Register a birth (new baby)

When a child is born in Ontario, their birth needs to be registered within 30 days with the Government of Ontario.

If you cannot register a birth within 30 days

For some parents, registering a birth within 30 days is not always possible.

In these cases, if you’re eligible you can still register a birth online for free, within 12 months of the birth date.

The process to register a birth is longer after 12 months and costs $50.

If you are moving

Use your new mailing address if you are moving in the next 2 months.

If you move unexpectedly after using the newborn bundle, call ServiceOntario as soon as possible at: 

• Toll-free: 1-800-461-2156 for all of North America (areas outside of Toronto)
• 416-325-8305  in the Greater Toronto Area and Internationally 
• TTY: 416-325-3408 (TTY/Teletypewriter)

You can register your child’s birth through the online 5-in-1 newborn bundle. It’s free, fast and easy to use.

In one application, you can:

1. Register your child’s birth
2. Apply for a birth certificate
3. Apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
4. Apply for Canada child benefits (including the Ontario-specific child benefits)
5. Request an Education Savings Referral

Registering a birth in Ontario usually is a two-step process:

1. A Statement of Live Birth Form is completed by parents of newborns and the parents submit to ServiceOntario
2. A Notice of Live Birth Form is completed by qualified medical staff and these staff submit to ServiceOntario

It’s quicker and easier for parents to register a birth online than to submit a paper Statement of Live Birth form by mail. If you register a birth by mail, you will need to apply for your child’s documents separately.

Register a birth online

You can register a birth online through the 5-in-1 newborn bundle if the:

• baby is born in Ontario
• baby is under 12 months
• baby’s birth has not been registered before

Note: All parents must be present when registering online to certify the birth.

Before you register, make sure you have:

• the baby’s date of birth
• the baby’s name
• parental information (for example, parents' names, date(s) of birth and place(s) of birth)
• the name of the hospital or birthing centre
• the name of the person who delivered the baby (doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife or other)
• the baby’s weight
• the length of the pregnancy in weeks

Apply for the 5-in-1 newborn bundle

Register a birth by mail

Note: it is quicker to register a birth online.

You can register a birth by mail through the following steps:

1. fill out a Statement of Live Birth Form for:
   • 1 to 2 parents
   • 3 or 4 parents
2. Mail all completed forms and documents to:
   Office of the Registrar General
   189 Red River Rd, P.O. Box 4600
   Thunder Bay, Ontario
   P7B 6L8

Choose one of the following birth certificate options at a cost

Payment

You can pay using a Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard or Debit Mastercard.

Other services

When registering your child’s birth online, you can choose a parent title of ‘mother’, ‘father’, or ‘parent’ for each parent listed. The title you choose should be the one that best represents your family and relationship to the baby.

If you are registering the birth of a baby that is 1 year or older, you need to:

1. Order a birth certificate online
2. ServiceOntario will check to confirm that your baby is not already registered and will send you a package for delayed registration of birth in the mail
3. complete the registration package and return it by mail to the address provided in the package

You can register the birth of a baby online with a single name in accordance with the child’s traditional culture, if the traditional culture of at least one of the parents registering the birth or the baby’s traditional culture has a single naming practice.

Before starting the online registration, make sure that you have the following:

• a completed Request for a Birth Registration with a Single Name Form
• have the form signed and commissioned
• the required evidence as indicated on the form

After you finish using the online 5-in-1 newborn bundle, mail the additional form and required evidence to the Office of the Registrar General to complete the registration. All parents must be present when using the online 5-in-1 newborn bundle in order to agree to the single name.

Office of the Registrar General
189 Red River Rd, P.O. Box 4600
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6L8

You can register the birth of a baby with a last name that is different from the parent(s) last name using the online 5-in-1 newborn bundle. All parents must be present at the time of registration to agree to it.

Register a birth

Through the Children’s Law Reform Act, you may be recognized as a parent to a child in certain circumstances. For example, you may be recognized as a parent to a child:

• if the child is born to your spouse, where the child was conceived through assisted reproduction or insemination by sperm donor.
• if you are part of a pre-conception parentage agreement for that child that has no more than four parents in the agreement.
• where the child's birth involves a surrogate, if you had a surrogacy agreement before the child is conceived, and the surrogate agrees to give up parental rights no earlier than 7 days after the child is born.

You can register the birth online for all of the examples listed above.

If the birth involves a surrogate, make sure that you have the following forms completed, signed and commissioned before starting the online registration. You will need to mail them to the Office of the Registrar General to complete the registration.

• Statutory Declaration by Surrogate
• Statutory Declaration by Intended Parents

Mail to:

Office of the Registrar General
189 Red River Road, PO Box 4600
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 6L8

Contact us

For information on registering a birth with more than four parents, or for more information on registering a birth with a surrogacy agreement or parents using inclusive titles, please call us at: 

• Toll-free: 1-800-461-2156 if you’re outside of Toronto but within North America
• 416-325-8305 if you’re within the GTA or outside of North America
• TTY: 416-325-3408 (TTY/Teletypewriter)

Anyone whose birth was registered in Ontario can now choose not to display the sex designation field on their birth certificate.

Parents may also choose a gender neutral birth certificate for a newborn.

Choosing this gender neutral option does not change anything on your birth registration – it just means the sex designation information will not be displayed on your birth certificate.

This option is not available on a certified copy of birth registration, which will continue to display the sex designation that is recorded on your birth registration.

Learn more about not displaying the sex designation field on your birth certificates.

If you applied online using the 5-in-1 newborn bundle, you can check the delivery status of your applications by following the instructions below:

• birth certificate: check the status of your application online
• Social Insurance Number (SIN): call Service Canada at 1-866-274-6627
• Canada Child Benefits:  visit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) My Account or MyBenefits CRA, or call the CRA at 1-800-387-1193
• Education Savings Referral: visit the list of RESP Promoters for the Education Savings Referral (contact the RESP Promoter listed on the receipt page that you printed during the online birth registration process)

This immunization tool will help you learn about Ontario’s free vaccine program, and make it easy to keep your family up to date with the recommended vaccinations.

Check the status of a birth certificate ordered online

See Ontario’s top female baby names

See Ontario’s top male baby names

Learn about ServiceOntario’s commitment to privacy and security

Find and pay for child care