How to Get Your Adoption Records in Ontario: Vetoes and Notices

If you were adopted in Ontario, or you placed a child for adoption, you may be wondering whether you can learn who the other person is. Ontario has a set process for this under the Vital Statistics Act, and it depends on your age, your role in the adoption, and any notices on file.

This article explains who can apply, what is released, how disclosure vetoes and no-contact notices work, and what the Adoption Disclosure Register can and cannot do. Your situation may have details that change the picture, so a lawyer can confirm how the rules apply to you.

Who can apply, and at what age

An adopted person who is at least 18 may apply to the Registrar General for uncertified copies of the original birth registration and the registered adoption order. No fee is charged to access adoption records.

A birth parent may apply for identifying information about the adopted person once the adopted person is at least 19. The ages differ, so a birth parent applying before that point should expect to wait.

Disclosure vetoes

A disclosure veto is a way to stop identifying information from being released. An adopted person or a birth parent may file one only if the adoption order was made before September 1, 2008. If the adoption order was made on or after that date, a veto is not available.

While a veto is in effect, the Registrar General will not release the identifying copies or information. Either an adopted person or a birth parent can be the one who files it, so a veto may affect an application from either side.

If you are told a veto is on file, that is a legal barrier, not a suggestion. How a veto affects your particular situation depends on the facts, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

No-contact notices and contact preferences

An adopted person who is at least 18, or a birth parent, may file a notice that they do not wish to be contacted. Identifying information is then released only if the applicant agrees in writing not to contact them. This is different from a veto, because information can still be released if the applicant gives that written agreement.

This is taken seriously. Knowingly contacting someone, or trying to, despite their no-contact notice is an offence with a fine of up to $50,000 for an individual or $250,000 for a corporation.

A notice of contact preference is different. An adopted person who is at least 18 or a birth parent may file one to say how they would like to be contacted, but these notices are not binding. They are a way to signal a preferred approach, such as a letter first.

• No-contact notice: you must agree in writing not to contact before information is released.
• Contact preference notice: states how someone would like to be contacted and is not binding.
• Disclosure veto: blocks release of identifying information, and is available only for adoption orders made before September 1, 2008.

The Adoption Disclosure Register

Adopted people and birth relatives can join the Adoption Disclosure Register to exchange information. Applications must be mailed, not faxed, emailed or hand-delivered.

A match can take months or years, or may never happen. Because the timing is so uncertain, it is worth treating the Register as one option alongside a direct records application rather than a replacement for it.

What to do next

• Work out your role: adopted person (18 or older) or birth parent (with the adopted person 19 or older).
• Find out when the adoption order was made, since a disclosure veto is possible only for orders before September 1, 2008.
• Decide whether you are prepared to agree in writing not to make contact if a no-contact notice is on file.
• Consider filing a contact preference notice so your wishes are on record, knowing it is not binding.
• Consider joining the Adoption Disclosure Register by mail.
• Speak with a lawyer if there is a veto, a dispute, or an unusual history such as an adoption outside Ontario.

Reunions can be emotional for everyone involved. Give yourself time, respect any notice on file, and consider support from a counsellor or a trusted person.

Frequently asked questions