Every child born in Ontario must be registered with Ontario’s Office of the Registrar General. This allows documents such as birth certificates and Social Insurance Number cards to be produced. A birth registration contains information about a newborn and is used to create his or her permanent identity record. The birth registration form CANNOT itself be used as proof of identity or to request documents such as Passports or Ontario Health Cards. Information found on the birth registration is used to create a birth certificate.
BIRTH REGISTRATION
What is a birth registration?
Birth registration in Ontario is a two-step process. Two forms must be submitted and matched in order for a birth registration to occur. The first form, the Notice of Live Birth form, is completed by medical staff and submitted to the Office of the Registrar General (Province of Ontario). The second form, the Statement of Live Birth form, is completed by parents of newborns using either a paper form or the Newborn Registration Service online and is then submitted directly to the Office of the Registrar General. It is the matching of these two forms that creates a birth registration.
Once the birth is registered, a birth certificate or certified copy of the birth registration can be obtained and used as proof of identity or to request documents such as Passports or Ontario Health Cards.
There is NO fee for a birth registration
With the province-wide implementation of the fully electronic 4-in-1 Newborn Registration Service, there are no longer fees associated with registering a birth in Ontario.
When must a birth be registered in Ontario?
Under the Vital Statistics Act, the birth of every child born in the Province of Ontario must be registered within 30 days of the date of birth with the Office of the Registrar General. If you didn’t register the birth and your child was born more than one year ago, you need to contact the Office of the Registrar General.
Who is eligible to register a birth in Ontario?
A child’s birth can be registered with either one or two parents named on the birth registration. For the purposes of this form, a parent must be one of the following:
- The child’s mother, who is the woman who gave birth to the child;
- The child’s father, if he is the biological father and if he is acknowledged by the mother and agrees to be named on the birth registration;
- The child’s “other parent”, who is a non-biological parent of the child, where the child was born from assisted conception with an anonymous sperm donor. Another parent can only be named on the birth registration if he/she is acknowledged by the mother and he/she agrees to be named on the birth registration.
The birth registration must be signed by each parent whose information is included on the birth registration form, unless that parent is incapable due to illness or death.
If both parents are incapable, or the mother is incapable and the father is unknown to, or unacknowledged by the mother, and the child has no other parent, the statement may be completed and signed by an informant acting on the mother’s behalf. In this case, a statutory declaration must be submitted. Information on statutory declarations will be provided at the end of your online session, or you can contact the municipality where the child’s birth took place.
How can I register a birth in Ontario?
Use the following four steps to register a child in Ontario:
- Use the Newborn Registration Service to fill out the Statement of Live Birth electronically. OR After you give birth, the hospital or midwife will give you a form called a Statement of Live Birth (Form 2). This is your child’s permanent identity record. Fill out the form, ensuring the information is clear and accurate.
- Once you have completed and carefully reviewed the Statement of Live Birth, the parent(s) must sign the form. If a father’s or other parent’s information is provided, both parents must sign and certify the form. If a father’s or other parent’s information is not provided, only the mother must sign. It is an offence to sign someone else’s name on the form. If one of the parents is unavailable, send the form to him/her to be signed and returned (originals only).
- Mail the Statement of Live Birth (Form 2) to the Office of the Registrar General (Government of Ontario), where the birth registration with the province takes place.
- When your child’s birth is registered, you may apply for his/her birth certificate. By using the Newborn Registration Service, you can apply for the birth certificate while completing your birth registration form, all online. The birth certificate will be produced after the birth has been registered.
What do I need to know before I begin?
- If both parents are going to be named on the child’s birth registration then both parents must be present at the computer to complete and certify (sign or confirm online) this form.
- Either parent named on the child’s birth registration is eligible to apply online for the child’s birth certificate and social insurance number. Only the mother is eligible to apply for Canada Child Benefits online. The eligible person(s) must be present at the computer in order to apply for any of these services.
- Your child must be under one year of age. If your child is one year or older, contact the Office of the Registrar General.
Address of the Office of the Registrar General
Deputy Registrar General Office of the Registrar General P.O. Box 4600 189 Red River Road, 3rd Floor Thunder Bay ON P7B 6L8 In Toronto 416-325-8305 Toll-free Outside Toronto 1-800-461-2156 Fax: (807) 343-7459BIRTH CERTIFICATE
How much does a birth certificate cost?
- first birth certificate (short form – 2.5″ x 3.75″) $25
- replacement birth certificate (short form) $35
- first certified copy of birth (long form – 8.5″ x 14″) $35
- replacement certified copy of birth (long form) $45
How can I pay?
You can pay online by VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Interac® Online. If you are mailing in your application, you can pay by cheque, money order or credit card.
How long will it take?
Provided that the birth is registered, it should take:
- online service – 15 business days (including delivery)
- premium online service – (Online Only) 5 business days (including delivery) plus $30 surcharge
- fax or regular mail service – 6 to 8 weeks plus delivery
- expedited service – 10 days plus delivery
What if I need a birth certificate in a hurry?
As long as the birth is registered and you have proof of urgency it will take 2 days plus delivery and $30 surcharge. You MUST apply in person at the Toronto Office at:
4th Flr Unit 417, 47 Sheppard Avenue East Toronto, ON M2N 5N1 General Inquiry: 1-800-267-8097Parents who anticipate a need for travel soon after birth, are advised to use the fully electronic 4-in-1 Newborn Registration Service to register the newborn’s birth and apply for a birth certificate at the same time. If you did not order a birth certificate at the same time the birth registration information was submitted, you should apply for a birth certificate via the Office of the Registrar General Premium Online or Emergency services for the quickest delivery.
Type of Birth Certificate: short form and long form
A short form is an extract of information from the original birth registration. It is useful as basic identification.
