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 1,205,526 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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StephanieJoan
20 hours ago
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Kathymch
21 hours ago
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JessicaHaddoc
13 hours ago
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
3706. Jeff1979bb : I was born in Niagara Falls Ontario on January 11th 1979. On April 25th I was placed with my adopted parents. I would very much like to meet my birth mother or any blood relatives I might have. I don’t have children of my own so I’ve never had the chance to see a blood relative with my own eyes and it’s something that has bothered me from a very early age. I absolutely hold no anger towards my birth parents for putting me up for adoption or if I was taken away that doesn’t bother me either. I’ve done things in the past that I’m not proud of but that is in the past and I only care about the future.
3707. Lambert54 : Seeking Twin Boys, Given names Dean and Douglas Lambert, born through the Salvation Army in Hamilton, Ontario.
3708. C1987 : Looking for my dad’s birth brother. He was born feb 1970 and put into foster home. His foster parents adopted him. My dad went by the last name Robitaille at birth.
3709. MattN0 : Just curious for genealogical reasons.
3710. Seanthunderbay : There were two brothers, whose names were Sean and Shane, that were born in Thunderbay, Ontario. Sean was reportedly born December 15, 1969 and Shane was born in August of 1971. At some point they were taken from their mother and placed in foster care. They were moved through many homes, and then adopted around 1974. Sean searched for his identity his whole life, and I tried to help him, but before the internet access we have today it was very hard. I promised him I would help find where he came from and his story, and his adopted sister is helping too, as the adopted parents are no longer able. Recent articles and books have shed light on the thousands of children taken from mothers and adoptions that took place in Ontario in the 1969-1974 time period. Hearing that many moms have come forward, we are hoping maybe to find birth mother now.
3711. Andreahaase : Toronto Peterson Peteresn Chantelle Andrea Linda butters
3712. Lhauley : Given name at birth: Crystal Cynthia Muise. She was adopted through the Children’s Aid Society in Toronto. Her birth grandmother’s surname was King. She has four older birth siblings.
3713. Sarahjansen_ : My name is Sarah Jansen and I was born in Sudbury Ontario on July 25th 2002 at St Joseph Hospital in Sudbury.
3714. Margaretpauline2006 : I am searching for my birth father. I was born in Ottawa, Ont. At The Salvation Army Grace Hospital on Nov. 20, 1943, delivered by Dr. MacIntosh. Born to a nurse (deceased) who met my birth father, while caring for him at Royal Victoria Hospital Montreal, Que. He was in the military and once recovered returned to service. He supported and stood by my birth mother throughout her pregnancy. I was placed for adoption through Ottawa Children’s Aid and have non identifying information provided by both my birth parents at the time of my placement for adoption. I was adopted by my foster family in 1949. I have reunited with my birth mothers family.
3715. Chloeandniki : My half brother was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1970, and was placed in adoption a week after his birth. His adopted name is David Patterson. In 1993 my mother was informed David was looking for us, and he was currently living in Chile, as an English teacher. We wrote letters, and eventually he came to visit us. Several years later, he married a Chilean woman, and had a daughter, Nicola. They all came to visit us again, but we lost contact when he moved back to Ontario, and I and my mom changed addresses and phone numbers. I’ve searched for him for years, but. Not sure how to find him again, or even if he’s still in Canada.
3716. MJSD : According to the statement of birth the Father we are seeking is Joseph-Rolland-PAUL LaDouceur. In 1965, Joseph was 31. The Mother we are seeking is Marie-Simone-CLAIRE Labelle. In 1965, Marie was 25. They were both born in Quebec and are Canadian citizens.
3717. Tina000 : Birth mother’s name is/was Linda Diane Neil. Child’s name at birth was Kevin (but was changed by adoptive parents). Born in November 1968 in Peterborough, Ontario.
3718. Johnny5alive : Hamilton Ontario McMaster University Hamilton General Hospital Wright
3719. Magic591969 : I am hoping there’s someone out there who is similar to myself.. I have no contact with my family that adopted me and don’t want to go through life never knowing where I come from.
3720. Jennifer7777778 : I was born in Ottawa at the civic hospital my birth name was Michelle Christine
