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 1,204,964 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
2971. Tbell14 : I am looking for family of Elizabeth Geraldine Chappell born July 1, 1933 in Prince Edward Island. She has passed away also in Prince Edward Island, but gave birth to a girl on September 14, 1961 in Toronto, Ontario and put her up for adoption. The adoption order was granted in December 1962, however I was granted custody to adoptive parents earlier then that date. I understand although my birth mother has passed that I most likely have siblings as I understand she was married and lived in Prince Edward Island.
2972. Fizdabizz : I would just like to meet my birth parents. I am quite happy in life but it’s a question I would like answered.
2973. Megancm15 : I’m looking for my mum’s parents and siblings her birth name was Amy Elizabeth rose Mattix
2974. K227 : The baby boy may have been adopted through the Children’s Aid‚ approximately Oct. 1972-early 1973. The dates may be incorrect though. The biological mom was around 16/17‚ from the Pembroke area. Surname Costello. The adopted boy may be an RCMP officer.
2975. Katsmeow : Born in Sault Ste. Marie ON
2976. Jessiepengelly0711 : I am looking for my brother, would be so amazing to meet. I have been searching for so long and just hope one day I will get to meet him.
2977. Jayrodda17 : scarborough hospital toronto ontario
2978. SarahGlanville : Sarah’s name on her birth certificate at adoption was Kimberly Hill.
2979. Vicmc93 : Looking for my sister named rebecca korn. Never met but I would love to. Been told she lives near toronto
2980. MichelleLeanna1970 : I was born Michelle Leanna Y. on July 10th, 1970 at New Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.
2981. Sandra1572 : I’m looking for my daughter who I gave up for adoption 23 years ago.at birth Her adoption parents first names are Bonnie and Joseph. My daughter is biracial. Her adopted mother at the time worked in child care father a cook I believe. I have other children who would love to meet thier sister,and as I would live to reunite her .
2982. Sarah-JaneAFFC : I am taking a DNA test with ancestry.ca. My citizenship records indicate I was born in Portugal and not in Canada to my adoptive parents, Sheila and Bruce Morrison.
2983. WendyBru : A 2 year old baby was adopted by the Mutart family in 1954. Niagara Falls Area. Would like the names of the biological mother and father.
2984. Lauren4277 : I was born at McMaster’s children’s hospital in Hamilton Ontario in September 1981.
2985. Suzanne279 : I gave birth in Burgessville, Ont. The adoption papers were signed when I was 14 and I am now 45 turning 46 (2020), I was forced physically to sign the papers. My son was therefore born in Oxford county and likely the adoption papers were filed in Woodstock, Ontario. My childhood was highly violent and sexually exploitive but basically all these kinds of details constitute an excuse because had I remembered and recalled the night you were born before I was this age (45) I would have come and met you without interfering with your adoptive parents or just written you letters and emails and given you gifts. I wonder what your life has been like if you find this profile and we discover you and I are mother and son biologically. I hope we can be friends because I know now you are a man.
