(ABC 6 News) — Big changes are coming for adopted individuals in Minnesota that will give some adoptees access to information for long unanswered questions.

Beginning on July 1, a new law allows all Minnesota-born adoptees over 18 years old to request access to their original birth records.

Previously, adoptees needed to be 19 years old.

But the biggest change? Written consent is no longer required from the birth parents for an adoptee to access their records.

Plus, if an adoptee’s birth parents were unable to provide consent or were deceased, those records have remained sealed — until now.

“For the adoptive community, this will be a really big opening of a door,” said Tiffany Kacir, program manager at Olmsted Co. Child and Family Services. “I think people just all want to know where they came from.”

Parents who have put children up for adoption can adjust their contact preferences by using a form through the Minnesota Department of Health.