Adopted adults could gain limited access to documents about their origin

Adult people who were adopted could receive limited access to the official records of their adoption if proposed amendments to the Family Law are adopted. The draft law, submitted by a group of members of parliament, seeks to open a narrow channel for adoptees to learn about their origins while keeping adoption data classified as an official secret.

How access would be decided

Under the proposal, access to adoption files would not be automatic. A specially appointed expert commission, formed by the Minister for Social Policy, Demography and Youth, would assess each request and determine the scope of information released in individual cases. The commission would be instructed to balance the adoptee’s right to know their origin against the privacy and rights of other persons involved.

The draft also includes a provision allowing adoptive parents of minor children to obtain information from adoption files when there are justified medical reasons for doing so.

First- and second-degree blood relatives would be able to request access to the records as well, but only with the explicit consent of the adopted adult.

The initiative cites a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in the case Mitrevska v. North Macedonia (2024), which found a violation of the right to respect for private and family life as the reason for introducing the legal changes. The bill was submitted to parliament by a group of MPs; further parliamentary procedure will decide whether the amendments become law.

Photo: press material from the event