Make a Birth Information Request
If you:
- are an adopted person;
- were fostered (sometimes called boarded-out or nursed-out);
- are a person who, as a child, was resident in a County Home;
- are a person who, as a child, was resident in Mother and Baby Home;
- are a person whose birth was illegally registered, or suspect you are;
- are the child of one of the above, who is now deceased;
and you wish to apply under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 for copies of records from your birth to 18 years, that the Adoption Authority hold in relation to you, please complete the AAI webform below.
Please note this is a free service to members of the public, resident in Ireland or anywhere else in the world.
There is no need to use a solicitor or other legal professional to apply for any services under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.
The information available will vary from person to person, depending on the type, quality and number of records held by the Adoption Authority.
For some, this could mean there are detailed records available, while unfortunately for others, there may be little or no information available.
Please remember to also apply to Tusla – the Child and Family Agency as they may also hold relevant birth, early life, and care information.
Step-by-step guide to Applying for Birth Information from the Adoption Authority
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1 Prepare photo ID
Your photo identification (ID) will be checked to verify your identity.
It must be a valid form of ID and in date.
The following forms of photographic ID are accepted:
- Passport
- Public services card
- Garda age card
- Driving licence (including provisional)
Copies of these identity documents do not need to be certified.
Once your ID is verified, it will be deleted and will not be retained by the Adoption Authority.
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2 Prepare supporting documentation (if applicable)
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Letter of Consent
If somebody is assisting you in making the application, there is a requirement for you to attach a signed and dated letter of consent naming and giving the person who is assisting you permission to act on your behalf.
A copy of valid and in-date photographic ID for the person assisting with the application will also need to be attached to the application. - Death Cert and Proof of Relationship
If you are the child of a deceased relevant person and you are applying for their information, you will be required to attach a copy of their death certificate or death notice and provide proof of your relationship to them such as a copy of your birth certificate.
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3 Complete and submit an application form
Complete the online application form which can be found below.
Please provide as much information in the application as you can, which may assist the AAI staff to locate relevant records.
Remember to attach:
- a copy of valid and in date photographic ID; and
- if applicable, any other supporting documents required (see number 2 above)
Finally, please digitally sign and date the application.
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4 Acknowledgement received
A written acknowledgement will be sent within 5 working days of the receipt of the application with a unique reference number.
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5 Contact Preference Register check
If you are an adopted person, a check of the Contact Preference Register will be undertaken to see if either your birth mother, birth father, or both have registered and indicated a ‘no contact’ preference.
If there is a “no contact preference” recorded, you will be asked to attend an “information session”.
An information session involves a communication between you and a person from the Adoption Authority.
The communication can be in the form of a short phone call, video call, or an in-person meeting, depending on your preference.
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6 Attend the information session (if applicable)
During the information session (if applicable), you will be informed of your entitlement to your birth information, your birth parent’s right to privacy and their expressed wish for no contact.
Once the information session has taken place, your application will proceed to be processed, and copies of all relevant information held on record for you from your birth to the age of 18 will be released to you.
A record of the information session will be noted on your file.
NB Whether you are asked to participate in an information session or not, copies of all the records relevant to you from your birth to the age of 18, will be released.
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7 Application is processed
A search of all the following will take place:
- Domestic and Intercountry case files complied by the Adoption Authority;
- Historic adoption societies’ case files that are held by the AAI
- County Home and Mother & Baby Home Registers that are held by the AAI.
Detailed searches of all record formats and information sources are undertaken in order to ensure that copies of all the relevant birth and early life information which may exist are released.
Copies of birth certificates, birth information, early life information, care information; and medical information; that relate to the relevant person are released unredacted.
Most applications will be processed within one month of the receipt of a valid application, but in some more complex cases, it may take up to three months to complete the processing of the application. The applicant will be informed of any delays beyond a month.
The information available for release varies from person to person, depending on the type, quality and size of the record/s held by the Adoption Authority.
For some, this could mean there are detailed records available, while unfortunately for others, there may be little or no information available.
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8 Request for review (if required)
Once your application has been processed and you have received communications and a copy of documents (if available), from the Adoption Authority, you can if you wish, request that your application be reviewed by another Adoption Authority staff member.
The person who undertakes the Review will be a different person to the individual who handled your application initially.
Postal applications
If it is easier for you to complete a hardcopy form, you can contact the Adoption Authority at 01 2309 300 (option 1) to ask a for a copy of the BITA (2022) Information Application Form to be posted out to you.