Ontario Adoption Records
The world's largest adoption reunion registry for adoptees and families
Start Your Search TodayAccessing 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 DirectoryAre 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 1,205,526 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.
Register NowRECENT MEMBERS IN Ontario
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Nymwen123 11 hours ago
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
2476. RodneyAllen : Ottawa‚ Ontario is where the adoption took place in 1947 approximately. The people who adopted were Mr Lindon Rice and Mrs Adelaide Rice of 45 Clarendon Ave‚ Ottawa‚ Ontario. The Court Judge amended the birth name of Rodney Edward Allen to Eric Allen Rice. I have since this profile learned via 23&Me DNA site‚ that Rodney Edward Allen is his Mother’s Surname and the Allen Family resided in the Meach Lake‚ Chelsea‚ Quebec area. Rodney’s Father’s surname was Charrette (Charette)‚ who probably resided in the Gatineau/Hull area.
2477. Sueluci : Looking for a family member who was born between 1936 to 1941 at a Catholic home for unwed mothers in Ontario which was run by nuns, Birth mother last name was Bouissenault. I have completed DNA on ancestry.ca, adopted last name possibly Coutts or Richards.
2478. Ddblu : male, born February 1993, birth name Benjerman McAllister - searching for birth family - mother, siblings from Brampton Ontario and surrounding area.
2479. RobDavis : Looking for sister. Her name at birth was Veronica Florence Davis. She was born in Barrie dec 1964. Would like to connect. I am your brother.
2480. Corilynnb : South lake regional healthcentre Birth mother is “Melissa Dament” Birth father is “Cory Barron” Child name at birth “Lola Shannon Barron”
2481. CarterB92 : My mom is from Orillia. I believe she spent her time being pregnant in Sault Ste Marie with family but I’ve never been able to ask her any questions about dates or anything like that. My sister had been told by our aunt that we had a half brother and she believed he was being raised by his dad’s brother in the coldwater area (Ontario) he would be roughly 45 by now. Denne and McCaughey are two last names that could possibly be help
2482. CarterB92 : Moms last name Denne from Orillia Ontario.
2483. Lesleycockburn : We think his birth name was maybe David. He’s apparently Irish Romanian from the mothers side. He’s found a paternal half sister
2484. Weskwunibi : Rosalie Twance, Walter English, Jackie English
2485. KarenDecoste : Born in Montreal my brother is Gary Decoste and my sister Libby Decoste I was born Karen Decoste in 1969
2486. Sammandalexis : Summer Hayes Mason Hayes temiskaming shoreS
2487. Runnings : I was born in Kingston General Hospital.
2488. Wandalynn : My birth name was Cara Deanne. I was born in Niagara Falls, ON Canada
2489. TRiese : Murray Cameron Hobbs was born as Charles Edward Mitchell and was adopted at 8 years old on July 7, 1931 by James Wesley Ernest Hobbs and Alice Verna Hobbs in Middlesex County, Ontario. Murray is my grandpa and we are seeking his natural mom, dad or siblings, and what his circumstances were before his adoption. We’ve heard he was in an orphanage, but aren’t sure where or how long. His adoption papers only indicate the adoption took place in the county of Middlesex, Ontario and was authorized by judge A. A. Ingram.
2490. JosephineCP : I am a granddaughter looking for my biological grandparents