Text Size

Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry

The purpose of the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry is to facilitate voluntary contact between adoptees 18 years of age and older who were born in Colorado and their birth parents. The registry will also facilitate voluntary contact between a former foster child who may or may not have been adopted, who is eighteen years of age or older, and who is searching for a birth sibling who is also eighteen years of age or older, who may or may not have been adopted and who may or may not have been in the foster care system. Relatives of deceased adoptees and relatives of deceased birth parents may also register.

Registration Requirements

You may register by:

Completing the consent form (to the best of your knowledge, so far as your information will allow)
have it notarized, and
mail it to us with:
- a check or money order for $20.00 payable to Vital Records
- and a photocopy of a valid ID
- and proof of your relationship to the sought after.

If you are a...

former foster child you must share at least one birth parent of the sought after.
adult adoptee or a birth parent, you need to submit the consent form, the fee, and a valid photo copy of your ID.
relative of a deceased adoptee or a relative of a deceased birth parent, you will need to submit, along with the consent form and the fee, a valid photo copy of your ID and a certified copy of the adoptee's or birth parents’ death certificate and proof of your relationship to that person, such as a certified marriage record or certified birth certificate.

Match Requirements

Exchange of current identifying information between an adult adoptee and a birth parent will occur under the following conditions as stated in 25-2-113.5 and 5.5, Colorado Revised Statutes:

A birth parent shall not be matched with the qualified adult adoptee without the consent of the other birth parent unless:

There is only one birth parent listed on the birth certificate: or
The other birth parent is deceased: or
The other birth parent is unable to be located by the Department of Public Health and Environment after an exhaustive search, the cost of said search to be fully funded by the birth parent seeking a match, said search to be in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the Department.

A former foster child can only be matched with the adult-adopted sibling who may or may not have been adopted if the sought after has also registered with the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry.

If a Match Occurs

The State Registrar will notify you in the manner you indicate on the registration form. Your application will be processed within three weeks after receipt. You will be notified only when a match occurs.

Should any of the information on your registration change or should you wish to withdraw your consent, please notify us so that we may correct our files. There is no additional charge to update or withdraw your request.

The authority for this Registry is set forth in 25-2-113.5 and 5.5 Colorado Revised Statutes.

On March 27, 1989, House Bill 1177 was signed by Governor Romer. This act establishes a process for confidential intermediaries to arrange contact among consenting adult adoptees, adoptive and biological parents, and biological siblings. Call the Colorado Confidential Intermediary Service at (303) 237-6919 for further information. This law provides for a more active search process than the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry.

For More Information:

For more information on the Colorado Voluntary Adoption Registry, contact, Health Statistics and Vital Records, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South (HSVR-VR-A1), Denver, Colorado 80246-1530 or call Samuel Vasquez, Jr. at 303-692-2227.