No, Georgia adoption records are not public. After an adoption is finalized, the records are sealed permanently. These records include an adoptee’s original birth certificate, which may have information about their birth parents.

After an adoption in Georgia, the child’s birth certificate is amended to include their adopted name and their adoptive parents’ names. The original birth certificate becomes part of the sealed adoption record. Once sealed, it’s only accessible through a court order. GARR cannot provide original birth records to adoptees.

Some adoptions in Georgia are open. An open adoption means the adoptive family knows the birth parents’ identities. In some cases, birth parents continue to interact with the adoptive family after the adoption. They may communicate through phone calls, social media, or in-person visits.

Even with this arrangement, Georgia’s open adoption records are sealed once the adoption becomes finalized. Adoptees who know their birth parents still cannot access their original birth certificate without a court order.

You need a court order to unseal your adoption records in Georgia. Typically, this process involves filing a petition with the court or state department that handled the adoption.

Another option offered by the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry (GARR). If biological relatives consent to sharing it, GARR can release identifying information such as names and addresses.

You can submit an inquiry with GARR if you’re one of the following:

• An adult adoptee who’s at least 18
• An adult child of a deceased adoptee
• An adult biological sibling
• A birth parent
• A parent or sibling of a deceased birth parent

If you want information about an adoption but don’t wish to connect with biological relatives.

GARR can provide non-identifying information from sealed records. This information won’t reveal your birth parents’ names, but it may provide insights about their genetic, social, or health histories.

You don’t need a court order to access non-identifying information.

You can submit a request through GARR (Link to start a search) if you’re an adult adoptee over 18 or the adoptive parent of a minor child.