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 1,205,526 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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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
1216. 1963baby : Young mother in 1963 gave baby up for adoption because her father was a important person in the community and therefore his 16 year old daughter was too young to be a parent not married. Teenage pregnany I beleave. Toronto ont area. Birth was around April 1963.
1217. Brianbeveridge : Mother- Carrie Elizabeth Morrison Hospital- Grace Hospital, 155 Bloor St. East Toronto
1218. Bunny1969 : Was born to Margaret Marie House or Margaret Marie Karn
1219. Robinleemark : Birth name Gloria Norma, possibly born in Hamilton Ontario. Mother Violet Buckle father unknown. Adoption finalized in 1949. Adopituve father was a factory worker from England and mother a homemaker From eastern Canada. They had 2 sons that were 11 and 18 at the time of adoption. They were Protestant and very involved with the church. Adoptive parents taught Sunday school.
1220. Mg809 : I’m searching for my mom’s family. Her mom was young when she had her. She was adopted in toronto at about 3 to 6 months old. Her birth name was cynthia.
1221. BeccaDrew97 : born in guelph adopted at age 4 was taken away at age one maybe before birthparents and maybe step siblings
1222. Suelantro : I had a wonderful life with my adopted father. I would like to meet my birth father from Scotland.
1223. Peperov46 : I am searching for the birth parents of my father who is now deceased. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. His birth name was John Sullivan McFadden. His adopted name was Gordon Edward Pepper.
1224. Dec453 : I was born in Sudbury, Ontario. Hospital was St. Joseph’s Hospital. My Birth first name was William. My mother was 17-18. And Father was 20. Mother had older brother named William Jr. Mason. Her parents were William Sr. Mason and Ilma Mason (Makela). Her mom passed in 1974. Her dad passed in 2005. I have limited information on my Father other than his dad has passed prior to my birth, but his mom was alive. He had no brothers or sisters (was an only child).
1225. Irish1965 : Hamilton ontario
1226. Aurelefraser : My husband was left by his birth mother at Ottawa general Hospital. The children’s aid society in Ottawa said he has a brother who was given away also but she kept a sister. They said his brother was adopted in Toronto and was looking for his brother on the adoption registry but my husband was told he could not be on the registry to find his brother because he himself was never officially adopted only fostered. I learned that his mother died in August in the the early 1990 s. We don’t have any names. So it has been very difficult to find both brother and sister. My husband was born November 6, 1950. I know he would be so happy to meet his family. His mother was French and we were told she was married and when her husband was away in the army she had a fling with a guy from the US. It was a one night thing and she got pregnant. When her husband came home he said she had to give the baby away so she left him at the hospital. Is there any way you can help him find his family. His name is Aurele Fraser. They also said his biological father was either Italian or Greek.
1227. Momtokayla : I am looking to find information about my father’s birth mother. His name is Robert Earl Lowes. He was born Robert Earl Clithero, on December 31, 1943, in Ottawa, Ontario at the Grace hospital. His birth mothers name is Eva Clithero. No name for his father. They were not married. Eva resided in Strathroy, Ontario and was born in 1922
1228. T111yM11111l : Looking for daughter name at birth Michell Ennis, name after adoption Stephanie Michell Murray. Born August 6 1981 Missisauga General Hospital.
1229. Lrennie : Centenary hospital in Toronto Ontario , Dr Petersile(not sure of spelling) private adoption, adopted at birth picked up directly from hospital, named baby Nicholas Wade Rennie, I am the birth mother
1230. Christinep : I’m searching on behalf of my husband Blake, his birth name was Arthur MacGillvray(sp?) His adopted parents are Ruth Marie & James Gardiner Pillman. They resided in Bramalea when the adoption took place. They adoption was through the Children’s Aid Society.
