Legal Definitions - passive adoption-registry statute

A passive adoption-registry statute is a law that allows for the release of adoption information only if the biological parent, adoptive parent, and adoptee (after reaching a certain age) all officially record their desire for its release. This is also known as a voluntary-registry law.

For example, in some states, if an adopted child reaches the age of 18, they can register their desire to obtain information about their biological parents. If the biological parents and adoptive parents have also registered their desire to release information, then the adoption information can be shared.

Another example is if a biological parent wants to find their child who was adopted, they can register their desire to obtain information. If the adoptee and adoptive parents have also registered their desire to release information, then the adoption information can be shared.

These examples illustrate how a passive adoption-registry statute works by requiring all parties to officially record their desire for the release of adoption information before it can be shared.