BC Adoption Registry: How the Reunion and Openness Registries Work

The question of records — who can access what, and when — is one of the more emotionally charged aspects of adoption for everyone involved. In British Columbia, several different registry systems exist depending on what you are looking for: a birth family connection, disclosure of original records, or registration of an ongoing openness agreement. They are distinct systems that are often confused with each other.

How Adoption Records Are Sealed in BC

When a BC Supreme Court grants an adoption order, the court clerk sends a copy of the order and a VSA 433 form to the BC Vital Statistics Agency. Vital Statistics then cancels the original birth registration and creates a new one listing the adoptive parents. The original registration is sealed, not destroyed — it still exists in the provincial records system.

Historically, these original records were accessible only by court order. BC has moved toward a more open framework, but the rules around what is accessible, to whom, and through which channels still require careful navigation.

The Adoption Reunion Registry

The Adoption Reunion Registry is operated by BC Vital Statistics and is designed to facilitate voluntary connections between adult adoptees and their birth families. It is a passive registry — meaning it only works if both parties have registered their willingness to make contact.

Who can register:

• Adult adoptees (age nineteen or older) born in BC
• Birth parents who placed a child for adoption in BC
• Biological siblings of people who were adopted

How it works: If both an adoptee and a birth parent register, the system notifies both parties and facilitates the initial contact. Neither party receives the other's information without mutual consent. If only one party has registered, no match is made — the registry does not search for people who have not opted in.

The phone number for BC Vital Statistics, which manages the registry, is 1-888-876-1633.

Accessing Original Birth Records

Under BC's Vital Statistics Act and the associated adoption disclosure framework, adult adoptees (nineteen and older) can apply to access their original birth registration, which includes the names of their birth parents as recorded at the time of birth. This is a right, not just a privilege that requires matching.

However, there is a disclosure veto process. A birth parent can file a veto preventing the release of identifying information. This does not erase the records but does restrict disclosure. Where a veto is in place, non-identifying medical and social history information may still be available.

The BC Vital Statistics Agency can provide information on the current status of disclosure vetoes and how to initiate a records request. The Belonging Network (formerly the Adoptive Families Association of BC) also maintains resources for families navigating the search and reunion process, including a provincial support line at 604-320-7330.

The Post-Adoption Openness Registry

The Post-Adoption Openness Registry is a separate system, also operated by MCFD, and is used specifically to register openness arrangements after an adoption has been finalized. It is distinct from the Reunion Registry.

The Openness Registry comes into play in two main situations. First, if adoptive and birth families have an informal openness relationship that was not formalized in an agreement at the time of finalization, they can register their mutual interest in maintaining contact through this registry. Second, it provides a mechanism for parties who have lost touch to re-establish contact if both sides want to.

This registry does not manage enforceable openness agreements — those are filed with the court under Part 5 of the Adoption Act. The Post-Adoption Openness Registry is a softer mechanism for connecting willing parties.

Openness Agreements and How They Are Registered

An enforceable openness agreement under the Adoption Act is a voluntary written contract between adoptive parents and birth parents (and sometimes other relatives, like grandparents). It specifies the terms of ongoing contact after the adoption is finalized: how often in-person visits occur, how information like photos or school updates is shared, and how disputes about the agreement will be resolved.

These agreements are filed with BC Supreme Court, but they are registered as separate documents — they are not incorporated into the adoption order itself. This is an important legal distinction: a breach of an openness agreement does not invalidate the adoption. The child's legal relationship with the adoptive family is fully protected regardless of what happens with contact.

If a party breaches the agreement, the court can intervene — usually ordering mediation first, and only escalating to enforcement if that fails. The standard throughout is the child's best interests, not the enforcement of contract terms for their own sake.

What Search Registries Cannot Do

It is worth being direct about the limitations of these systems. The Reunion Registry works on mutual consent and cannot locate people who have not registered. A birth parent who has no interest in contact will not appear in a search result. An adoptee who never registers cannot be found by a birth family searching for them.

For families dealing with situations where records are needed urgently — for medical history reasons, for example — a court application for disclosure under the Vital Statistics Act is a more direct route, though it involves legal costs and is not guaranteed to succeed.

The Adoption Reunion Registry and the Vital Statistics records process are both slow systems by design. People familiar with them strongly recommend registering early and being prepared to wait.

Getting Practical Help

The Belonging Network offers direct support to families navigating BC's adoption registries and search processes, including peer support groups specifically for adult adoptees and birth parents in reunion. Their resources are free and they have experience translating the bureaucratic language of the registry system into practical guidance.

For families currently in the adoption process who want to understand how openness agreements are structured and what the registration process involves, the British Columbia Adoption Process Guide includes a detailed section on Part 5 of the Adoption Act, how enforceable agreements differ from informal arrangements, and what to include — or not include — in an openness agreement that will actually hold up over time.

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