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 1,205,524 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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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
4021. Suecourse : Hello‚ The birth of my family member took place in Hamilton‚ Ontario‚ Canada. Possibly at St Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton in the summer or fall of 1929. My aunt was in service at that time‚ and had arrived in the early months of 1929 from Scotland‚ and was pregnant with William John Hamilton (Billy) upon leaving Scotland. William John Hamilton (name may have changed) was adopted by a doctor and his wife‚ not sure if there were formal records or if it was a guardianship agreement. My aunt seemed to have contact with her son up until he was approximately 5 years old‚ I have pictures. After that from what I understand‚ there was no further contact‚ my aunt was happy to have provided a safe home for her son‚ as she felt as a young‚ unwed mother‚ and an immigrant‚ that she would not have been able to do that‚ at that time. Looking for anyone that may fit some of these details‚ or at the very least have any knowledge of this family member‚ possibly family. Thank you so much.
4022. REiDdDDd : He was adopted 3 months after he was born and he said that the mother was around 18
4023. SusanElizabeth75 : I am searching for my birth father and any other siblings that I may have out there. I have been told there may be one or two more half siblings . I found my birth mother after over 10 yrs of searching and also my half sister and brother from my fathers ex. No one however will shine light on who my birth father is and I would like to know for health reasons and for mentality.
4024. Johnm1966 : I’m curious about where I came from.
4025. Johnm1966 : I believe I was born at St Michael’s Hospital. My birth name was Paul. My birth mothers name could be Mary. My birth mother may have come from New Brunswick or Quebec to give birth to me in Toronto.
4026. Johnm1966 : Just curious
4027. Kateb11 : I was born in Mississauga Ontario
4028. Kateb11 : I was born in Mississauga Ontario
4029. Smkallen67 : found birth mother and half siblings. My birth mothers name is Sofie Mary Carey from Nova Scotia‚ She lived I Toronto at time of my birth. What I know of birth father is he was Italian from Italy‚ age 27 at time of my birth‚ worked as a Welder. Had 2 brothers who lived in Italy at time of my birth.
4030. Jason_soles : My brother was born in Kitchener ont on June 17 1978 my mother placed him up for adoption and he was adopted out of Owen sound ont
4031. Murph3000 : Hi there‚ My parents and brother have both passed on‚ but I have been advised that I have a sister. I know little information‚ and I am in a bit of shock as to whether this is true. I will know if I see her if she is my mom’s daughter because our looks do not stray too far from the tree. She was from rural Ontario with a strong Catholic upbringing and would have been in her mid-to-late 20s at the time. This is all I have. She was a tall‚ pretty blonde‚ of Irish descent.
4032. Love2findyou : My mother’s name is Marie Arsenault Marie Comeau I am trying to find brother and only have so little information. Adoption happened in Sudbury Ontario Canada as far as I know also he was born at the general hospital. We have done ancestry and found our sister just not him.
4033. Tgaskinmcintyre : I was born in Chatham Ontario at St. Josephs Hospital
4034. Angeldoll379 : I am looking for my birth father I was told by my birth mother his name is Danny Knox he was born in 1958 I am not sure where he was born but he was living in London Ontario in 1976 when my birth mother became pregnant with me. I was born in Kitchener Ontario December 6, 1976 and was then adopted to a couple who lived in London as well. As far as I know he has 13 siblings and in 1976 at that time one sibling had already passed away.
4035. Patriciallegra : The adoption took place in Toronto in 1947. At the time of the adoption there was one other child in the adoptive family’s household‚ a boy. The adoptive parents were 40 and 41 years old at the time of the adoption.
