Search Resources

FOIA—Freedom of Information Act

In intercountry adoption cases, federal accreditation standards require accredited or approved adoption service providers to retain or archive records in a safe, secure, and retrievable manner for the period of time required by applicable state law. Items from an adoptee’s immigration record can be requested via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at USCIS.
This can be done thru filing Form G-639.  Please refer to the USCIS Freedom of Information Act Request Guide for more information.

For more information, please visit https://www.uscis.gov/records/request-records-through-the-freedom-of-information-act-or-privacy-act

Chile

• Chilean Adoptees Worldwide¬—a platform for those adopted from Chile. Founded by Chilean adoptees. https://chileanadoptees.org/
• Connecting Roots–a U.S. non-profit organization whose goal is to reunite adoptees with their biological Chilean families. We donate MyHeritage DNA testing kits at no cost to confirm genetic matches between Chile-born adoptees and their families. We are dedicated to collaborating with partner non-profit organizations to raise awareness and help those affected by the 1980’s kidnapping operation that occurred during the Pinochet regime. https://connecting-roots.com/

China

• The Nanchang Project—is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that represents adoptees and birth families from all parts of China. They provide search assistance, as well as assistance for DNA testing procedures. https://www.nanchangproject.com/
• The China center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA)—formerly known as the Chinese Central Authority (CCA), the CCCWA servces as the main point of contact for adoptive parents and/or adoptees who are interested in obtaining additional information about the adoption. Persons adopted from China who have inquiries regarding their personal background should address their questions to The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA). Providing as much detail  as possible about the adoptee’s circumstances will assist CCCWA to respond. There may be limited information for adoption cases in China that occurred prior to 2011.
  cccwaen.mca.gov.cn

Colombia

Once an adoption has been completed in Colombia, all adoption records are centrally located at the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) regardless of which Colombian agency/home was involved in the adoption. Due to the location of the files, post adoption requests are no longer handled directly by the private Colombian adoption agencies/homes.

Most requests for services can be instigated by direct contact with ICBF (see information below).  US adoption agencies who still have in-country representatives, can assist adoptees/adoptive parents who wish to obtain a notarized birth certificate.

• Birth family search— ICBF requires all birth family searches and requests for copies of adoption file documents be initiated by the adopted person 18 years or older, or parents of an adopted minor. Services from ICBF are free. https://www.icbf.gov.co/programas-y-estrategias/proteccion/programa-de-adopciones/lineamientos-interactivos-de-adopciones-6
• Notarized Colombian Birth Certificate– Requests for notarized birth certificates can be made through individual adoption agencies with in-country representative support. Requests are processed through the notaries identified on the original birth certificate, and not ICBF. Additional fees for this service may vary depending on notary fees, location of the notary, and the number of copies requested.

Ethiopia

• Beteseb Felega – Ethiopian Adoption Connection is a grassroots effort to reconnect family members separated by adoption and to provide compassionate support to adoptees, birth family members, and adoptive parents. They have an internet database with Ethiopian adoption information provided by adoptees, adoptive parents and birth families who are looking for each other.
  https://ethiopianadoptionconnection.org/

Korea

• NCRC—National Center for the Rights of the Child (아동권리보장원)—and KAS– Korea Adoption Services–this is the central authority for post adoption services. They oversee all the adoption agencies in Korea and perform birth parent searches (they search for birth parent contact information and send the results back to the individual Korean adoption agencies).
  **There are no fees to request post adoption services thru NCRC/KAS
  https://www.kadoption.or.kr/en/

• GOAL—Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link (해외입양인연대)–this is a non-profit organization in Korea, which is run by Korean adoptees and other volunteers to assist other adoptees find information related to their adoption history, as well as help do birth parent searches. They usually recommend that adoptees contact at least their Korean adoption agency to request a copy of their adoption file, do a Korean file review, etc. before they are able to assist with a birth parent search.
  **There is a membership fee required in order for GOA’L to assist adoptees with post adoption services
  https://goal.or.kr/