MARYLAND

DENIES UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO OBC (Court order required; Adoptees age 21 and older and whose adoptions
were finalized on or after January 1, 2000 may request their OBC, however birth parents may veto disclosure
of OBC or identifying information)

 

Who May Access Information
Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-4C-05; 5-356; 5-357
Only the following persons may register with the adoption registry for the exchange of identifying information:
• Birth parents and siblings
• An adopted person, age 21 or older, who does not have a birth sibling under the age of 21 with the same adoptive
parents

 

Non-identifying and medical information shall be available to:
• The adoptive parents
• The adopted person
• The birth parents

 

Access to Original Birth Certificate

Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-359; 5-3A-42; 5-3B-29

For adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2000:

• An adopted person who is at least age 21 may apply to the secretary for a copy of his or her original birth certificate.

• If an adopted person is at least age 21, a birth parent may apply to the secretary for a copy of the adopted person’s original birth certificate.

A birth parent may file with the director a disclosure veto to bar disclosure of information about that parent in an accessible record.

The birth parent may also cancel a disclosure veto and refile a disclosure veto at any time. 

An adult adopted person may file a disclosure veto to bar disclosure of information about him or her in an accessible record.

The adopted person may also cancel a disclosure veto and refile a disclosure veto at any time. 

Except as provided below, the secretary shall give to each applicant who meets the requirements of this section a copy of each record that the applicant requested and that the secretary has on file. 

Whenever a birth parent applies for a record, the secretary shall redact from the copy all information as to:

• The other birth parent if that parent has filed a disclosure veto

• The adopted person and each adoptive parent if the adopted person has filed a disclosure veto

Whenever an adopted person applies for a record, the secretary shall redact from the copy all information as to the birth parent if that parent has filed a disclosure veto.

 

Access to Non-identifying Information
Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-356; 5-357; 5-358
A local department shall make reasonable efforts to compile and make available to a prospective adoptive parent a comprehensive
medical and mental health history of the prospective adoptive child. On request of an adoptive parent, a local department shall
make reasonable efforts to compile a pertinent medical and mental health history of each of the adoptive child’s birth parents, if
available to the local department, and to make that history available to the adoptive parent. A medical or mental health history may
not contain identifying information about a parent or former parent.
On request of an adopted person, adoptive parent, or birth parent, a local department shall provide information in its adoption
record on the adopted person. The records that are accessed may not contain any identifying information.
If, after a hearing on a petition of an adopted person or birth parent, a court is satisfied that the adopted person, a blood relative
of the adopted person, or a birth parent urgently needs medical information not in department and court records, the court may
appoint an intermediary to try to contact the adopted person or a birth parent for the information.

 

Mutual Access to Identifying Information
Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-4C-06; 5-4C-07
To register with the Registry, an individual shall submit a notarized affidavit containing identifying information, including the
individual’s current name, any previous name by which the individual was known, address, and telephone number. A registrant may
withdraw at any time by submitting an affidavit.

On receipt of an affidavit, the administration shall:
• Attempt to match registrants or to provide matching information
• If a match is made, direct the child-placing agency or the local department to notify the registrants through a confidential
contact

 

Where the Information Can Be Located
Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry, Maryland Social Services Administration

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