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.
Register Now Directory
10,989 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 1,204,959 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
1876. PeterG1942 : Adopted Name: Peter Glen Grosskurth Birth Name: Donald Charles James Moore Date of Birth: 1 Apr 1942 Place: of Birth & Adoption: Toronto‚ Ont‚ Canada Birth mother: Phyllis Moore Father: unkown
1877. KathrynTth : mothers name Colleen Rodd,Dawtry,Thorpe
1878. Shelleybredy : My mother was born Alice Carnright..not sure of proper spelling. Saw it on adoption papers, years ago, unable to find it. She was born in York Ontario. My mother passed away at the age of 37 in 1984. She was adopted by George and Ivy Bradshaw, who also adopted a boy by the name of Teddy. I am looking to find any information on any family members.
1879. Ileneann : You are my granddaughter Felicia. I very much want to find you and have a relationship with you. You are my son’s child and my son and I are close and both want to find you.
1880. Trishdunnburlingto : I BELIEVE THE FAMILY SHE WENT TO WAS WEST INDIAN. I THINK THEY LIVED IN HAMILTON, ONTARIO. HER NAME WAS NADINE, THEY MAY HAVE CHANGED IT. NOT REALLY SURE WHICH MONTH IS HER BIRTHDAY.
1881. Eunsilkim : My home was called ROK WON Home just outside of Seoul Korea. Which is no longer a home . CAS of Seoul Korea took me out of the ROK WON Home in 1974 My mother left me on the door steps of the ROC WON Home when I was six weeks old . My given birth date is September 17th 1969. My real birth date is in known. Only I may have been born in August of 1969.
1882. TERRY567 : i AM TRYING TO FIND MY DAUGHTER DOROTHEY ANN MARIE UPSHAW HAYES . I AM HER BIRTH MOTHER WHOM NEVERED WANTED TO PUT HER UP FOR ADOPTION. I MISS HER I LOVE HER AND IM HOPING ONE DAY I WILL SEE HER AGAIN. I STAYED IN THE SAME HOUSE HOPING TO SEE HER AGAIN.
1883. Christopher-Robin : Searching for my sister, i am a younger brother. My sister would have been born in ottawa, ontario around 1959 to 1963?
1884. ChantelleCaissie : Looking for my daughter
1885. MHughson : I was adopted in Toronto Ontario and was a ward of the Catholic children’s Aid society. My birth name was Mary Theresa O’Malley. My birth mother was Ruth O’Malley.
1886. Squeek : Stayed at Victor Home for Girls, Toronto. Birth at Women’s College Hospital, I think. Name at birth - Marita Janine Woods
1887. Shelby_parsons98 : My name is Shelby van Rees. I was born as Shelby Jeannette Louise Parsons. I was born April 16th, 1998 in Wallaceburg, ONT. I am hoping to contact anyone from my birth family.
1888. Cory1971 : My mother was from Sudbury On I was told
1889. MichaelRoddick : My father was adopted, and we are no longer in contact. I want to learn about my family medical history, so I know what to expect and what to look out for. David Lyall Roddick (birth name possibly White). John Gary Roddick (grandfather) Brockville, Ontario, Canada Brockville General Hospital His mom had a child a year later that she didn’t put up for adoption. Her name, as far as I know, is Donna White.
1890. MichaelRoddick22 : My father was adopted, and we are no longer in contact. I want to learn about my family medical history, so I know what to expect and what to look out for. David Lyall Roddick (birth name possibly White). John Gary Roddick (grandfather) Brockville, Ontario, Canada Brockville General Hospital His mom had a child a year later that she didn’t put up for adoption. Her name, as far as I know, is Donna White.
