Hong Kong Ordinances

ADOPTION ORDINANCE - SECT 18

Adopted Children Register

(Past version on 01/07/1997).
(Past version on 30/06/1997).

PART 4 (Added 28 of 2004 s. 21)

REGISTRATION OF ADOPTION ORDERS

(1) The Registrar shall maintain at the general register office a register, to
be called the Adopted Children Register, in which shall be made such entries
as may be- (Amended 28 of 2004 s. 22)

   (a)  directed to be made in it by adoption orders; or

   (b)  required to be made under section 1(1)(a) of Schedule 1, but no other
        entries.

(2) A certified copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register, if
purporting to be sealed or stamped with the seal of the general 
register office, shall, without any further or other proof of that entry, be
received as evidence of the adoption to which it relates and, where the entry
contains a record of the date of the birth or the country of the birth of the
adopted person, shall also be received as aforesaid as evidence of that date
or country in all respects as if the copy were a certified copy of an entry in
the registers of births.

(3) The Registrar shall cause an index of the Adopted Children Register to be
made and kept in the general register office; and every person shall be
entitled to require a search to be made of that index and to have a certified
copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register in all respects upon and
subject to the same terms, conditions and regulations as to payment of fees
and otherwise as are applicable under the
Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance ( Cap 174), in respect of searches in
other indexes kept in the general register office and in respect of the supply
from that office of certified copies of entries in the registers of births.

(4) The Registrar shall, in addition to the Adopted Children Register and the
index thereof, keep such other registers and books, and make such entries
therein, as may be necessary to record and make traceable the connexion
between any entry in the registers of births which
has been marked "Adopted" or "受領養" pursuant to section 19 or pursuant to
section 1(1)(b) of Schedule 1 and any corresponding entry in the Adopted
Children Register; but the registers and books kept under this subsection
shall not be, nor shall any index thereof be, open to public inspection or
search, nor, except under an order of the Court, shall the Registrar furnish
any person with any information contained in or with any copy or extract from
any such registers or books. (Amended 80 of 1997 s. 119)

(5) Regulations made by the Chief Executive in Council under the
Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance ( Cap 174) may make provision as to
the duties to be performed by deputy registrars and district registrars
appointed for the purposes of that Ordinance in the execution of this section,
section 19 and Schedule 1. (Amended 66 of 1999 s. 3) (Amended 28 of 2004 s.
22) [cf. 1950 c. 26 s. 17 U.K.]