Ontario Adoption Records
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Accessing Adoption Records in Ontario
In 2008, Ontario opened adoption records to allow adoptees and birth parents access to personal and family information. The province keeps records for all adopted children born in Ontario, even if the adoption was handled elsewhere.
While Ontario adoption records are open, the steps you need to complete to access the information you want can be overwhelming. Lengthy processing times may delay your search, and some information isn’t available to biological siblings, grandparents, or other relatives.
If you’re having trouble getting adoption records in Ontario, Adopted.com is here to help. Our voluntary reunion registry allows anyone impacted by an adoption to register and search for their family members. Reunions happen through mutual consent, whether you have official records or not.
To begin your search, you just need to fill out a simple form with ten questions you likely know about your adoption. If there’s a potential match on the platform, you’ll be notified right away.
We have the largest voluntary adoption registry in the world, with people searching for family members in Toronto, Ottawa, and across the entire province. Register today to take the first step toward a potential reunion.
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10,986 Are Adoption Records Public in Ontario?
Yes, Ontario passed a law in 2008 to open adoption records, including birth registrations and adoption orders. Under this law, adoptees and birth parents can access information from sealed adoption records. The information includes an adoptee’s original name and their birth parents’ names. Birth parents can learn the name the child was given after the adoption.
By request, the Ontario government will release this information, as long as the adoptee or birth parent has not filed a disclosure veto to protect their privacy.
How to Find Adoption Records in Ontario
There are different steps to find adoption records in Ontario, depending on your involvement in the adoption and the information you want to access. You can request both identifying and non-identifying information through ServiceOntario.
Non-identifying information refers to details that don’t reveal the names or contact information of anyone involved in the adoption. This information can include the adoption date, the adoption agency, and the birth family’s medical history.
You can request non-identifying information in Ontario if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18 years old
- An adoptee under 18 with your adoptive parent’s consent
- An adoptive parent
- A biological parent, grandparent, or sibling of the adoptee
- A child of a deceased adoptee
- A birth parent’s sibling
You may also have access to identifying information from an original birth registration or an adoption order. This information can show you the identities of people involved in the adoption. It may include the adoptee’s name at birth or after adoption, the birth parents’ names, and the adoptive parents’ names.
You may be able to access this information if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18 years old
- A birth parent if the adoptee is at least 19 years old
There’s no fee to access adoption records in Ontario. You just need to complete the correct form and mail it to the address listed. You can’t fax, email, or deliver an application in person.
How Can I Find a Biological Parent in Ontario?
If you’re an adoptee, you can find your biological parents’ names by requesting post-adoption information through ServiceOntario. However, if one or both of your birth parents have asked to keep their identities private, you will not receive this information.
Birth parents can also agree to release information but ask not to be contacted. If your biological parent has completed a no-contact notice and you attempt to contact them anyway, you can be fined up to $50,000.
How Can I Find Someone Who Was Adopted in Ontario?
You can only request an adoptee’s identifying information if you’re the biological parent. The adoptee must also be at least 19 years old before you can search for them. This rule gives an adoptee one year after they turn 18 to file their privacy and contact preferences.
Just like birth parents, an adoptee has the right to keep their identity private or ask not to be contacted by their biological family. If the adoptee has a no-contact notice on file and you contact them anyway, you can be fined up to $50,000.
Other biological relatives, including grandparents and siblings, can’t access identifying information from adoption records, but they can join the Adoption Disclosure Register. If you register, you’ll be notified if or when a match occurs.
Let Adopted.com help you find your lost family today!
Adopted.com is a powerful adoption reunion registry designed to help you reconnect with your birth parents. By registering, you gain access to a growing database of over 1,205,528 profiles, increasing your chances of finding your biological relatives. The platform respects your privacy and allows you to update your profile anytime.
Registration is free, and the unique search tool ensures measurable match results. When you find your birth parents, remember to approach the reunion with an open heart and understanding, as it can be an emotionally significant experience for everyone involved.
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
1846. Spoiledbrat : Birth name Christopher Kent Born as a twin his twin was stillborn By name Margaret Kent
1847. Brooklea1971 : Born at Branson hospital, on May 18 1971 Looking for family members of Susan Edith Hughes
1848. Jkwebca : My Dad has passed away and I am hoping to find any information on his birth family. He was born on January 17th 1947 in London Ontario. His birth mother (my grandmother) first and middle names are Delores (Dolores) Eleanor. Delores was born in a small southern town in Ontario in 1927/28. She was 20 years old when my dad was born. She was not married, and worked as a typist/ bookkeeper. Her father had owned his own business. Delores also came from a large family. She had 8 siblings at the time of my dads birth. One being a brother that was born the same year she was born (maybe a twin). I don’t have any given names for his biological father, but only that he was born in 1926 of Catholic faith, he worked as a apprentice carpenter. He had been in the army for four years. His father was a tinsmith and that he had one sister. I have all my dads adoptions records. On the record my dad was named as Norman. My grandfather (adoptive) crossed out his birth last name. But when trying to figure it out, it maybe Bondy or maybe Boundy?? I also have my dad’s baptism certificate. On the certificate my dad’s given name is Norman Joseph. I look forward to finding out about my paternal family!!
1849. Missjulie99 : my first birth record named me Sandra Helene LaChance was born in the kingston ON General Hospital mother was in the prison for women (kingston ON) from the Quebec area
1850. MeghanDeger : I have always heard of my long lost adopted sister. I have always wanted to get to know her. She has three half siblings that she never had the chance to meet. Her name is Jessica and her moms name is Jennifer. Our dads name is Daniel Deger. When talking to my mom about it, she believes that Jessica was born during 1993 or sometime around then. Unfortunately our father passed away in 2009 and and that is all the information I can find about her. Please help find my sister.
1851. Triquetyra : Name at birth Cheryl Ann black
1852. Randy66 : Randy Scott Milne, born January 13,1966, city, toronto, Mt Sinai hospital, mothers name Valerie Ellen Watts, address 33 Charles st east toronto, nurse, A.Eisem, judge D.J.Coo,adoption date, September 17 1974 E. Thompson,
1853. Kenkoffman : Black market Montreal adopted. - Birth certificate says I was born in Montreal, Quebec. Was obtained by adoptive parents approx. 3 days after birth? Believe I was given a (false) birth name of Calman Wiseman, and was adopted into the Koffman family in Ottawa.
1854. TLunn1 : Birth Mother Name: Debbie Mae Durant born in 1956 Adoption took place in Hamilton, ON through Hamilton Catholic Family and Children’s Services
1855. Dartmom2015 : My name is Ashley Berkuta ( Stiner). I am looking for my Son Leo Dennis James Stiner he was born in oshawa Ontario at lakeridge health.
1856. Kathods : Wondering if my adopted brother’s birth mother is registered. Birth name - Michael Todd Dopson
1857. Butterfly9 : Given name was Jeannine Irene Marie Born at the Sudbury General Hospital in Sudbury Ontario Birth Mother’s name: Yvonne Boisvenue
1858. Chloelundy : This is for my mom,she’s been adopted and I want to know our background and if we have any family out there
1859. RHolman : You mothers name would of been Ada Elizabeth Williams, your mother was born September 23 1944 in Sydney Mines Nova Scotia. You would of been born in a Hamilton Ontario Hospital, That’s all I know. I am your half sister.
1860. EMcCutcheon : Baby boy born at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto adoption handled by children’s aid
