How to Apply for an Ontario Long Form Birth Certificate

To apply for an Ontario long form birth certificate — officially the Certified Copy of Birth Registration — submit a request to ServiceOntario online, by mail, or in person at a participating location. The first-time fee is $35, and a replacement copy is $45.¹

The long form reproduces the entire original birth registration held by the Office of the Registrar General, printed on legal-sized paper with a raised seal, and shows any later changes such as legal name changes or corrections. It’s the document Canadian passport applications for children require as proof of parentage as of November 2024, and it’s what foreign governments and courts typically ask for when lineage or the full registration history matters.²

Who Can Apply

Ontario restricts who may request a certified copy of birth registration. You qualify if you are:¹

The person named on the registration, and at least 13 years old.
A parent named on the birth registration, applying for your child.
A legal guardian with court documents proving custody. If you apply online, you’ll still need to mail the court documents with a letter quoting your online order number.
Next of kin of a deceased person — a parent, spouse or common-law partner, child, or sibling — with a death certificate or funeral director’s proof of death. If all immediate next of kin have died, extended family (aunts, uncles, first cousins, grandchildren, grandparents, nephews, nieces) or their authorized representative may apply.

Information to Gather Before You Start

Every detail on your application must match what the provincial archives hold. Use the names and spellings recorded at the time of birth, not current legal names, unless a legal name change was registered.¹

The subject’s full given names and last name (or single name) at birth
Date of birth and sex
City or municipality of birth
Any previous legal names for the person on the certificate
Both parents’ first, middle, and last names (or single names), dates of birth, and places of birth

For online applications, you’ll also need a Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard, or Debit Mastercard.

The Guarantor Requirement

If the person named on the birth certificate is nine years old or older, the application needs a guarantor to verify the applicant’s identity and information. This applies to online and paper applications alike.³

Your guarantor must be a Canadian citizen who has known you personally for at least two years and who works in an approved occupation or profession in Canada. Approved occupations include judges, justices of the peace, notaries public, mayors, police officers, school principals, signing officers at banks or credit unions, and ministers of religion authorized to perform marriages. Approved professions include lawyers, physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, professional engineers, professional accountants, social workers, teachers at primary or secondary schools, chiropractors, optometrists, psychologists, surgeons, and veterinarians.³

If you can’t find a qualifying guarantor, you can still apply, but processing will take longer. You’ll need to submit a detailed letter explaining why, along with a reference letter from a qualified individual as specified by ServiceOntario.

How to Submit the Application

Online

The fastest route is ServiceOntario’s Online Certificate Application at services.ontario.ca/oca-web. The system collects the subject’s information, parents’ details, and guarantor information, then processes payment by credit or debit card. Legal guardians who apply online must mail court documents separately, with a letter referencing the online order number, to the Office of the Registrar General.¹

By Mail

Download the Request for Birth Certificate form (Form 007-11076) from the Ontario Central Forms Repository, complete it, and mail it with payment to:⁴

ServiceOntario
Office of the Registrar General
P.O. Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6L8¹

In Person

Select ServiceOntario locations accept walk-in applications. The Toronto office at 47 Sheppard Avenue East handles both standard and emergency service. The Ottawa office at 110 Laurier Avenue West accepts in-person applications but does not offer emergency service. In-person payment options include cash, money order, Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, or Interac. Personal cheques are not accepted.

Fees

A first-time certified copy of birth registration costs $35. A replacement copy, if you’ve previously received one, is $45. Where available, expedited next-business-day service adds $15 to the base fee.⁵

Urgent processing requires proof of immediate need. Acceptable proof includes travel reservations or airline tickets, documentation of a medical emergency, a letter confirming new employment, a letter from a consulate or embassy confirming an appointment, an immigration hearing appointment letter, a wedding invitation where you are a party to the marriage, or a letter from an RESP dealer.¹

Processing Time and Status Checks

ServiceOntario recommends applying online for the fastest turnaround. The exact processing time depends on current volumes, so check the ServiceOntario website for the current estimate before ordering. Mailed applications take longer because of transit both ways.

You can track your application through ServiceOntario’s Online Status Inquiry System at orgforms.gov.on.ca/status. Only the person who submitted the application can use the tracker. For online and in-person emergency applications, status information appears the next business day. For paper applications, expect about five weeks after mailing before status information becomes available.⁶

If the Birth Was Registered Before 1920

The Office of the Registrar General and ServiceOntario only hold birth registrations from 1920 onward. For a birth registered before 1920, order through the Archives of Ontario, which holds the original registration books and issues certified copies that carry the same legal weight as an original certificate.⁷⁸

1
Government of Ontario. Get or Replace an Ontario Birth Certificate
2
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Documents to Submit When Applying for a Child’s Passport
3
Government of Ontario. Choosing a Guarantor for a Birth Certificate
4
Central Forms Repository. Request for Birth Certificate
5
Ontario.ca. Ontario Regulation 511/01 – Fees for Services Provided by the Registrar General
6
ServiceOntario. Online Status Inquiry System
7
Archives of Ontario. Birth, Marriage and Death Registrations
8
Archives of Ontario. Order a Copy of a Birth, Marriage or Death Registration