A long form is a certified copy of the birth registration and is needed when you are:
- Moving to another country
- An executor for a foreign estate
- Are adopting a child abroad
- Filling out certain citizenship or immigration documents
If you are applying for a birth certificate for a particular agency or organization, it is best to check with them to determine what type of birth certificate they require from you.
Short Form
This includes basic information such as:
- Name (last name and given name(s))
- Date of birth
- Certificate number
- Birthplace
- Sex
- Date of registration
- Registration number
- Date issued
Long Form (Certified)
The Long Form is provided in the form of a certified copy. It contains all registered information, including:
- Name (last name and given name(s))
- Date of birth
- Birthplace (city, town, village, municipality)
- Sex
- Location of birth (hospital, birthing centre, etc.)
- Parents’ names
- Parents’ dates of birth
- Mother’s mailing address at the time of birth
- Duration of the pregnancy
- Number of children born to this mother
- Parents’ birthplaces
- Weight of the child at birth
- Type of birth (single, multiple, etc.)
- Attendant at the birth
- Date of registration
- Registration number
- Date issued
Confirmation Letter
This is a letter confirming whether or not a birth registration is on-file. If you do not know the exact date of the birth, choose an approximate year of birth and write it in the space provided for the date. They will search for a birth that exactly matches the person’s name and the other information provided, for that whole year, plus two years before and after, for a total of five years.
Who is entitled to apply for the birth certificate?
You are entitled to apply:
- If the birth took place in the province of Ontario.
- If the application is for your own birth certificate and you are at least 13 years old.
- If the application is for your child’s birth certificate and you are named as a parent on your child’s original birth registration.
- If you are the legal guardian of a child and you can provide court documents proving that you have custody of the child.
- If you are the next-of-kin, executor or estate administrator, and the person named on the certificate is deceased. You must provide proof of death, (e.g., a death certificate or a funeral director’s statement of death, and any other documentation requested by the Office of the Registrar General). You will only be able to obtain a long form (certified copy) of a birth certificate. Short form birth certificates will not be issued for a deceased person.
The Office of the Registrar General maintains birth registrations for 95 years. For records older than this, please contact the Archives of Ontario
Do I have a valid guarantor?
If you are applying for a birth certificate for an individual nine years of age or older you need a guarantor. A guarantor is a Canadian citizen and someone who has known you (the applicant) personally for at least 2 years, and is currently serving in or a practicing member in good standing of a profession from this guarantor’s list. The role of the guarantor is to certify that information provided on a birth certificate application is as complete and accurate as possible. If required, a qualified guarantor must also be available to verify the information with the Office of the Registrar General.
ONLINE NEWBORN REGISTRATION SERVICE
The Newborn Registration Service is a fully electronic application for the birth registration of Ontario newborns. The service was made available across Ontario as of July 2009 with the partnership of the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to improve the quality of services for the public. This partnership results in better customer service, faster processing of applications and improved security and integrity of personal information for Ontario newborns.
You can apply for your newborn’s birth certificate online at the ServiceOntario, Canada Revenue Agency and Service Canada’s joint Newborn Registration Service – https://www.orgforms.gov.on.ca/IBR/start.do – the easiest way to register your baby’s birth and fastest way to apply for their birth certificate, Canada Child Benefits and Social Insurance Number all at the same time.
- Fill out your baby’s birth registration online and with a few clicks…
- Apply online for a birth registration
- Apply online for a birth certificate
- Apply online for Canada Child Benefits
- Apply online for a Social Insurance Number
The online birth certificate application can be completed quickly and easily once the birth registration section is complete. By using this service, you will not have to fill out a birth certificate application at a later date. As well, you will not have to wait for a confirmation of birth registration before applying for a birth certificate.
The fully electronic 4-in-1 Newborn Registration Service does not require a printer to complete the birth registration process. Once completed online, the Statement of Live Birth can be submitted electronically to the Office of the Registrar General for processing. You may wish to print out the confirmation receipt once the information has been submitted.
Parents without the necessary equipment in their home should be aware that most libraries in Ontario are equipped with computers, printers and Internet. Many libraries in rural, remote and First Nations communities, have staff who are specially trained to help clients access the ServiceOntario website. Also, parents may access computers, printers and Internet at any one of the many ServiceOntario centres across Ontario.
Things you need to know before you get started.
Step 1: Complete the birth registration form
You will need to know:
- The Newborn Registration Service takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete
- The child’s date of birth
- The child’s first, middle (if applicable) and last names
- The birth mother’s maiden name.
- The name of the hospital or birthing centre where the birth took place (if applicable)*
- The name of the person who attended the birth (physician, midwife or other) *
- The weight of the child*
- The duration of pregnancy in weeks*
- You can only use this service for up to five children (quintuplets).
*If you are unsure about any of this information, refer to the hospital release form given to you after the child’s birth for these details.
Step 2: Apply for the child’s Birth Certificate
- You must be a parent named on the child’s birth registration or legal guardian to apply for a birth certificate using this online service.
Step 3: Apply for Canada Child Benefits
- You must be the mother of the child and a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident to use this service. For this service, “Mother” refers to the child’s birth mother.
Step 4: Apply for the child’s Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- You must be the parent of the child and a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident to apply for a SIN using this online service.
Replace your Ontario birth certificate online
If the birth happened outside Ontario and within Canada, please contact the Vital Statistics Office (http://www.ontario.ca/en/information_bundle/birthcertificates/119275.html ) in the province or territory where the birth took place. If the birth occurred in another country, please contact the country where the birth took place.
Application Forms
For the application forms go to www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca
Track the Status of Your Application Online
After you have submitted your online application, you may use the Online Status Inquiry System to track the status of your application(s). Status will be made available by the next business day at: https://www.orgforms.gov.on.ca/status
