Taking time to reflect and understand what is at stake
Tracing an adopted child’s origins refers to all the steps an adopted person takes to reconnect with their pre-adoptive past. This may involve gathering information about the country of birth, life before adoption, the conditions of adoption, the family of birth or even finding the parents of birth.
This is a personal and intimate process. Under French law, a person’s access to his or her origins has no effect on civil status or filiation, and does not give rise to any rights or obligations for or against anyone.
You would like to :
- Gather information about your country of birth,
- Talk about your pre-adoptive life,
- Find out about the background to your adoption,
- Meet a third party familiar with the procedure to read your file with you,
- Find out if there are any elements that would enable you to establish contact with your birth family,
- Contact the central authority in your country of origin.
The Authorised Organism for Adoption through which your adoption was arranged usually maintains close links with the local authorities in your country of origin. It can host you and examine the contents of your file with you. Depending on your expectations and the country’s possibilities, it can help you with the formalities.
Depending on your country of origin, you can contact:
Bolivia : Aide Sociale à l’Enfance du Nord (COFA Lille has ceased its activities)
Colombia : COFA Bordeaux ou COFA Lyon
South Korea : COFA Marseille ou COFA Lyon
Haïti : COFA Lyon
India : COFA Marseille
Madagascar : COFA Brive
Nepal : COFA Marseille
Poland : COFA Montauban or COFA Lyon
Vietnam : COFA Cognac or COFA Marseille
