After you get your documents, information may be missing or heavily blacked out. Sometimes this is due to valid limits, like a court order, but other times it happens because staff aren’t sure what information is able to be shown to you.
Some common pieces missing pieces are:
- Sibling contact information
- Court records
- Medical and Mental Health records
- Vital documents
- School records
If you need more help, reach out to the organizations on the Get Support page.
Sibling Contact Information
You have rights as a sibling.
In Minnesota, the Siblings Bill of Rights protects your right to contact info for siblings still in foster care or last known info if they’re no longer in care.
You can request this directly from the county or tribe. If the county or tribe does not provide this information, contact the Office of the Ombudsperson for Families, 651-603-0058, (888) 234-4939.
Court Records
You have the right to see any public court records about your family. However, most foster care and child protection agency records remain private.
Since 2015, Minnesota has made certain child protection court documents public. These records are filed under your birth parents’ names, so search using their names instead of your own.
There are a few ways to access this information:
- Online – Free, but limited information
- In Person – For the most complete information, visit a district courthouse in person and ask to use a “public access terminal.” Courthouses also provide in-person counter access to locally stored paper case records. You can look up courthouse locations here. Viewing documents is free, but printing costs $8–14 per document.
Medical and Mental Health Records
You have the right to access your own medical records, but each provider decides how long they keep them. Most keep them until you are 21 years old, and then for 5-7 years after treatment date.
Each provider has their own medical release form, but to save time, you can use this form to authorize the release of all your Minnesota medical records. There is often no cost to request or receive medical records.
- Medical – send a request for all records, along with your ID, to each medical system with which you have had contact separately.
- Mental Health – send a request for all records, along with your ID, to each mental health organization with which you have had contact separately.
- Immunizations – request your MN immunization record, or view an online registry.
What if I don’t remember where I was seen?
Review other records for clues or send requests large mental and medical systems in Minnesota to see if any records come up, and your birth hospital may be listed on your birth certificate.
Largest Medical: Mayo Clinic, M Health Fairview, Allina Health, CentraCare, and Hennepin Healthcare
Largest Mental Health: Fraser, Children’s Minnesota, Wilder, Washburn, and PrairieCare
Vital Documents
You’re allowed to get your own vital records, like your birth certificate and Social Security card. The county or tribe should provide them, but you can request them on your own if needed. In some cases, you can also request family members’ records.
Full info at MN Office of Vital Records
- Birth Certificate – $26, or free for homeless youth under 24. If you were adopted, you may be able to request an original birth certificate.
- Social Security Card – no charge for replacement (Need birth certificate BEFORE applying).
- Marriage Certificates – $9, or free, anyone can look up marriage records, with some limitations on older records.
- Divorce Decrees – You can find plain copies of recent divorce records on Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO). Certified copies must be requested from the county where the divorce was granted.
- Death Certificate – $13 for certified death certificate, can include cause of death information.
School Records
You have the right to know about your educational history in Minnesota.
- Elementary, Jr + Senior High Records – You can request your school records directly from each school you attended. Records can include attendance, grades, and IEP/504’s. Some basic, state‑level data are also held by the MN Department of Education and can be requested from MDE.
- College Transcripts – You can request your college records directly from each college you attended. If your MN college has since closed, your records may be stored by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
