Kansas Adoption Records: How to Access Your Birth Certificate and History

Kansas is one of the more open states in the country when it comes to adoption records. Since 2018, adult adoptees born in Kansas have been able to request their original birth certificate without a court order or a judge's permission. This represents a major policy shift from the closed-records model that governed Kansas adoptions for decades.

Here is how the records access system actually works, and what you can request depending on whether you are an adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive family.

Original Birth Certificate Access for Adult Adoptees

Since 2018, any person who was adopted and was born in Kansas can request an uncertified copy of their original birth certificate (OBC) — the birth record created at birth before the adoption was finalized and a new certificate was issued listing the adoptive parents.

Who qualifies: Adult adoptees age 18 or older who were born in Kansas, regardless of where the adoption was finalized.

How to request:

1. Submit a notarized written request to the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics in Topeka
2. Include the $20 fee (check or money order)
3. Provide your current legal name, date of birth, and confirmation that you are the named adoptee

The KDHE Office of Vital Statistics is located at 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612.

The OBC will show the birth parents' names as they appeared on the original record. For adoptees whose birth parents requested a contact preference be noted, the KDHE will forward that preference with the OBC — but the preference is not legally binding. An adult adoptee has the legal right to receive the OBC regardless of whether the birth parent wants contact.

The DCF Adoption Registry

DCF maintains a voluntary Adoption Registry where birth parents, adoptees (age 18+), and adoptive parents can register their consent for mutual contact or information sharing.

What the registry offers:

• Birth parents can register their willingness to be contacted or their preference against contact
• Adoptees and birth relatives can register to facilitate mutual contact
• DCF will attempt to connect parties if both have registered

The registry is voluntary — it does not compel anyone to communicate. If an adoptee registers and the birth parent has not registered (or vice versa), DCF cannot make the connection.

How to register: Contact DCF Prevention and Protection Services, Adoption Records and Search unit, at the central Topeka office. There is no fee for registering.

Non-Identifying Background Information

Adoptive parents and adult adoptees can request "non-identifying information" from DCF about the birth family's history. This includes:

• Medical history (hereditary conditions, pregnancy history)
• General social history (education level, general circumstances)
• Ethnic and cultural background
• Reasons for relinquishment (in general terms)

This information does not include names, addresses, or any identifying details. It is particularly useful for managing hereditary health conditions — knowing that a birth parent had diabetes, heart disease, or specific mental health diagnoses has direct medical value for the adoptee.

Non-identifying information requests are processed through the same DCF Adoption Records and Search unit.

Court Records

Adoption court files in Kansas are sealed. The general public cannot access them. The adoptee, adoptive parents, and attorneys of record can petition the court for access. Courts may grant access for good cause — typically for medical necessity or to correct an error in the record.

Finalized adoption decrees are not part of the sealed file — they become part of the public court record. The sealed portion contains the home study, background information, consents, and other pre-finalization documents.

New Birth Certificate After Finalization

When an adoption is finalized, a new birth certificate is issued through KDHE listing the adoptive parents. To obtain this:

1. The court sends a certified copy of the Decree of Adoption to the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics
2. The family submits a request with the $20 fee
3. A supplemental birth certificate is issued — this is the official birth certificate going forward

This new birth certificate shows the adoptive parents as the legal parents and uses the child's new name if a name change was ordered in the decree. It does not reference the adoption.

What Changed in 2025

As of January 2025, DCF also implemented policy revisions to its Prevention and Protection Services (PPS) system that streamlined the process for accessing adoption records through the department. These changes:

• Clarified which records categories are available to which parties
• Created a more consistent intake process for records requests
• Reduced administrative friction in the records and search process

For most families, the practical effect is that records requests that previously required multiple contacts now move through a single intake point.

For Birth Parents: Contact After Relinquishment

If you are a birth parent who placed a child for adoption in Kansas and want to understand your options for future contact:

• You can register with the DCF Adoption Registry at any time after finalization
• Post-Adoption Contact Agreements (PACAs) are not legally enforceable in Kansas — any contact arrangements made during the placement process are based on trust between the parties, not court enforcement
• If you are looking for a child you placed years ago, a licensed intermediary or the DCF Registry is the appropriate starting point

The Kansas Adoption Process Guide covers post-finalization steps and how to navigate the records system after your adoption is complete.

See more United States guides →