Office of the Registrar General
Important: Please read through this guide thoroughly before starting the application process. Incomplete information may result in delays in processing your request.
The following information outlines your options when making a request to Register a Disclosure Veto or a Withdrawal of a previously registered Disclosure Veto. If you are adopted and the adoption is registered in Ontario, you may apply to register a Disclosure Veto.
If you are applying as a birth parent, please refer to the Birth Parent’s Guide. If you require additional information about the adoption information disclosure reforms taking place in Ontario, such as information about a No Contact Notice or a Notice of Contact Preference, please see our website www.ServiceOntario.ca select “Health and Social Services” link on the left hand side of the home page and click on to Adoption Information Disclosure.
As an adopted person 18 years of age or older, you may apply to register a Disclosure Veto indicating that you do not want your identifying information disclosed to one or both of your birth parents. You do not need to know the name(s) of your birth parent(s) when applying to register a Disclosure Veto. Once the Disclosure Veto is registered, the Registrar General is prohibited from disclosing the identifying information contained in your birth records and registered adoption order to the birth parent(s) identified in the Disclosure Veto.
Please read prior to submitting your application.
When a Disclosure Veto you file is registered, it replaces any Disclosure Veto, No Contact Notice or Contact Preference Notice intended for the same person that you previously filed and is currently in effect.
If you previously filed a Disclosure Veto and wish to change information in the Statement about your personal, family or medical history (pages 4 and 5 of the application), you must submit a new application to Register a Disclosure Veto. Only the new Veto will be in effect and information contained in a new Statement, if completed, will be disclosed to an entitled birth parent.
If you wish to file separate Statements (pages 4 and 5 of the application) for each of your birth parents you must submit separate applications to register a Disclosure Veto for each birth parent.
Once a Disclosure Veto has been registered you may apply to withdraw the Disclosure Veto.
Please read prior to submitting your application:
When a Disclosure Veto Withdrawal you file is registered, it causes the Disclosure Veto intended for the same person, which you previously filed, to no longer be in effect.
The application has several sections. Please fill in all the information requested to the best of your ability by printing clearly in blue or black ink.
Some areas of the application will not apply to you and should be left blank.
Please indicate your current legal surname (your last name) and your first and any middle names you may have. Your legal name is usually the name on your current birth certificate.
A mailing address is necessary so we can contact you in case additional information is required.
A telephone number is optional. If provided, it may be used to contact you if clarification is required. If you do not wish to be contacted by telephone, leave blank.
Request only one service type either to Register a Disclosure Veto or to Withdraw a Disclosure Veto. If you select more than one service type, your application will not be accepted and will be returned for correction.
Register a Disclosure Veto: Select this option if you are applying to register a Disclosure Veto intended for one or both of your birth parents or to replace a previous Disclosure Veto. If you wish to change information on a previous Statement included with a Disclosure Veto, you must replace the old Disclosure Veto by registering a new Disclosure Veto. When replacing a previously filed Disclosure Veto, if possible, please provide the date of your previous application to register a Disclosure Veto.
Withdraw a Disclosure Veto: Select this option only if you have previously filed a Disclosure Veto and now wish to withdraw the Disclosure Veto. If possible, please provide the date of your previous application to register a Disclosure Veto.
Additional Information Included with this Disclosure Veto (Page 1 of the application): When applying to register a Disclosure Veto, you may provide a brief statement about your medical history on page 4 and a brief statement about your reasons for not wanting your identifying information disclosed and/or any family history on page 5 (See sec. 48.5 (7) of the Vital Statistics Act). If you plan to provide additional information as outlined above, please indicate the type of information by checking the appropriate box in this section of the application.
Identification of the Applicant (Page 1 of the application): Please use this section to confirm you are the adopted person by checking only the box beside adopted person in this section of the application.
Who should this Disclosure Veto or Withdrawal apply to? (Page 1 of the application): As the adopted person requesting to register or withdraw a Disclosure Veto, you must indicate the birth parent or parents you do not want your identifying information disclosed to by checking one box in this section. If you check more than one box, your application will not be accepted and will be returned for correction.
