What is an adoption certificate?

An adoption certificate is issued to an adopted person once the adoption has been legally arranged by the court. It replaces the person's original birth certificate and serves as an official document proving their identity. An adoption certificate typically contains the following information:

1. Registration District, Sub-District, and County of Birth
   The location where the adopted person was originally born, recorded by the authorities at the time of adoption.
2. Full Adopted Name of the Person
   The full name of the person after adoption, which will include their new surname and may include a new first name.
3. Date of Birth
   The adopted person's date of birth. Note that this typically does not include the time of birth, similar to a standard birth certificate.
4. Adoptive Father's Full Name
   The full name of the adopted father.
5. Adoptive Mother's Full Name
   The full name of the adopted mother.
6. Address of Adoptive Parents
   The address of the adoptive parents at the time of adoption.
7. Occupation of Adoptive Parents (not always shown)
   The occupations of the adoptive parents may be included, though this is not always the case.
8. Date of Adoption Order
   The date on which the adoption order was made by the court.
9. Court Where the Adoption Was Administered
   The name of the court that legally formalized the adoption.
10. Date the Entry Was Registered
    The date the adoption entry was officially registered.
11. Signature of the Appointed Officer
    The signature of the official or officer who registered the adoption.
12. Date the Certificate Was Produced
    The date the adoption certificate was issued.

This document acts as the official proof of an adopted person's identity, and it will be used in place of their original birth certificate for all legal purposes. If you need to obtain an adoption certificate, it’s important to know that it is a vital record with a similar legal standing to a birth certificate in the UK.