Frequently Asked Questions

The main function of the Contact Preference Register is to enable contact between family members affected by adoption.

The Register also serves as a way to lodge a contact preference, including a request for privacy.*

Applicants have the option to share information that could be beneficial to a family member such as medical or background information.

Applicants to the register can lodge an item (letter, photograph etc.) for a specified person, which will be given to the specified person if they join or have previously joined the register.

*In keeping with their legal obligation, the Adoption Authority will conduct an information session with a specified person where a preference of no contact has been registered by their parent. The Adoption Authority will inform the specified person of their parent’s right to privacy and convey their decision to have no contact.

Please be aware that even if you choose a no contact option you may, at a later date, be contacted in relation to a tracing request. This will depend on whether or not the specified person named on your CPR application decides to avail of their right to conduct a trace.

If you have previously joined the NAPCR you do not need to join again. All information currently on the NACPR will be transferred onto the new CPR. This means all the details you previously gave us will now be on the CPR, including your address, contact preferences and the details for the family member you are searching for.

However, if you would like to update the details or contact preferences you previously submitted to the NACPR, you will need to fill out a new CPR application form and send this to the Adoption Authority. The completed application form should include a copy of photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s licence. Once we receive the completed form and ID, we will acknowledge that we have received your application and update your details accordingly.

There are a number of ways you can join the CPR

You can complete the online CPR application form which you can find here.

You can request that a hard copy be sent to a specified address by emailing the Adoption Authority at the following email address: records@aai.gov.ie

If you are having trouble with the above options, you can contact us for assistance 

Under the terms of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, adoptees have the right to access their birth, early life and care information, including a copy of their original birth certificate. This means all adoptees will have access to historical information relating to their family, including names, addresses and background information.

Access to this information is a statutory right and will be released regardless of a ‘no contact’ preference being lodged on the CPR. However, if a ‘no contact’ preference is recorded on the CPR, the Adoption Authority will contact the specified person named on the application form and request that they respect the privacy of the applicant whom has lodged the ‘no contact’ preference.

The following is a list of who can join the Contact Preference Register:

- An adopted person (a legally recognised adoption)

- A person who was nursed/boarded out.

- A person who may have spent time in a Mother & Baby Home or County Home as outlined in the schedule on the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 (this may have been prior to being adopted or placed in a care arrangement and includes mothers and children)

- A person who may have been illegally adopted (where a birth was illegally registered and no adoption took place)

- Mother or Father of an adopted person (where either parent placed a child for adoption or in a care arrangement)

- Sister or Brother of an adopted person (where a brother or sister has been placed for adoption or in a care arrangement)

- Grandparent, aunt, uncle or first cousin of an adopted person (where a relative has been placed for adoption or in a care arrangement)

- Adoptive parent of an adopted child under 18

- Adoptive parent of an adopted person/child who is deceased

- A family friend of an adoptee or mother/father who is deceased

If a match occurs between two applicants on the CPR, the Adoption Authority will contact both parties and inform them of the match. Both parties will be given the option of availing of a mediation service if they wish.

The Birth Information & Tracing Act 2022 allows for a clear right of access to birth certificates, and birth and early life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins.

An “illegal registration” takes place when one or both of the following happens:

- the name of a person who is not a birth parent of the child is entered in the register of births as a parent of the child;

- the name of the birth mother of the child is not entered in the register of births as the mother of the child.

To read about additional provisions in the Act relating to illegal birth registration, please see here.

The term ‘relevant person’ is used in the legislation to cover a wide number of people, including; adopted persons, people who were boarded out, nursed out or subject to an illegal birth registration and people who were born in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution.

The Government has made a commitment to the creation of a National Memorial and Records Centre and in recognition of this broader commitment, the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 does not seek to provide for mandatory centralisation of records. 

However, it does provide a mechanism for relevant records to be transferred a person or a secondary information source to the Adoption Authority at the direction of the Authority. 

Section 48 (6) obliges the Authority, when issuing a direction, to give consideration to any indication that a record may be at risk.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, provides that a secondary information source is obliged to retain and maintain all relevant records held by it. Where directed by the Adoption Authority, it shall furnish a statement to the Authority which will state the nature, current location and condition of the relevant records held. The Authority can direct the transfer to it of the records or the secondary information source can request that the records are transferred.

The following are defined as secondary information sources in the Act:

(a) the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth;

(b) the Minister for Education;

(c) the Minister for Foreign Affairs;

(d) the Minister for Health;

(e) the data controller of the AIRR archive;

(f) the Health Service Executive;

(g) a registered adoption society;

(h) an accredited body;

(i) a person prescribed under section 43(2).

Restricted articles

To enable the release of information under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, section 68 places some restrictions on certain rights and obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The articles that are restricted are:

Article 14 –the obligation that a data controller should provide information to the data subject where personal data have not been obtained from the data subject

Article 18 – the right to restriction of processing

Article 21 – the right to object

More information on why these articles are restricted is available on the about the legislation page.

The right to make a subject access request (Article 15) and the right to rectification (Article 16)

The article 15 right to make a subject access request and the article 16 right to rectification are not restricted. Data subjects can continue to make applications pursuant to these rights to the data controller that holds the records.

If you are a parent and you believe the information contained within a record is incorrect or incomplete, you can apply directly to the data controller under Article 16 of the GDPR - the right to rectification.

The right to Erasure (Article 17 GDPR)

The right to erasure does not apply to data under the Act. The Act relies on releasing information that is present on records and the ability to erase data is contrary to that.

Article 17(3) sets out the exemptions whereby the right to erasure does not apply and the exemption set out at 17 (3) (b) applies to data under the Birth Information and Tracing Act, 2022.

Where a data subject becomes aware of an inaccuracy, an application pursuant to the Article 16 right to rectification can be made to the data controller.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides access to birth certificates, birth information, images, early life information, care information, medical information and provided items for the following people over the age of 16:

- an adopted person

- a person who is or has been the subject of an illegal birth registration

- a person who has been nursed out or boarded out

- a person who has reasonable grounds for suspecting that they may have been the subject of an incorrect birth registration

- a person who has reasonable grounds for suspecting that they may have been nursed out or boarded out

- a person who does not fall into any of the above categories but who resided as a child in a Mother and Baby Home Institution or County Home listed in schedule 1 of the General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.

If you do not know the name of the agency that handled your adoption, please email the Records Unit at the Adoption Authority of Ireland for assistance:

Email: records@aai.gov.ie

Please ensure that your email has photographic ID attached, such as a passport or driver’s licence.

If you are unsure if a formal adoption order was made for you, please email the Records Unit at the Adoption Authority of Ireland for assistance:

Email: records@aai.gov.ie

Please ensure that your email has photographic ID attached, such as a passport or driver’s licence.

You can find out whether records are held by the Adoption Authority of Ireland or Tusla by clicking here.

Under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 relevant persons are entitled to access birth certificate, birth, early life, care, and medical information, and where applicable information relating to an illegal birth registration. It is also possible to access medical information of a genetic relative and any items that may have been left for you.

Birth Information includes:

• The date, place, and time of the person’s birth.
• The person’s assigned sex.
• The person’s forename(s) and surname.
• The forename(s), surname, birth surname, address, occupation, date of birth, and where applicable, former surname of the person’s mother, and the birth surname of the mother’s mother.
• The forename(s), surname, birth surname, address, occupation, date of birth, and where applicable, former surname of the person’s father, and the birth surname of the father’s mother.
• Photograph of a parent.

Early Life information includes:

• Where he or she lived, and for what dates.
• Information on their baptism, or any other similar spiritual or religious ceremony, including, but not limited to:
  • The date and place of the ceremony
  • A baptismal certificate (or equivalent document in respect of a different ceremony)
  • An entry in a baptismal register (or equivalent document in respect of a different ceremony)
• Their birth weight.
• A photograph of the person.
• Information on their health, physical or emotional development.
• Information on any medical treatments, procedures or vaccinations.
• Information on how long their birth mother remained with him or her in the same place of residence.
• Information on whether the person and their birth mother left their first place of residence (e.g. Mother and Baby Home Institution) separately or together.
• Information on visits, communications, or inquiries by any person, including where available the relationship to the person and their and their name.
• Information on whether arrangements were made for an adoption, including the name of the person who made the arrangement.
• Information on whether an adoption took place, including the name of each adoptive parent

Care information includes:

• The name of a person who cared for the relevant person as part of a care arrangement. This could include:
  • The name of a person in charge of an institution or part of an institution;
  • The name of a person to whom a person was boarded out or nursed out;
  • The name of foster care parents who fostered a child before they were adopted.
• The location where that care was provided;
• The duration for which the person was cared for at a given location;
• The name of any person who arranged for the relevant person to be nursed out or boarded out, fostered prior to their adoption or resident in an institution.

Medical information includes:

Any information relating to a person’s own medical history including vaccinations given or information on vaccination trials.

Medical information of a Genetic Relative means information contained within a records, where:

• the information involves a genetic or heredity medical condition, and;
• is relevant for the maintenance of the relevant person’s health.

Provided item includes:

• any item held by the Agency or the Authority, which was provided by a relevant parent, carer or other family member.The item could be a:
  • Letter;
  • Photograph;
  • Memento; or
  • other document or object
     
• It could have been provided historically or could be an item, which was lodged through the statutory Contact Preference Register.

Information relating to an illegal birth registration includes:

• the circumstances under which the person became the subject of an illegal birth registration
• the name of the person who made arrangements for the illegal birth registration

Section 63 of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides that the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Child and Family Agency Tusla shall provide assistance and guidance to applicants for records, the tracing service and to the Contact Preference Register. They can help people to identify where their records might be held and guide them through the process.

The legislation also provides that, where parents register a preference for no contact, they will be informed of their right to access support, to be provided by the Child and Family Agency Tusla. Support can also be provided to all parents and relevant persons who request it.

Where a preference for no contact is registered by a parent and no information session is recorded on the contact preference register, then you will be asked to attend an information session.

Information session means a communication between you and a person from the Adoption Authority of Ireland or Tusla. This can be a short phone call, video call, or an in person meeting, depending on your preference.

During the session, you will be informed of your entitlement to your birth information, the parent’s right to privacy and their expressed wish for no contact.

The information session will be recorded on the contact preference register, to ensure that you will only need to attend one information session regardless of the number of applications for information made.

Once the information session has taken place, all available information will be released to you.

You can make an online application here. The on-line application is the quickest and most secure way to process your application. Alternatively, you can send your application by post to Tusla.

If the application is deemed completed, it will be transferred to the relevant Tusla or AAI social work team dependent on who holds the records for your adoption.

There is no difference in the application process for those currently living overseas.

If the application is deemed completed, it will be transferred to the relevant Tusla or AAI social work team dependent on who holds the records for your adoption.

You can apply for a tracing service if you are person in one of the following four categories:

1. “Relevant person”

- if you were adopted in Ireland and are over 18 years of age

- if you were born in Ireland but adopted outside of the state - if you were in a mother and baby home, county home or institution

- if you were illegally registered

- if you suspect that you were illegally registered

- If you were boarded out or nursed out

2. A birth relative of a relevant person

3. A relative of a relevant person

4. An adoptive parent of an adopted child who is under 18 years of age (for the purpose of sharing information)

You can trace a person or people who are in any of the following four categories:

- If you are a relevant person, you can trace any birth relative.

- If you are a birth relative of a relevant person you can only trace a relevant person

- If you are a relative of relevant person by reason of the relevant person’s adoptive family, you can only trace the relevant person

- If you are an adoptive parent of an adopted child under 18 years of age at the time of trace, you can trace anyone for the purpose of getting important information, such as medical. (The child’s views are paramount here and evidence of their consent or agreement will be secured)

From the start of your journey and leading on from your application, your request for tracing will be managed by a social worker. A trace requires an agreement, and a voluntary engagement between the relevant parties to engage in the process. It is an entirely client-centred process and always will have confidentiality and consultation at its core.

If you acquired information from a previous search, either independently or through an adoption agency, prior to making a tracing application, please let Tusla know. This information would greatly assist Tusla in helping you in your tracing journey.

Yes, you do have to re-apply. Once the tracing request is completed, you can make a request to trace another person.

Tusla do not routinely provide DNA testing as part of a tracing request. Where information relating to the person you are tracing cannot be found or does not exist, Tusla may explore the use of DNA testing to assist.

No, this is a FREE SERVICE, and you will never be charged by Tusla or the AAI for a tracing request.

Yes, to initiate a trace, Tusla will have to share some of your information with relevant services or agencies. Your social worker will only share your information for the purposes of finding relevant information about the person you are seeking. Tusla will only share your information with ‘designated/relevant services or agencies’ which are listed under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 and will always seek your consent beforehand.