The UK Adoption Tracing Service charges a flat fee opposed to an hourly rate or per each area of search, this ensures that should a search prove difficult this will not mean escalating costs.

The search fee of £120 is requested along with copies of documents prior to the start of the search.
On the successful conclusion of the search, resulting in finding the person or a current address a further and final fee of £50 is payable. A final report detailing all work undertaken, including the current name and address of the person searched for, and all supporting certificates i.e. birth, marriage or death will then be sent.

Any outstanding expenses (postage and any necessary certificates, currently £9.25 per certificate will be payable before the information is disclosed.
In the unlikely event that a search is not successful no final fee will be payable. However, a detailed report of all the work undertaken will still be sent.

The fee is for tracing one individual (although other family relatives may be found in the course of a search at no extra costs) and includes:

• Unlimited searches of the births, deaths and Marriages Indexes
• Unlimited searches of parish registers where necessary
• Unlimited searches of Family History Centres
• Unlimited searches of past and current electoral roles
• Liaising with adoption agencies and other relevant organisations 
• The use of little known Government departments
• Internet usage and search tools
• Telephone calls
• All other searches of i.e. databases, directories, registers, funeral directors... 
• Unlimited searches of the current UK Info Disk
• Progress reports, weekly, fortnightly or monthly as per request
• letterbox option up to one year when activated
• Resources and supportive material