Getting a passport as an adopted person.

[happyinherts]

Has anyone here ever managed to get their first adult passport as an adopted adult?

Passport form has a lot to say about adopted children, ie those currently under 18 - but no explanation about adults wishing to obtain their first passport.

For instance, do you put your birth parents names / date of birth down on the form - or your adoptive parents? If the latter, did you have to write a cover letter - or extra information explaining that your surname had changed from birth surname? Or did you only have to send in documentation with your adoptive surname?

Confused?

Your Certificate of an entry in the Adoption Register acts as a birth certificate, so use the details it provides - parents are adoptive parents as birth parent rights would have ceased before adoption.

Have you had a child’s passport issued since adoption? The passport office hold the details on your file, so if you’ve already had a passport it shouldn’t be too tricky.

From OPs first posts I'm assuming she's never had a passport before so is going straight to a first adult passport.

@happyinherts how long ago were the rejections?

No, I've never held a passport - since the days when you could get a yearly one from the Post Office. If I'd had a child's one, I wouldn't have this problem....

Difficult to remember @dementedpixie Time flies, doesn't it? Way, way, way before Covid. Probably 10 years ago. I just gave up because I was so demoralised and didn't really need it. It's something I keep meaning to do, but this time I'm going for it as it's handy to have photographic ID - and like I say, I don't drive.

Sounds like it was a while ago then. I'd try again and persevere until you get it sorted

Fellow adoptee who got their first passport as an adult. There's a box to tick on the passport form 'adopted' I recall - so when you use the adoption cert as a birth cert (as you generally do for anything that needs a birth cert - legally you can never require a person adopted as an infant to use their original birth cert or name original parents - they may well not know that info) - then the passport office understands where to look in the records. Really that should be straight forward. Back in the day - a lot of adoptees found out the were adopted by not ticking that box and getting a reply to say they were using an adoption certificate.

You should use your Adoption Certificate. It should be the full one with your adoptive parents' names on.

Unfortunately I have adopted friends who have occasionally come across people who don't understand that an Adoption Certificate replaces a Birth Certificate and start going on about them needing to show their 'original birth certificate'. This has sometimes happened in Passport Applications when going through the Post Office (although mostly OK now - I think the guidance is a bit better!) or for DBSs or student loans. You should be using your Adoption Certificate though whenever it says birth certificate.