The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 15A V.S.A. § 6-107)
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§ 6-107. Release of original birth certificate
(a) A certified copy of an adoptee’s original birth certificate and any evidence of the
adoption previously filed with the State Registrar shall be released to persons identified
in subsection 6-105(a) of this title upon request. The copy of the original birth certificate shall clearly indicate that
it may not be used for identification purposes. The State Registrar shall develop
a notice to accompany an original birth certificate requested pursuant to this section
that advises the requestor of the potential availability of former parent contact
preference information that may be obtained through the Registry.
(b) When 99 years have elapsed after the date of birth of an adoptee whose original birth
certificate is sealed under this title, the Department of Health shall unseal the
original certificate and file it with any new or amended certificate that has been
issued. The unsealed certificate becomes a public record in accordance with any statute
or regulation applicable to the retention and disclosure of birth certificates.
(c)(1) A person who is listed as a parent on an adoptee’s original birth certificate may
file a contact preference form with the Registry. The contact preference form shall
be developed by the Registry and shall indicate whether the parent would:
(A) like to be contacted by the adoptee;
(B) prefer to be contacted by the adoptee only through an intermediary; or
(C) prefer not to be contacted by the adoptee at this time.
(2) A contact preference form shall include space where the parent may include information
that the parent feels is important for the adoptee to know.
(3) A contact preference form may be withdrawn or revised at any time.
(d) Upon filing with the Registry, the contact preference form shall be confidential and
exempt from public inspection and copying under the Public Records Act pursuant to
section 6-102 of this title.
(e) Upon request, persons identified in subsection 6-105(a) of this title may receive from the Registry the indicated contact preference choice from the filed
contact preference form or nondisclosure form provided by the adoptee’s former parent. (Added 1995, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2021, No. 100 (Adj. Sess.), § 5, eff. July 1, 2023.)