The Kinsearch Registry is a program to assist adopted individuals and those who were born as the result of assisted reproductive technology (such as donated egg or sperm) to search for and locate members of their biological family. By registering DNA profiles, family members can now be technologically matched and located. Like most adoption registries, it depends on the mutual consent of the adoptee and the biological family member to participate in order to identify them.

The Registry’s databank consists of a database for each country of origin currently in the Registry (China, Russia, Korea and Guatemala) and a database for those conceived by donation. Additional databases will be opened upon the interest of sufficient participants to form a reliable database. Participants in the Registry are tested anonymously (by code number only) by the DNA lab and compared against the profiles already in the appropriate databank. Their profile is then entered in the databank for future comparisons as others enter the database. It is expected that matches will be rare and may not be found for years as new adoptees choose to enter the databank. Participants who are matched are notified whenever a match is found and advised on any further testing available for additional information on that relationship. Matched families are also offered counseling to assist them in preparing for contacting their biological kin.

The process of locating relatives, like adoption itself, can be profound, emotional, and complex. With this in mind, the Registry is designed to provide the support services that families will need to understand test results and to contact newly bound birth family members if a match is found.