Notices (Adopted Person)
You can file one of two types of notices that will help you control contact with your birth parent(s).
1. No Contact Notice
If you do not want your birth parent to contact you, you may file a no contact notice. If your birth parent violates the notice by trying to contact you, he or she could be fined up to $50,000.
You must file a separate no contact notice for each birth parent.
If your birth parent requests post-adoption birth information (beginning June 1, 2009), your no contact notice will be released with it, after he or she has signed an agreement not to contact you.
Sharing Medical Information
With your no contact notice, you can include a brief statement about why you don’t want to be contacted. You can also include details about your medical and family information.
Applying for a No Contact Notice
- You must be an adopted adult who is at least 18 years old
- Your adoption must have been registered in Ontario
- This is a free service
- Download the adopted person’s no contact notice guide and no contact notice application form, or call 416-325-8305 or 1-800-461-2156 (TTY 416-325-3408) to get more information
- Send your application by mail, registered mail or courier only
- Your request should be processed within 6-8 weeks. We are unable to confirm that we received your application
Already Applied?
- If your no contact notice is registered, you can replace it at any time with a new no contact notice with different information or with a different type of notice or disclosure veto. You can also withdraw the no contact notice at any time. To do this call 416-325-8305 or 1-800-461-2156 (TTY 416-325-3408)
2. Notice of Contact Preference
A notice of contact preference lets your birth parent know how you want to be contacted. For example, you can say that you’d like to be contacted by e-mail or by telephone.
You must file a separate notice of contact preference for each birth parent.
If your birth parent requests post-adoption birth information (beginning on June 1, 2009), your notice of contact preference will be released with it.
Your notice of contact preference must include the way(s) you want to be contacted (e.g., by e-mail, letter, phone, or through a third party). It must also include any contact details you want to provide (e.g. your telephone number, your e-mail address). The only contact information that your birth parent will see is the information you provide on the statement page of the application.
Exceptions
- Unlike no contact notices, notices of contact preference are not binding. This means that your birth parent is not legally required to contact you the way you requested
- Although you can say how you want to be contacted, any contact information you provide in your statement can be used to contact you. Don’t write any information in your statement that you do not want your birth parent to see because your birth parent will get a copy of your statement
Applying for a Notice of Contact Preference
- You must be an adopted adult who is at least 18 years old
- Your adoption must have been registered in Ontario
- This is a free service
- Download the adopted person’s notice of contact preference guide and notice of contact preference application form, or call 416-325-8305 or 1-800-461-2156 (TTY 416-325-3408) to get more information
- Send your application by mail, registered mail or courier only
- Your request should be processed within 6-8 weeks. We are unable to confirm that we received your application
Already Applied?
- If your notice of contact preference is registered, you can replace it at any time with a new notice of contact preference with different information or with a different type of notice or disclosure veto. You can also withdraw the notice of contact preference at any time. To do this call 416-325-8305 or 1-800-461-2156 (TTY 416-325-3408)
