Adoptive person when they marry.

[Mart 'n' Al]

My father was adopted by his mother's parents soon after birth. He didn't find out the truth until he was in his mid fifties, when he tried to get a copy of his birth certificate in order to get a 10-year passport. He had been married a long time, and done all the normal things that people do in life without finding out.

Martin

[suzard]

He would not have needed his original birth certificate but his full adoption certificate

Suz

[suzard]

The father's details entered on any marriage register entry can be a natural, adoptive or step-father.

Have the rules changed ? As when we married my husband gave his stepfather as father and it was rejected

Suz

[groom]

I always understood that once a child was adopted they became the child of their adoptive parents and lost all rights/connections to their birth parents as far as the law was concerned. So legally the adoptive father is their father and that is what goes on the marriage certificate. Otherwise, what is the point of adoption?

I know from watching Heir Hunters, that if a child is adopted out of the family they can't inherit from their birth parents unless mentioned in a will. However they can inherit as next of kin from their adoptive family.

[suzard]

you are correct groom

I think the confusion lies in the fact that with the increase of TV programmes where people are looking for their long lost relatives -adoptive parents / siblings etc it now is believed to be a right for them to be traced and the referral to birth parents makes people believe they are the names which have to be entered on certain forms -this is not so
There are still "rules" of who can look for birth parents -e'g' a friend could not have access to the information -as a legal adoption makes it that the child is the legal son/daughter of their adoptive parents and have legal rights to inherit /be named as next of kin - the same rights as any child born to the adoptive parents .
Searching for birth parents has to be carefully considered and usually involving an agency who are able to guide and give counselling if necessary

Outcomes can vary - of our three children - one had a very successful meeting with his birth mother - one has no interest whatsoever he did however meet a sibling which was very pleasant and now just keeps in touch occasionally -but still no interest in his birth mother - our daughter 's meeting had a devastating effect on her life meeting her birth parents and siblings
All of them made their own choices and we helped them  whatever their decision

not all meetings are like the TV programmes

Suz

[AntonyMMM]

Have the rules changed ? As when we married my husband gave his stepfather as father and it was rejected
Suz

Certainly the rule now - but I couldn't tell you when it came in, GRO constantly issue new guidance and instructions about these things.

The current guide says:

There may be occasions where a party wishes to show the name of a stepfather
instead. The registrar should point out the difficulties that might arise in future
concerning a link with the birth certificate, but if they still wish to have the name of a
step-father in the marriage entry then the registrar should comply with the request,
provided that the step-father is, or has been, married to the natural or adoptive
mother. The name should be qualified by entering (Step-father) after the name

So legally the adoptive father is their father and that is what goes on the marriage certificate.

The adoptive father is certainly the legal parent - but what goes on the marriage register is whatever the bride/groom choose to have.

[Melbell]

If someone is adopted by a woman alone, her name can be shown on a marriage certificate instead of a father's, because she is the only 'legal' parent.

Melbell

[Gillg]

My grandparents married in 1896.  My grandmother's mother Ruth had married two years after the child's birth and we don't know whether Ruth's husband John was also the father of my grandmother, but probably not, as he married again after Ruth's death and handed her over to the care of Ruth's sister, who adopted her informally. On her marriage certificate my grandmother gave her father's name as John, then  then his surname, then Ruth's maiden surname.  He was probably not her father but her stepfather and his surname was cobbled together in the register, but the registrar doesn't seem to have been too bothered!

[pharmaT]

When I married I was just asked who my dad was, I don't remember being aske to prove it.