Having a Baby - How to Register a Birth in Ontario
You can register the birth of your newborn in one of the following ways:
- Newborn Registration Service - Use this 4-in-1 service to register a baby under the age of one, apply for a birth certificate, apply for a Social Insurance Number and apply for Canada Child Benefits, in one convenient visit.
- If you are unable to or do not wish to use the Newborn Registration Service, you can fill out the Statement of Live Birth form online, print and mail it to the Office of the Registrar General (Government of Ontario). The address of the Office of the Registrar General is listed on the Statement of Live Birth form. Once registered, you may apply for your child’s birth certificate.
- After the birth of your child, the hospital or midwife gave you a form called a Statement of Live Birth form.Fill out the form, ensuring the information is clear and accurate as this will be your child's permanent, legal record. Once you have completed and carefully reviewed the Statement of Live Birth, the parent(s) who are named on the Statement must sign the form as indicated.
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. There is no fee to register the birth of your child. A fee will be charged to obtain a birth certificate.
The Statement of Live Birth is your child's permanent legal record.
Please be advised that it is an offence to sign someone else's name to the form. If one of the parents is unavailable to sign, send the form to him/her to be signed and returned (originals only).
What happens after the birth of your child is registered?
If you have completed the online Newborn Registration Service and applied for a birth certificate at the same time, you will not receive the Notice of Birth Registration, but will receive the birth certificate once registration has been completed.
If you are registering the birth of your child with the Statement of Live Birth paper form, and not through the online Newborn Registration Service, the form will need to be mailed to the Office of the Registrar General (Government of Ontario). The address of the Office of the Registrar General is listed on the Statement of Live Birth form. Once the birth is registered, a Notice of Birth Registration will be mailed to the address given on the Statement of Live Birth. You may then apply for a birth certificate.
Birth certificates ordered online are delivered by courier and someone will need to available to sign for the delivery.
