In Texas, adoption records are confidential and can, generally, only be opened, for good cause, by the court that granted the original adoption. The district clerk for the court that granted the adoption quite often has copies of all the documents submitted to the court during the adoption process. Copies can be obtained upon an order of the court that granted the adoption. Adoptees must check with the district clerk for the court's local procedures and fees. Generally, each licensed child-placing agency maintains a complete file on each adoption in which they participate.
Qualified applicants can obtain de-identified or summarized information.
If the agency is unknown, the applicant can inquire with the Central Adoption Registry who may be able to identify that agency. If an adoptee was born in Texas, BVS has the original birth certificate, before adoption, and a certificate of adoption submitted by the court, that amends the original birth certificate by replacing the birth parents' names with the adopting parents' names. Occasionally, that file contains a copy of the final decree of adoption. Very little social or medical information is in those files. BVS can provide copies of sealed documents upon receipt of a court order from the court that granted the adoption and payment of a fee.