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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10,989 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 1,204,958 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
3496. Lise1965 : he was born in Sudbury, Ontario
3497. NancyCameron : Birth name was Susan Green or Greer, Creed, Greed, along those lines. (My mother cannot remember exactly). Born in Oshawa Ontario. Mother very young around 16-17 at time of birth. Birth mother had lots of brothers and sisters.
3498. Krnmcneil76 : Genuinely just curious about myself and where I came from. Hoping to find a relative or family friend who may know more about me.
3499. Dantedante : I was born November 18 1972 in Ottawa. I think my mother named me shawna. She was 16
3500. Brenda_Ruttan : I am looking for a female cousin that was born and put up for adoption in or around 1958/1960 in Toronto. Your mother’s name: Cherrill. She was 14 years old when she gave birth at an unwed mother’s home. You were taken from her immediately.
3501. Rdesjardins655 : My father passed away 7 years ago. I am looking for my paternal biological grandparents. My father was born on 24Dec1938 and adopted on 24Nov1941 in Hawkesbury, Ontario at St-Coeur-de-Marie Hospital. I believe his birth name might have been John Stephen or Stephan
3502. Amberlynn23 : I’m searching for my older sister. I don’t have much information to go on, she will probably be around 25 years of age and a mix between native and African American. She was born in st.Thomas Ontario shortly after her birth and her name was changed. My mother says she was born in November.
3503. Destiny13 : I am searching for any info regarding my birth identity
3504. Bluegenes : I am looking for a first cousin DNA match. Adopted name Lonee Webster. He was adopted by Jack Webster and Marjorie Summerhayes of Brantford, Ontario, Canada. I am searching on behalf of my half brother who does not know who his father is. Unfortunately Lonee Webster has passed away and can not be contacted. It is possible that he did not know he was adopted.
3505. LauraArthur : Hi I am doing this search on behalf of mt mother who would love to get in touch with her first born child. The birth would have been in Port Arthur, Ontario, or Fort William, Ontario, now known as Thunder Bay, Ontario. Bio mother’s name is Ona Nix, bio father’s last name is Norman. Baby was named Paula Lee Norman at birth. Please contact me
3506. SharonHenderson : Hello, My aunt Anne Henderson or Anne Patterson may have had a child in Calgary, Manitoba or Ontario between 1921-1924. She was a nurse. Anne had aunts and cousins in all 3 provinces.
3507. Bento : Baby girl born in St. Catharine’s on April 16, 1977. I have found my birth mother with initials DL and she has given me the name of my birth father with initials TK but I have not looked for him. Looking for possible siblings or other family members. I was given up at birth then my first and last name were changed when I was legally adopted. I went to foster care until being adopted around 4-6 months old.
3508. Mad19421968 : A baby boy born Jan. 20 , 1968 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Guelph Ontario and was given the name Benjamin Alexander David by his birth mother.
3509. Leeendert : Adopted in Sudbury as a newborn to a family of teachers with another adopted child (boy)
3510. JustinNTBrown : Hi my name is Justin. Most call me J. I was born on June 5/97 in St Thomas, Ontario. I am the middle child of 5. All of us are from the same biological parents. Oldest to youngest birth places. 1. St Thomas 2. North Bay Area 3. St Thomas (me) 4. Greater Toronto Area 5. London. All located in Ontario. I am the only one searching because I feel like it would help me mentally to know who they are. If you see this and you think you’re who I’m looking for please please please reach out.
