How do I unseal an adoption record? I am an adult.
Answer
Domestic Relations Law Sec 114 (3) states when an adoption record may be unsealed. Good cause may be medical necessity or other reason as determined by Court. There are no DIY forms for this proceeding. Sample pleadings and interpretative cases can be found in the code annotations in McKinney's and New York Consolidated Laws available in Public Access Law Libraries.
With the passage of L 2019, ch 491, adoptees can obtain original (pre-adoption) birth certificates through the New York State Dept. of Health; adoptees born within the five borough should contact the New York Dept of Health .