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Identifying information (an Adoption Information Certificate) can be released when an adopted person has reached the age of 18 years. For adoptions made before 2010 it is possible for adoptive parents, birth parents and adopted persons to lodge an Advance Notice which delays the release of identifying information about them.
An adopted person may wish to prepare for the release of identifying information or to delay possible contact from a birth relative for example, if they will be doing the HSC when they turn 18.
A birth parent may need time to prepare for the release of identifying information or possible contact by the adopted person. They may have kept the adoption a secret and now need to tell their partner, their children or other close family members.
Adoptive parents may wish to prepare their adult son or daughter for the release of identifying information or possible contact. For instance, the adopted person may not be aware of their adoption.
An Advance Notice registration can be lodged by the following people:
Applicants are encouraged to state their reason for doing so on the registration form for the benefit of the affected person.
You will need to:
*All identification must be certified as a ‘true copy of the original document’. The following people can certify copies of your original documents:
There is no fee payable to register an Advance Notice.
When an application is made for an Adoption Information Certificate (PDF, 303.7 KB) the applicant is advised in writing that an Advance Notice is in effect and that the issue of the Adoption Information Certificate will be delayed for two months.
At the same time the person who lodged the Advance Notice is advised that access to an Adoption Information Certificate has been sought and that it will be released at the end of the specified period.
The period of delay before the Adoption Information Certificate is released is two months, unless there are special reasons requiring a longer period. The maximum extension of time that can be given is another two months, in which case a period of four months altogether would pass before the Adoption Information Certificate is released.
You may remove your Advance Notice at any time. If you have previously lodged an Advance Notice and you now wish to remove or vary it, please submit your wishes in writing to the DCJ Adoption Information Unit with two forms of certified identification.
Agency: Department of Communities and Justice
Postal address: Locked Bag 5000, Parramatta NSW 2124
Phone: 1300 799 023 or +61 2 9716 3005 (from overseas)
Email: Adoption.Information@dcj.nsw.gov.au
04 Apr 2024