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
10,986 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 1,205,521 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
1051. Tbyars : Born in Hawkesbury, Ontario but adopted Hull Quebec several days after birth. Wasn’t taken home by adoptive parents until 3 months of age. I believe I lived with foster until then
1052. Cgrah026 : Its for genealogy. I’m an ancestry.ca member and am hoping to find the birth father of my relative, Milton Herbert Downs. He lived with his birth mom, Florence Richardson, and his adoptive father Sidney Charles Downs. They lived in Kingston, Ontario. We have no idea what his birth last name would be, only that his father was apparently French. We are pretty sure he was adopted by Sidney around the time he was 11, so that would be around 1944.
1053. Whitefawn21 : My sister was adopted out of Cornwall CAS when she was aproximately 4 years old . she along with her brothers was taken in to custody from our father when our mother left us. Her name is Adelaide.
1054. Barton1957 : Born "Baby Barton" at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario on ,March 13, 1957.
1055. Jackvdklooster : i was born in tillsonburg ont canada on feb 13 1961 i think my name was David Simmer or Simmers or simms
1056. Etoshia : Peel Memorial, Brampton. Ethnic birth parents: foreign travellers / or new immigrant suspected. Private adoption and limited information ever been found. Unknown origins or races but skin tone of adoptee is tan with Brown eyes and black hair. Pattern baldness inherited and no known immediate health concerns. Adopted to a white family with strong church/religious and Canadian values. Any help or lead would be appreciated.
1057. Lansonma : My father is Grant I’Anson in March 12 1967 when he was birth adopted so I trying to look his parents who is parents if you could find them and help me please.
1058. ShaneDuffy1 : Hi I am trying to find my brother who was born in Hamilton in 1967 at a mother’s unwed home birth name was Micheal Bird
1059. LaurettaC : My mother’s name is Mary Bordin and she Gabe birth at St Mary’s Hospital in Timmins Ontario.
1060. Tomfines : looking for family medical information. Born in Toronto, adopted in Newmarket
1061. Truus : I am looking for Mike and Monique/Drew and Dawn. Twins born in St. Catharines (near Toronto) on January 7, 1970. Their mother’s name was Clasina JOL, she was originally from the Netherlands.
1062. Ladyjane1947 : Mother: Judy Ballantyne Fathers name: Bob/Robert Rushton Both mother and father possibly born in 1947 Both parents originally from Toronto area Fathers occupation: possible catering company in niagara falls area
1063. Cavegirl : I am looking for information on a Winnifred Florence Hilton nee (Thomson). She was born in Manitoba around 1933. She was married to a Robert Arthur Hilton, he was born in Ontario around 1930.
1064. Carolann22 : Love to know my family
1065. KatrinaGoss : I’m your sister I know I haven’t looked for you as hard as I want to. But I knew you weren’t allowed to give any contact until you’re 18, and I felt that even if I had the chance to see you again I would. My whole life I’ve been telling my whole self that my one mission is to find you all and be back in your life, so dezrae if you see this message me.
