If you are adopted and your adoption has been properly filed with the State Vital Records office, your original Michigan birth record should be sealed, based on an order from the court that approved the adoption. Therefore, the State Vital Records office can only issue a copy of the replacement birth record that indicates your adopted name and the name of your adoptive parents. When applying for a copy of your adoptive birth record, please list your name at birth (if you know it), your adopted name and your adoptive parents' names on the lines for the name of the mother and father.

This office does not have copies of the actual adoption decree. You will need to contact the court in the county where the adoption was finalized to obtain that information. If you do not know the county where the adoption was finalized, you can request a copy of your adoptive birth record (by mail) and specifically request that we identify the court that ordered the adoptive record be created.

If you are trying to obtain a copy of your original birth record, or to locate information about your biological parents or siblings, the court that finalized your adoption or the agency that handled your adoption may be able to assist you. The Michigan Department of Human Services also has a brochure entitled "Release of Information from Michigan's Adoption Records" that may be useful to you. If you would like a copy mailed to you, please call our Eligibility Unit at 517-335-8666 and ask a customer service representative to mail one to you.

Order a birth, death, marriage, or divorce record:
- Online using a credit card
- By mail