I’m a birth parent. Can I find a child I placed for adoption?

You may be able to find a child you placed for adoption.

In Ontario, adoption records are open and available to people who were involved in an adoption. This means that you can ask the government for information about the child you placed for adoption after the child turns 19 years old.

But, the child you placed for adoption has some control over:

• how much information you can get about them
• what kind of information you can get about them
• whether they want to be contacted and if so, how they want to be contacted

If your child was born in Ontario and the adoption took place in Ontario, you can ask for 2 types of information:

• identifying information, which will tell you the current name of the child you placed for adoption
• non-identifying, which will give you information about the adoption, but will not tell you the current name of the child you placed up adoption

If the adoption occurred before September 1, 2008, your adopted child may have filed a disclosure veto. A disclosure veto means that their identifying information, including their name, will not be released. 

If the adoption was finalized in Ontario, you can put your name on the adoption disclosure register. If your child also puts their name on the register, you can be matched.

Adoptions outside Ontario

If your child was born outside Ontario or the adoption took place outside Ontario, you may not be able to get any identifying information about your child. 

You should check with the adoption authorities of the province or country where they were adopted to find out what information they can share with you.