As the adopted person, please fill in the information requested to the best of your ability. Please try and include at a minimum: your legal surname (last name) and first name, sex, date of birth, place of birth (country, province/state, city and/or town), legal surname (last name) of adoptive parents after adoption, and birth registration number found on your birth certificate, if known (e.g. 1954 05 234567).
Additional information requested in this section of the application may help us to process your application more quickly.
Note: This area is intended primarily for applicants who are birth parents. If, as an adopted person, you are aware of some of the particulars of your birth parents, or birth details prior to adoption, please provide those details in this section. Otherwise, as the adopted person, you may leave this section blank.
(Please skip this section if you are only withdrawing a Disclosure Veto)
If you are making a request to register a Disclosure Veto please complete this section of the application form.
Please include the date of your application and the new name you were given when you were adopted. Hint: if you changed your name due to marriage or as a result of any other legal name change, indicate your name before this change.
You must indicate the birth parent(s) you do not want your identifying information disclosed to by checking one box in this section. Do not check the “Adopted Person” box (the box that you check should be the same box that you checked previously in the “Who should this Disclosure Veto or Withdrawal apply to?” section on page 1 of the application). If you check more than one box, your application will not be accepted and will be returned for correction.
Once the Disclosure Veto is registered, if the parent the veto is intended for requests and would otherwise be entitled to disclosure of your identifying information, only a copy of the Statement (pages 4 and 5 of the application form), if completed, will be given to that birth parent by the Registrar General. No other information will be provided.
(Please skip this section if you are only withdrawing a Disclosure Veto)
If you indicated on page 1 of the application that you are providing additional information, you may add that information in the space provided in this section.
You may provide a brief statement about your reasons for not wanting your personal information disclosed. You may also provide a brief statement about your medical history and/or any family history.
If you want the Disclosure Veto to apply to both your birth parents, but you want different Statements to be provided to each parent, or you want only one of your birth parents to receive the Statement, you need to submit two separate applications to register a Disclosure Veto.
Please note: Any information you may have provided in a previously filed Disclosure Veto, Notice of No Contact or Contact Preference Notice for the birth parent(s) indicated on page 3, will no longer be provided to the birth parent(s). If you would like to include this information, you must re-insert it in this Statement.
Please print or type clearly in blue or black ink and do not exceed the allocated space. The Registrar General can only accept the written text you supply in the space provided. Any additional material cannot be included with the application and will not be accepted by the Registrar General.
(Please skip this section if you are making a request to register a Disclosure Veto)
Once a Disclosure Veto has been filed you may apply to withdraw the Disclosure Veto by completing this section of the form.
Please include the date of your application and the new name you were given when you were adopted. Hint: if you changed your name due to marriage or as a result of any other legal name change, indicate your name before this change.
Please check only one box to confirm who the Disclosure Veto was intended for. Do not check the “Adopted Person” box (the box that you check should be the same box that you checked previously in the “Who should this Disclosure Veto or Withdrawal apply to?” section on page 1 of the application). If you check more than one box, your application will not be accepted and will be returned for correction.
If you previously filed a Disclosure Veto that was intended for both your birth parents, but now only want the Disclosure Veto to apply to one of your birth parents, you will need to register a new Disclosure Veto.
Once the Disclosure Veto Withdrawal is registered, if the birth parent the veto is intended for requests and is entitled to disclosure of your identifying information, the Registrar General will disclose identifying information to that parent or parents. A copy of the Statement (pages 4 and 5 of the application form), if completed, that was included with the Disclosure Veto that was withdrawn will not be given to the birth parent(s).
As the applicant, you must sign and date the application as indicated on page 7 in order for it to be processed.
Under the Vital Statistics Act, if you wilfully make or cause to be made a false statement in this application, you may, on conviction, be liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day or both.
Once you have completed your application, you must mail it to:
Office of the Registrar General
PO Box 9000
Thunder Bay ON
P7B 0A5
The Registrar General cannot accept applications that have been faxed, e-mailed or hand-delivered.