Over 16,000 adopted people register to contact birth relatives under new Act

A total of 16,634 adopted people, birth parents, and other relatives have registered with the Adoption Authority of Ireland to state their preferences about making contact with birth relatives.

2,174 people have joined the new Contact Preference Register (CPR) which was established on July 1 as part of the enactment of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022.

Of the 2,174 applications submitted to the CPR since July 1, 1,922 were from adopted people, 236 were from birth parents and other relatives, and 18 were from illegal birth registration applicants. 1,743 of these applicants were from Ireland, 119 from the UK, 49 from the USA and 245 from people in other countries around the world. 

The CPR replaced the old National Adoption Contact Preference Register (NACPR) on which 14,460 were registered.  

The Birth Information and Tracing Act provides legal entitlement, where available, to full and unrestricted access to birth certificates, birth, early life, care, and medical information for anybody who was adopted, boarded out, had their birth illegally registered, or who had questions about their origins. 

The new law also created a statutory tracing service for those affected by adoption who are seeking to make contact with their birth relatives. 

From October 3, these services will be available under the Birth Information and Tracing Act, and you will be glad to hear that these services will be provided free of charge.

Anybody who wishes to make contact, to request privacy, or to seek or share information with their birth relatives can register their preferences via an application to the CPR, which is operated by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. 

Whether you are in Ireland or abroad, people who were registered with the old NACPR will have their preferences migrated to the new register, which will bring the total number of people on the CPR to 16,634.

Dublin had the most applicants in the county, followed by Cork and Kildare. Leitrim had the least applicants overall.

On the CPR, 145 people (97 adoptees, 48 birth relatives) expressed to have no contact, while all other applicants are willing to share their information or are seeking contact in some way. Of the people whose information is migrating from the old NACPR, 248 of those registered to have no contact. 

The CPR will remain open after birth information and tracing services begin, allowing people to register or update their preferences at any stage. Applications can be made at www.birthinfo.ie

The Adoption Authority CEO, Patricia Carey said, “People in Ireland who were adopted, boarded out or had their birth information illegally registered have waited a very long time to gain access to their own information. Finally, from October 3, they will be able to apply for and receive unredacted information about their birth and earlier years”.

“The Adoption Authority and our colleagues in Tulsa look forward to providing this information and helping establish contact  with their birth families through the new tracing services”.

She continued, “There has been an incredible response to the public information campaign around this landmark legislation. To have more than 2,000 people register their preferences on the new Contact Preference Register in just 11 weeks shows how important and much anticipated these new services are for those affected by adoption”.

“The focus is now switching to delivering information and tracing services, but the CPR will remain open. Anyone who wants to register or update their contact preferences can do so at any time by visiting www.birthinfo.ie and filling out an online application from”.

Free counselling services for birth parents or relevant persons affected are now available. Applications can be made by contacting Tusla at 0818 44 55 00 or by emailing BITCounselling@tusla.ie.