Register a birth (new baby)

Overview

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

5-in-1 newborn bundle

Using the 5-in-1 newborn bundle is free and it is quicker to register a birth online than to submit a paper Statement of Live Birth form by mail.

If you register the birth online, you can also do the following at the same time:

1. apply for:
   • a birth certificate or birth certificate with parental information
   • a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
   • Canada child benefits (this includes the Ontario specific child benefits)
2. request a Education Savings Referral

Birth registration in Ontario is a two-step process:

1. Statement of Live Birth Form, is completed by parents of newborns and submitted to ServiceOntario
2. Notice of Live Birth Form, is completed by qualified medical staff and submitted to ServiceOntario

If you cannot register a birth within 30 days

We recognize that 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.

After 12 months, the process to register a birth is longer and costs $50.

Planning on moving

If you are moving in the next 2 months, please use your new mailing address.

If you move unexpectedly after using the Newborn Bundle, call ServiceOntario as soon as possible at 1-800-461-2156 for all of North America (areas outside of Toronto), 416-325-8305 in the Greater Toronto Area and Internationally or 416-325-3408.

Who can register online

You can register a birth online 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.

Cost and delivery

Choose one of the following options at a cost

Payment

You can pay using a Visa, Mastercard or Interac® Online

Other services

Register a birth

Register a birth online

Before you register, make sure you:

1. are eligible
2. have:

• the baby’s date of birth
• the baby’s name and parental information (e.g., parents’ names, date of birth and place 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

Register a birth

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
   P.O. Box 4600
   189 Red River Rd
   Thunder Bay, Ontario
   P7B 6L8

You can choose a parental title

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.

Baby 1 year or older

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 if your culture or the baby’s culture has a tradition of single names.

Before starting the online registration, make sure that you have the following form completed: Request for a Birth Registration with a Single Name Form, signed and commissioned; and have obtained the required evidence as indicated on the form.

After you finish using the online registration service, 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 registration service in order to agree to the single name.

Baby with a different last name from the parent(s)

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

Register a birth

Births through assisted reproduction, surrogacy, or with three or four parents

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 is born using 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

If the child has more than four parents

Contact the Office of the Registrar General for assistance at:

• 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
• 416-325-3408 (TTY/Teletypewriter)

Sex designation

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.

Check status of delivery

If you applied online using the 5-in-1 Newborn Bundle, you can check the status of delivery by clicking on one of the following links:

• birth certificate (online)
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) (by telephone)
• Canada child benefits (by telephone or online at the CRA website)
• 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)

Ontario’s routine immunization schedule tool

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.

For more information on registering a birth with multiple parents, with a surrogacy agreement, or parents using inclusive titles, please call us at 1-800-461-2156 if you’re outside of Toronto but within North America or 416-325-8305 if you’re within the GTA or outside of North America; 416-325-3408 (TTY/Teletypewriter).