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 1,204,960 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
4366. Zjaneliunas : I am looking for my siblings i have 6 sisters and 1 brother. My eldest sisters are Terri‚ Brittany and Kaylea who i met when i was about 5 yrs old. The others i have not met
4367. BevK : I am his aunt and the baby was born in Ottawa‚ Ontario or in Gatineau‚ Quebec or possibly in Toronto‚ Ontario.
4368. Tipi12 : I am looking for any family relations of my mother‚ Susan Mary Hawke‚ who was born in Ontario on Feb. 26‚ 1947 and placed for adoption on March 10‚ 1947. She had red curly hair. She was legally adopted on June 10‚ 1949. Her birth mother was born in a small Lutheran community in Ontario in April 1922. She was the eldest of 9 children. Her birth father was 26 and belonged to the United religion. He was one of 2 boys and he was 5’10". He worked in a factory‚ had been married in England and was divorced.
4369. KeenerSenior : I was born in Brantford and my birth name was Patricia Lynne Morris.
4370. Stevenmichealhuggins : I was born February 9 1970 I was premature i was adopted 2 times first one fell through I was born in Toronto in a girl’s reform school
4371. Nicole1956 : my mother gave birth to my half brother on may 31 1974 at the Ottawa General Hospital‚ she had ovarian cancer‚ died Oct 16 1974‚he was adopted threw the Children’s Aid in Plantagenent ON office (Prescott-Russell) today it’s called Valoris ‚I was seventeen when he was born.
4372. BenKent : Hello‚ I was born in Sault Ste Marie‚ ON and was adopted at birth. My birth mother was born in 1967 and father in 1966. I have a sister born in 1984.
4373. Laurwalker : I gave birth to my daughter April 2nd 2007 her name at birth is harmony rose walker
4374. LauraBacks6778 : looking for my daughter her name is jennifer nicole she was born feb 26 1990/91 she was adopted through the cas as far as i know she lives in toronto same 1st and 2nd name but different last name can anyone help me please
4375. Ulfhild : Birth name Tracy Lee Clarke Mt. Sinai Toronto
4376. Rolfdanz : Born in Oakville.
4377. P5browne : Born as Brian Edward Doherty to Muriel Mary Doherty at the Bethesda Hospital in London Ontario. Adopted by Alec and Doris Browne and name changed.
4378. Maryann2022 : I am looking for my Daughter her Name is ( is or was) Amy she was born at St Joseph Hospital in Hamilton‚ She has a sister that she was with for awhile that is younger than her when she was Adopted‚
4379. SherodeeBucknell47 : His name at birth was Matthew Steven Daniel
4380. GreatLakeSwimmer : Hello‚ I wish we could meet under better circumstances. You are getting close to 70 we think. You phoned your birth mother in the last 10-15 years‚ but she declined contact. She’s a nervous sort‚ relationships with her don’t come easy with all of us. You have aunties and cousins that think of you often‚ in our hearts you have been always been a ’missing child’. We hope you are well and have peace. If you want to know more about us‚ we hope we have left enough digital breadcrumbs. Your biological parents names (and you!) are in our tree‚ in case you are interested in Ancestry.
