Open Adoption Records in New Brunswick: How to Access Your Birth Information

For decades, adoption records in New Brunswick were sealed by default. Adoptees grew up without access to their original birth certificates, and birth parents who made adoption plans often had no legal path to learn what happened to their children. That changed significantly on April 1, 2018, when the Act Respecting the Opening of Sealed Adoption Records came into force.

If you're an adult adoptee, a birth parent, or an adoptive parent researching what records will be available to your child when they turn 19, here's how the system currently works.

What Changed in 2018

The 2018 legislation created a presumption of openness for adoption records in New Brunswick. Before this change, identifying information was sealed and could only be shared by mutual consent registered through a voluntary registry. After 2018, eligible parties can access identifying information directly — without needing the other party to also register for a search.

This doesn't mean unconditional access. The legislation includes a Disclosure Veto mechanism that parties can use to prevent the release of their identifying information. But the default shifted from closed to open, which represents a fundamental change in how the province treats adoptees' right to their own identity information.

Who Can Access Records and Under What Conditions

Adult adoptees (age 19+) can apply to the DSD's Post-Adoption Disclosure Services to access information from their original birth registration — including the names of biological parents registered at the time of birth.

Birth parents can apply for information about the child they placed for adoption, including confirming that the adoption was finalized and, in some circumstances, accessing information about the adult adoptee.

Adoptive parents can apply for non-identifying background information about the child they adopted (relevant for children not yet 19).

The application goes to the Post-Adoption Disclosure Services office within the Department of Social Development.

Disclosure Vetoes: The Important Exception

For adoptions finalized before the 2018 legislation came into force, parties had a window to file a Disclosure Veto. A veto is a legal instrument that prevents the DSD from releasing your identifying information to another party.

A Disclosure Veto is different from a Contact Preference. You can file a Contact Preference without preventing identity disclosure — for example, stating "please contact me by email only" or "I am open to written communication but not in-person visits." A Veto, on the other hand, actively blocks the release of your identifying information to anyone requesting it.

If an adoptee applies for their birth records and the birth parent has filed a Disclosure Veto, the DSD cannot release the birth parent's identifying information. The adoptee can still receive non-identifying medical and background information, but not names or contact details.

For adoptions finalized after April 1, 2018, the veto option is no longer available in the same way. The legislation's open records framework applies by default.

What Information Is Available

When a successful disclosure application is processed, the DSD can provide:

• Original birth registration details, including the biological parents' names as registered
• Non-identifying background information: nationality, education level, physical description, general health history, circumstances of the adoption plan
• Identifying information (subject to vetoes): names, dates of birth, locations

Medical information has a separate pathway — even when a Disclosure Veto is in place, adoptees can apply for non-identifying medical information that may be relevant to their health care.

The Search and Reunion Process

Beyond accessing records, many adoptees and birth parents are looking for ongoing contact or reunion. The DSD's Post-Adoption Disclosure Services can facilitate search and mediation services — they will attempt to contact the other party on your behalf and communicate your interest in connection.

Community organizations also assist with searches:

The NB Adoption Support Network (operated under the NBAF umbrella) connects adoptees and birth families with peer volunteers who have gone through reunion searches themselves. Their knowledge of the provincial system is practical and recent.

The International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR) is a voluntary registry where adoptees and birth parents can register their information. If both parties register, a match is facilitated.

Reunion searches can surface complex emotions on both sides. Many adoptees report that access to records provided closure even when they chose not to pursue active contact. Others found that information raised new questions. The DSD's Post-Adoption Disclosure Services can refer families to counselling resources at any stage of the process.

For Families Adopting Now: Open Adoption as a Practice

The records question for families currently adopting is somewhat different. Modern adoption practice in New Brunswick strongly emphasizes open adoption — ongoing, formalized contact between adoptees and their birth families.

Open adoption is not a legal status that can be enforced like a court order in most cases; it's a voluntary arrangement supported clinically by the Child and Youth Well-Being Act. It can range from annual photo exchanges to regular in-person visits. The clinical evidence strongly supports openness: children who maintain age-appropriate connections to their origins tend to have fewer identity crises and a more integrated sense of self as they grow up.

The records access legislation is essentially a safety net for when open adoption arrangements weren't made, break down, or were never possible. Families adopting today are encouraged to build openness into the adoption plan from the beginning — not as a favor to birth parents, but as a long-term investment in the child's wellbeing.

For a complete guide to the adoption process in New Brunswick — from initial application through finalization, including how open adoption arrangements are documented and what post-adoption supports are available — see the New Brunswick Adoption Process Guide.

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