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Ask A Genealogist: Illinois Adoption Records


Question: I was born in Illinois and adopted. How do I obtain a copy of my original birth certificate?

Answer: Until recently, obtaining a copy of such record was impossible without a court order. With the passing of Public Act 96-0895, now adopted adult children have a much better chance to obtain a non-certified copy of their original birth record.

If the birth parents have not requested the information to be kept private, anyone any adult who was born in the state of Illinois can request the non-certified copy of the original birth record with parental identifying information. More information and methods to apply can be found at http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/vital/non_certified.htm.

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Do you have a question about Illinois resources, records or research strategies? Send your inquiry to the ISGS Genealogy Committee at isgsgenealogist@ilgensoc.org. If your query helps answer a “how to” question of interest to our members and readers, we’ll print the query and answer it here at the ISGS blog.

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