and the only one that does not require either consent from another party or a court order. Under Florida law, an adoptee who has turned 18 is entitled to receive all non-identifying information about themselves and their birth parents on request, including the family medical and social history. Adoptive parents can request the same information at any time, before or after finalization.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature
Non-identifying information typically covers the birth parents’ ages and general physical description, their race, ethnicity, and religious background, education and occupation, and a detailed medical and mental health history for the birth parents and their immediate family. It may also note the existence of biological siblings and background on the grandparents, including country of origin. Names and other details that would identify the birth family are stripped out.
Where you send the request depends on who handled the adoption. If it went through the Department of Children and Families (DCF) or a community-based care agency, you contact the Florida Post Adoption Services Unit, which does not charge a fee for non-identifying information.2Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR) For private adoptions, contact the licensed agency that arranged the placement. Private agencies may charge a fee. Either way, you’ll need to provide identification and documentation showing your connection to the adoption.
The Florida Adoption Reunion Registry
The Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR), run by DCF, lets adopted adults and birth relatives exchange identifying information without going to court. It runs on mutual consent: identifying details are released only when both the adopted person and a birth relative have registered and authorized disclosure to each other.3FindLaw. Florida Code 63.165 The registry is open to all Florida adoptions regardless of when they occurred.
People eligible to register include:
- Adopted adults 18 or older who were adopted in Florida
- Birth parents
- Birth siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents
- Adoptive parents, who may register on behalf of a minor child
When you register, you specify exactly which categories of relatives you consent to share information with. You might limit consent to just the adoptee and birth mother, or open it up to siblings and grandparents. You can withdraw, narrow, or expand that consent at any time by notifying DCF in writing.3FindLaw. Florida Code 63.165
To register, complete Form CF 1490 (the Florida Reunion Registry Application) and include a copy of your driver’s license or another government-issued ID.2Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR) The registry is passive. It doesn’t search for anyone; it holds your information and checks for matches. When a match appears, FARR contacts both parties to confirm they want to connect. The statute authorizes DCF to charge a reasonable fee for registry services.3FindLaw. Florida Code 63.165
Getting a Copy of the Birth Certificate
After an adoption is finalized, the Florida Department of Health creates a new birth record listing the adoptive parents, and the original certificate is sealed. A copy of the amended certificate is a routine vital records request. The original sealed certificate is not: under Florida law, it’s accessible only by court order.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature
The Department of Health uses Form DH-726 for requesting a certified copy of the sealed record. The photocopy certification fee is $14.4Florida Department of Health. Amendments and Corrections There are separate versions of the form for adoptees under 18 and those 18 or older, and both require notarized affidavits and a copy of government-issued identification.
Releasing Identifying Information by Written Consent
Not every request for a name requires court action. Florida law allows disclosure without a court order when the person whose information is at stake authorizes it in writing. A birth parent can authorize release of their own name to an adoptee who is 18 or older. An adult adoptee can authorize release of their own name to a birth parent. An adoptive parent can authorize release of their own name. For minor adoptees, the adoptive parent must also give written consent before a birth parent’s name can be disclosed.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature
The limit here is important. No one can authorize the release of someone else’s identifying information. A birth mother cannot consent to releasing the birth father’s name. An adoptee cannot consent to releasing the adoptive parents’ names. Each person controls only their own information.
Petitioning the Court to Unseal Records
When consent is not available and the registry hasn’t produced a match, the remaining option is a petition to the circuit court that finalized the adoption. You ask the judge to release specific records for “good cause.”
Good cause is not a checklist and is not limited to medical emergencies. The statute directs the judge to give primary consideration to the best interests of the adoptee while also weighing the interests of the adoptive and birth parents. Specific factors the court considers include:1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature
- The reason the information is sought. Medical need is compelling, but psychological and identity-related reasons can also carry weight.
- Whether the same information could be obtained without revealing anyone’s identity, such as by having the court or an agency contact the birth parents to request specific details.
- The wishes of the adoptee, adoptive parents, and birth parents, to the extent they are known.
- The adoptee’s age and maturity, particularly relevant for petitions involving younger adoptees.
- Input from the department, the licensed agency, or the professional who prepared the home study.
Before ruling, the court notifies the relevant agency. If DCF handled the adoption, DCF gets notice of the hearing and can present a report on whether disclosure is advisable. For agency adoptions, the licensed child-placing agency gets the same opportunity.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature Even when the court grants the petition, the order must specify which portions of the records can be inspected and may exclude names or other identifying details.
Using a Confidential Intermediary
Florida also allows the court to appoint a confidential intermediary as a middle step between a sealed file and full disclosure. The intermediary reviews the sealed records, locates the birth relative, and asks whether that person consents to sharing identifying information with the petitioner. If the birth parent agrees, the intermediary facilitates contact or the exchange of information. If the birth parent declines, their identity stays protected and the intermediary reports the outcome to the court without revealing identifying details.
This approach is especially useful when you don’t know whether a birth parent would welcome contact. Rather than the court simply releasing a name, the intermediary makes a private inquiry first.
When Florida’s System Won’t Help
Florida’s registry and unsealing procedures cover adoptions finalized in Florida. If your adoption crossed state lines, or if FARR has not produced a match, the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR) is a free national registry open to adoptees 18 and older, birth parents, birth relatives, and adoptive parents of minor children. Registration requires providing at minimum the year of birth, country, and state, and forms must be printed, signed, and mailed.5International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR). Registration Instructions Like FARR, ISRR is passive; it matches registrations and notifies both parties when a match is found. It does not access sealed records.
Commercial DNA testing through services like AncestryDNA and 23andMe operates entirely outside the court system, so it bypasses the consent and good-cause requirements that govern sealed records. A test can identify biological relatives who have also tested, sometimes producing direct matches with birth parents or close relatives like half-siblings. The tradeoff is that a DNA match can surface connections a birth parent never intended to reveal, which is worth thinking through before testing.