Adoption records
The records of adopted persons are archived slightly differently. When a child is adopted, a new birth record is created with the adoptive parents details. These new registrations are all held at the General Register Office in the Adopted Children's Register.
Although we may hold the original birth entry of a child that has later been adopted, we can only issue copy certificates of that entry if all of the original details are known.
The legal record that a person needs for purposes such as a passport application is the entry in the Adopted Children's Register at the General Register Office.
As it is only the adopted child that can apply to the General Register Office if they are interested in finding their original birth information, it is possible that this will limit your ability to search further if an adoption is in your family tree.
Stillbirth registrations
Whilst stillbirth registrations are carried out at local register offices, we do not hold archived registers; instead, when completed, they are sent to the General Register Office. There are some guidelines on who can apply for a copy of a stillbirth certificate; please contact the General Register Office for more information
