Get your non-identifying
information, commonly known as non-id. You can request that from
the court where the adoption was finalized or from the agency
used. We suggest that you request from both if you can afford
it. They sometimes give different information. It will cost about
$60 each place. It will give you some information to go on
Adoptee/Birth Family
is entitled to NON-Identifying Information, provided a Statement
of Consent is not on file (90% of the time one is *not* on file
as most of the biologically affected are unaware of the option
to Consent or Deny, signified by placement of a statement in the
Michigan Central Adoption Registry). If a Statement of Consent
is indeed already on file, the person searching is entitled to
identifying information instantly and put in touch with their
sought parties. A mere 5% "reunite" by this discovery
for the reason mentioned above. If there is no statement found,
the release of information is considered the same as if the parent
had filed a Statement of Denial.
Register with the
Michigan Central Registry, a Mutual Consent Reunion Registry created
by the State of Michigan for the purpose to allow those involved
in a closed adoption to reconnect, consenting to contact by way
of filing a Statement of Consent. It is kept by the Family Independence
Agency (or "FIA") in Lansing, housing statements of
birth parents and adult birth siblings consenting to or denying
the release of identifying information. These statements will
be forwarded to adoption agencies and courts upon a birth family
member's request, so they can determine whether or not identifying
information can be released to the adult adoptee or the adult
adoptee's direct descendants.
The "Parent's
Consent/Denial to Release Information to Adult Adoptee" (Form
FIA-1919) can be used to indicate consent or denial. An adult
birth sibling may register with the Central Adoption Registry
by completing the "Adult Birth Sibling Statement to Release
Information to Adult Adoptee" (Form FIA-1917). These forms
may be revoked or used to update information such as name or address
change, by completing a new form and submitting it to the Central
Adoption Registry. Forms are available from the courts, local
offices of the department of social services, adoption agencies,
the Central Adoption Registry. They can also be downloaded here:
