Original Birth Certificate (OBC)

OBC Law Change

As of July 1, 2014, adoptees at least 18 years of age who were born in Washington State may request their original (pre-adoption) birth certificate. $20

Birth parents may also request an OBC of their son/daughter no matter the age of the adoptee. $15

How to get my OBC

Go to Dept. of Health (DOH) and follow the directions there.

***Be sure to check all the boxes on the form.***
This will give you a second sheet from the DOH giving the case and file numbers of the adoption, and will confirm the county of adoption. This is given at no additional charge when requesting the OBC, but you must ask (check the box). To order separately is another  .

The reason to have this second sheet is, if you require WARM’s services to do a court search, this is our starting point.

I have my OBC – now what?

We encourage people to discreetly search as much as possible on their own.* WARM Research Services are available at minimal costs for persons able to do their own search. A current listing of the services and fee schedule is available through our office.

*Please DO NOT post search information or any identifying information of the person being sought on social media, including uncaptioned photos. This is considered “first contact” and is in violation of WARM policy.

Go to “Frequently Asked Questions” for more information.