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
11,079 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 1,198,403 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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Bea5ley
10 hours ago
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
61. Jeffgates : Just looking
62. Micheledunne : I am looking for my adopted nephew. We would love to have contact. I have been looking for awhile. He was born at Grace Hospital in Vancouver & it was a private adoption to a couple in Eastern Canada. Birth name Peter James Dunne
63. Kerdino : I want to find my niece. Name at birth Felicia Ann Vermaat Caruso. Born in Hamilton‚ Ontario August 17 1992. Father is my brother Daniel Caruso‚ mother is Kelly Vermaat.
64. Seaglass71 : Im helping a friend search for her birth birth father, She was born at St. Michaels Hospital in toronto, Canada. And given up for adoption through the Catholic Childrens Aid Society of Toronto. Possible last name Villa
65. JamesAlderson : I want to find my birth mother
66. Carrolep : Want to find birth family! I’m also part of the sixties scoop lawsuit. I live in Calgary, Alberta. I als found Uncles and cousins living on Tsuu Tina Reserve.
67. Andrew198504 : I would like to find my birth parents.
68. Taxman3875 : I have been looking for you since you were a baby. I just want you to know that I always think of you and I wish to let you know that you have 2 full sisters (your birth mother and I got married) several years after you were born and had two children. Would like to have contact if you so desire and if not would just like to know that you are well.
69. DawnChristine : Born at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Ontario. Premature. Adoption arranged through Peel Children’s Aid.
70. Abigail1977 : I was born in Toronto Ontario at the Toronto Western Hospital on November 8, 1977. My birth mothers name is Sveta Cvetko but may have been Sveta Convoy at the time of my birth. She immigrated to Canada from Yugoslavia in her late teens along with her mother and younger brother and sister. She refuses to tell me anything about who my birth father is and everyone else claims they don’t know anything. She was 26/27 at the time of my birth and she was and still is mentally ill with schizophrenia.
71. SarahLynnW : I was in Born in Hamilton on 4th July 1975‚ At Henderson General Hospital. I would love to make contact with‚ or even just learn details of‚ my birth mother‚ birth father‚ birth grandparents and/or any half or full siblings I may have out there 🫶🏻
72. SarahJessica1393 : Name of adopted sister was listed as Ruth Brent (married name - unsure of maiden name).
73. Yournewgoddess : Born July 2 1977. Born in kitchener Ontario. Birth name Melanie Lynn. Adopted September 2 1977 in kitchener ontario
74. Shar2you : I know your name at birth was Patricia Hill, and you adopted by a couple who I believe lived in Paris, Ontario. I do not know your birth date and guessing you would have been born in 1961
75. Kimberly47 : I’m in search of my half brother, birth name was Troy Hanson, born at Scarborough General Hospital in July of 1966. Troy was adopted by a family that had already adopted another son 2 years older than him. The mother had been in the fashion industry father was in sales and sounds like promoted to management. Troy would be caucasion/east asian (japanese). someday I hope that I will finally find you.
