You may be thinking about taking the first step towards contact with your family. We welcome any person who was adopted, nursed/boarded out, or illegally registered to seek information concerning their background.

There are two steps that you can take to begin the process.

Step 1:

A good first step in this process is to join the Contact Preference Register. By joining the register you will be able to:

 

• Make it known that you are open to contact
• Lodge information for the person you have named on your application
• Lodge an item for the person you have named on your application, such as a photograph or family heirloom
• Make it known that you would like your privacy respected

 

Please see our section on the Contact Preference Register for more information.

 

Step 2:

The second step would be to request a trace for the person you are seeking.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act allows those affected by adoption, including those who may have been boarded/nursed out or whose birth may have been illegally registered, to begin the tracing process. This service is now available, please visit the following website for further information:

www.birthinfo.ie

Please note, all tracing applicatins must be directed to the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). Links to relevant application forms and portal can be found at the above website.

Information for Birth Parents

A good first step in this process is to join the Contact Preference Register. By joining the register you will be able to:

 

• Make it known that you are open to contact
• Lodge information for the person you have named on your application
• Lodge an item for the person you have named on your application, such as a photograph or family heirloom
• Make it known that you would like your privacy respected

 

Please see our section on the Contact Preference Register for more information.

Step 2:
 

The second step would be to request a trace for the person you are seeking.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act allows those affected by adoption, including those who may have been boarded/nursed out or whose birth may have been illegally registered, to begin the tracing process. This service is now available, please visit the following website for further information:

www.birthinfo.ie

Please note, all tracing applications must be directed to the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). Links to relevant application forms and portal can be found at the above website.

 

Information for other family members:

If you are not a birth parent but you believe a family member was adopted or boarded/nursed out, we would suggest you join the Contact Preference Register. By joining the register you can make your contact preferences known should your family member come forward in the future. You can also share any background or medical information that could be of importance to your family member.

You can find out more about the CPR and how to join under the Contact Preference Register (CPR) section.

If you are the son or daughter of an adoptee who is known to be deceased, you can submit an application for their information. In order to avail of this service you will need to provide proof of death for the adoptee and a birth certificate confirming your relationship to the deceased.

All other relatives can apply for a tracing service through the Child and Family Agency (Tusla).

Please visit the Birth Information and Tracing website for further information:

www.birthinfo.ie

 

The Contact Preference Register

 

The Contact Preference Register (CPR) is a statutory register for a people who would like to make their contact preferences known, share or seek information, or lodge an item for a person.

 
The Adoption Authority can accept CPR applications from the following:

• An adopted person (a legally recognised adoption).
• A person who was nursed or boarded out (a care arrangement that may have been organised by the State).
• A person who may have spent time in a Mother and Baby Home or other institution. This may have been before a formal adoption took place or a care arrangement was organised. It includes mothers and children.
• A person whose birth may have been illegally registered (where a birth was illegally registered and no formal adoption took place).
• Mother or father of an adopted person (where either parent placed a child for adoption either formally or through a care arrangement).
• Sister or brother of an adopted person (where a brother or sister has been placed for adoption either formally or through a care arrangement).
• Grandparent, aunt, uncle or first cousin of an adopted person (where a relative has been placed for adoption either formally or through a care arrangement).
• Adoptive parent of an adopted child under 18.
• Adoptive parent of an adopted person or child who is deceased.
• A friend of an adoptee or mother or father who is deceased.
• Guardian or caregiver of an adoptive person or a person placed through a care arrangement.

 

How to join the CPR:

There are a number of ways you can join the CPR. If you have access to a computer you can complete an online CPR application form here:

Alternatively, you can download the form below:

If you are:

• an adopted person
• a person who was nursed or boarded out
• a person who may have spent time in a Mother and Baby Home or other institution
• a person whose birth may have been illegally registered

you should download the CPR Adoptee Application Form 

If you are:

• a mother or father of an adopted person
• a sister or brother of an adopted person
• a grandparent, aunt, uncle or first cousin of an adopted person
• an adoptive parent of an adoptive child (under the age of 18)
• an adoptive parent of an adopted adult or child who is deceased
• a guardian or caregiver of an adopted person
• a friend of an adopted person

you should download the CPR Relative Application Form

The completed form can be attached to an email or printed out and sent to us:

By email:

You can email a copy of your application form and a copy of photographic ID to:

 records@aai.gov.ie

Using our Post office box address:

You can complete an application form and post it, together with a copy of your photographic ID to:

 
PO Box 9957, Dublin 4.

If you are having trouble with our online forms please email us your postal address and we will happily post a form out to you.

If I joined the National Adoption Contact Preference Register (NACPR) do I need to join the CPR:

If you previously joined the NACPR, we will automatically move your details to the CPR. This includes the contact preferences you chose on your application form for the NACPR. For example, if you chose the no contact option on the NACPR, this preference will be carried over to the CPR.  

If you would like to update your contact preferences or any other details, like your address or phone number, please join the CPR by filling out an application form and returning it to the Adoption Authority. When we receive it, we will update your details accordingly.

Please read our CPR information leaflet for further information.

 

 

Records and Information