Adoption

In the State of Washington adoptions are filed in the Superior Court of the county in which the adoptive parents lived when the adoption occurred. In some cases, a relinquishment of parental rights may have been filed in a different county than the adoption. In this instance, you would need to contact the Clerk of the Court in that county, since each Clerk is only authorized to search records within their own county.

For a record of an adoption that occurred in a state other than Washington, write or telephone the appropriate state. The Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507-9709 - Telephone: (360) 236-4300, maintains a current list of information for other states.

There is limited adoption information available on the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families  website.

To secure documents for children born in a foreign country to U.S. citizens, write to Passport Services, Correspondence Branch, 1111-19th Street. NW, Suite 510, Washington D.C. 20522. Phone: (202) 955-0307.

***Please remember to fill out any and all forms completely and legibly***

Filing an Adoption Case

Parents wishing to adopt a child can either hire an attorney or act pro se (without the assistance of an attorney).   The filing fee for an adoption case is $260*. Unlike most other family law matters, there are no state wide standard forms available and the Superior Court Clerk's Office does not carry any pre-made packets for this. Furthermore, our Court Facilitators do not have any training in or knowledge of this type of case.

*Sorry, no personal checks accepted.   We accept cash, debit, credit, money orders or cashier checks.

Finalizing and Adoption

When finalizing an adoption, the following two forms need to be provided to the Clerk:

RCW 26.33.300 Adoption Data Card - sent to state Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS) for reporting under federal requirements. This form is also available from the County Clerk in hard copy. No fee is required to process this form at DSHS.

Application for Adoption Registration -  for Adoptees born in Washington State, this form is sent to the Center for Health Statistics for re-registration and issuance of a new birth certificate. The County Clerk only carries hard copies of the form for Washington State. The fee for a new birth certificate is dependent on the state in which the child was born. Adoption Fees by State.  As of July 2009, the fee to obtain a New Birth Certificate for a child born in Washington State is $35.00 payable to the Center for Health Statistics. Link to Washington State Department of Health Web site

Each of these documents has a coversheet located at the bottom of this page.

***Please review RCW 26.33 for additional information***

Accessing Whatcom County Adoption Case

Adoptive Parents (the petitioners) or their attorneys can access the file while the  case is still pending. However, 14 days after a the adoption decree is signed the file is completely sealed and only accessible by court order. The Clerk's office will not acknowledge the existence of the case, answer any questions regarding it, or provide copies except by court order. If you need to access your adoption case you will need to follow the instructions below. The request will be taken before the presiding Judge for review.

Adoptive Parents (the petitioners) or their attorneys:

The following forms need to be filled out completely, and brought to the Clerk's Office.   Note: Adoptees or birth parents are required to go through the confidential intermediary process below.

General Forms for adoptive parents or counsel to use to allow access to a file:
Petition to Access Sealed Adoption File Packet (PDF)

1. Petition for Access to Sealed Adoption File (PDF)
2. Order for Access to Sealed Adoption File (PDF)

A records search fee of $30 may also be required in addition to the appropriate certified or non-certified copy fees for the documents requested from the file.

Adoptee or Birth Parents:

The County Clerk maintains a list of Confidential Intermediaries (per statute below) who need to be appointed by the court to search for and contact the birth parent(s) or adopted person. The person searching is responsible for contacting the Confidential Intermediary of their choice and paying any fees that may be required.  If approved, the Clerk's Office charges a $30 records search fee and appropriate certified or non-certified copy fees to the confidential intermediary. 

Forms for Confidential Intermediaries to use:

1. Petition to Appoint Confidential Intermediary and Open Sealed Adoption File (PDF)
2. Oath of Confidential Intermediary (PDF)
3. Order Appointing Confidential Intermediary & Authorizing Release of Records (PDF)

Non-Identifying Information:

An adoptive parent, adoptee, or birth parent may request non-identifying information from the court where the adoption was filed.

Request for Non-Identifying Adoption Information - The Whatcom County Clerk provides a form to request Non-Identifying Adoption Information for cases filed in County Superior Court. The request form must be filled out completely and either mailed or dropped off in person to the County Clerk. The Non-Identifying Adoption Information request will be reviewed by the Court and information approved or denied. Please be advised, not all adoption files contain all of the information below.                      

Steps to Obtain Non-Identifying Information:
1. Notarized signature of requestor on the request form (PDF)
2.  All available known information regarding the adoption case
3.  Pay a $30.00* records search fee
(Non-identifying information cannot be provided over the telephone.)

Non-identifying information includes, but is not limited to, the following information about the birth parent, adoptive parents, and adoptee: (RCW 26.33.020(12))

(a) Age in years at the time of adoption;
(b) Heritage, including nationality, ethnic background, and race;
(c) Education, including number of years of school completed at the time of adoption, but not name or location of school;
(d) General physical appearance, including height, weight, color of hair, eyes, and skin, or other information of similar nature;
(e) Religion;
(f) Occupation, but not specific titles or places of employment;
(g) Talents, hobbies, and special interests;
(h) Circumstances leading to the adoption;
(i) Medical and genetic history of birth parents;
(j) First names;
(k) Other children of birth parents by age, sex, and medical history;
(l) Extended family of birth parents by age, sex, and medical history;
(m) The fact of the death, and age and cause, if known;
(n) Photographs;
(o) Name of agency or individual that facilitated the adoption.

Copies of Original Birth Certificate:

The Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Certificates, maintains birth certificate information for the entire state. Their office may be of assistance to persons searching for a birth parent or adopted child.  Link to Washington State Department of Health Web site

Forms to Petition Court for Access to Original Birth Certificate:
1. Petition for Access to Original Birth Certificate (PDF)
2. Order for Access to Original Birth Certificate (PDF)

Pay $30 ex-parte fee and submit the forms to the Clerk's Office. Additional fees may apply.