My friend recently try to get a certified copy of his birth certificate for a new job. The county recorder's office told him his birth certificate was "sealed" and asked him if he was adopted. He knows he's not because he looks nearly indentical to his grandfather at the same age and his mother. Plus his parents haven't said he was (he's 40 yrs old). All I can find via Google is a bevy of info about adoption as the reason for it being sealed. Does anyone know of any other reasons your birth certificate might be sealed? We're in CA in the US. Any insight would be great!
2007-06-27 21:02:26 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Your friend needs to ask his family outright what's going on. For it to be sealed there was some court action and intervention on the matter. Sealed records often indicate matters pertaining to juveniles. Perhaps he is child of actually an older sister or cousin and raised by actually his grandmother as mother or something, who knows.
I also do not know how things were handled 40 years ago about incest but I do know that we were not as open a society about many things and that's one of them. Criminals got away with things and kept up their criminal lives freely supposedly to protect the child.
2007-06-28 00:01:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sealed Birth Certificate
2016-11-04 12:38:14 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of a birth certificate being sealed except in cases of adoption, but then I've never heard of anyone being told that the certificate is sealed; it's as if it doesn't exist, because once you are adopted a new birth certificate is created with the exact same data, time/date/place, but with your adoptive parents showing as your birth parents and you having the name they gave you. So, as an adoptee, you can get your birth certificate which will look like everyone else's and you can't tell it was not issued at the time of your birth.
2007-06-27 21:27:38 · answer #3 · answered by LodiTX 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He may well have been adopted, but it may have been a private adoption within the family. The answer is for him to petition to open his birth certificate.
What's unusual about this story, though, is that even when the original is sealed in an adoption, the state still files a new one with the adoptive parents entered. Everyone needs a certificate of birth to establish everything from citizenship to retirement benefits (because they're calculated on age).
He probably doesn't need an attorney, just persistence. Have him contact the local Bar association for a free legal consultation with a family law attorney on how to open his birth record, particularly since you don't believe he's adopted.
2007-06-28 00:10:29 · answer #4 · answered by GenevievesMom 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Have done genealogy for years and adoption is the only reason for a sealed birth certificate but as the PP stated he would have been issued a new one upon the completion of the adoption.
2007-06-27 22:05:07 · answer #5 · answered by Petra 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Even if he's adopted he has a right to his birth certificate. It just wouldn't be the original one. He needs to go back to the County Recorder's office and have them find out why its sealed and if he needs to ask for a supervisor to get it then he needs to do do. They cannot withhold his birth certificate if he has the proper identification
2007-06-28 00:27:59 · answer #6 · answered by Holly N 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Because I do a lot of genealogy research, a friend at work asked me this same questions. Our companies annual vacation was a cruise to Mexico and he needed his birth certificate for that. He had lost the copy he had, so he was able to get it at one time, but this time it was sealed and they couldn't tell him why. After a lot of investigating, he found out it had to do with his military career. Can't tell you why because he wasn't even told why, but maybe your friends situation is something like this. Sounds like a made for t.v. movie, but I guess these things really do happen.
2007-06-28 02:54:18 · answer #7 · answered by QaHearts 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Adoptions sometimes take place within families. For example, I know someone who spent her whole life thinking her birth mom was her older sister because her grandparents adopted her at birth and said she was their daughter. Could something like this have happened in your friend's family?
2007-07-01 07:30:33 · answer #8 · answered by wisegirl1204 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Might not be adopted, but maybe his mom isn't his mom? Maybe he was another family member's child, but his mom took him on as her own? Does he have an older sister or brother by 15-20 years? That could be the family resemblence and why it's sealed. If not, go to court and get it unsealed.
2007-06-27 22:54:19 · answer #9 · answered by Momma Gaga 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Since I do a great deal of ancestry research, a companion at work put forth this same inquiries. Our organization's yearly get-away was a voyage to Mexico and he required his introduction to the world endorsement for that. He had lost the duplicate he had, so he could get it at one time, yet this time it was fixed and they couldn't disclose to him why. After a great deal of researching, he discovered it needed to do with his military vocation. Can't reveal to you why since he wasn't explained why, however perhaps your companions circumstance is something like this. Sounds like a made for t.v. motion picture, however I figure these things truly do happen. Here's Reverse Lookup page https://backgroundreports.im/
2017-03-13 03:44:54 · answer #10 · answered by sharif 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