Newborn Registration Service

Birth Registration

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! ServiceOntario and Service Canada’s new online Newborn Registration Service is the easiest and fastest way to register your baby’s birth and to apply for your baby’s birth certificate and Social Insurance Number – all at the same time!

Birth registration information for children born on or after June 22, 2009
Birth registration information for children born before June 22, 2009

Birth registration information for children born on or after June 22, 2009

Births within the city of Ottawa
Births outside of the city of Ottawa and within Ontario
Births in the province of Quebec
Traveling with a newborn

Births within the city of Ottawa

If your child was born in the city of Ottawa on or after June 22, 2009, online birth registration is now available. You can electronically submit your child's birth registration directly to the Office of the Registrar General as well as apply for your child’s birth certificate and Social Insurance Number (SIN) at the same time. Depending on where the birth occurred, this service will automatically guide you through the process and inform you whether you need to print the registration or can submit it online.

Please visit www.serviceontario.ca/newborn to register your child’s birth online with the Office of the Registrar General. You may also visit ServiceOntario Frequently Asked Questions or call 1-800-461-2156 if you require further information.

If you are not registering your child’s birth online, please forward the completed Statement of Birth form within 30 days by mail to:

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

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Births outside of the city of Ottawa and within Ontario

If your child was born elsewhere in Ontario, you'll need to contact the municipal office in the city where your baby was born to determine if you can register the child online, or if you must send the Statement of Live Birth form directly to the municipality or to the Ontario Registrar General’s Office.

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Births in the province of Quebec

For children born in Quebec, every child must be declared to Le Directeur de l'état civil. For more information, please call Le Directeur de l'état civil at 1-800-567-3900 (toll free in Quebec) or visit the office online at Directeur de l’état civil.

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Traveling with a newborn

Parents with children born on or after June 22, 2009, who anticipate a need to travel soon after the birth of their child, are advised to apply for a birth certificate at the same time they submit the Statement of Live Birth electronically through the Newborn Registration Service to expedite the process.

If the birth certificate was not requested at the same time the birth registration was submitted, parents should apply for a birth certificate by calling the Office of the Registrar General at 1-800-461-2146 or visiting Service Ontario online.

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Birth registration information for children born before June 22, 2009

Birth Registration Form (Statement of Live Birth)
Births outside of the city of Ottawa and within Ontario
Births in the province of Quebec
Notice of Birth Registration
Birth certificate application
Traveling with a newborn

Birth Registration Form (Statement of Live Birth)

The hospital issues a Birth Registration Form (also known as the Statement of Live Birth), which will become your child's permanent record of birth. Registering your child’s birth will ensure he or she has a legal identity so that documents such as a birth certificate, Ontario health card and social insurance card can be produced.

Follow these steps to register your child:

Fill in the form. You have two options.

1. Fill in the form online:
1. You can use ServiceOntario and Service Canada’s joint Newborn Registration Service to complete your child’s Birth Registration Form online and print it out. The step-by-step process will ensure that you complete your newborn’s Birth Registration Form completely and accurately. You can also use this service to apply for your child’s birth certificate and Social Insurance Number (SIN) online

Or

2. You can fill in a paper copy of the form. Remember these tips when filling out the form:
• If you are filling in a paper copy of the form by hand, you must use only one colour of ink, either black or blue. Take care to ensure your penmanship is accurate and easy to read. If you make an error on the form, please cross out the error and initial.
• If the error was in the first section, the name of the baby and birth date, both parents must initial. Correction fluid is not permitted. And don't forget to include both parents' signatures.
• If the father's information is not provided, only the mother is required to sign the form. In the section regarding the father's information, the mother must indicate, "Information not provided" on line six only.

2. Once you have completed your baby’s Birth Registration Form:

If your child was born in the City of Ottawa, immediately forward the completed Birth Registration Form (Statement of Live Birth) and $36 service fee payment by mail to:

Division Registrar
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 1J1

If paying by mail, the service fee is payable to the City of Ottawa by cheque or money order.

Or

bring in the completed form to any of the City's Client Service Centres. The $36 service fee is payable by cash, cheque, money order, Interac, Visa or MasterCard in person at any of the City's Client Service Centres.

The Division Registrar will inspect the form for missing information and will then forward it to the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario for provincial registration. If the form is filled out incorrectly or is missing information, it will be returned to you. If your form has been completed correctly, you should receive a Notice of Birth Registration from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario three to four months after sending in your Birth Registration Form (Statement of Live Birth).

Your child must be registered with the city of Ottawa prior to the child's first birthday

After this period, the child must be registered directly with the Registrar General of Ontario. If you would like to apply for a birth registration after your child's first year, please call 1-800-461-2156.

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Births outside of the city of Ottawa and within Ontario

If your child was born elsewhere in Ontario, you'll need to contact the municipal office in the city where your baby was born to determine if you can register the child online, or if you must send the Statement of Live Birth form directly to the municipality or to the Ontario Registrar General’s Office.

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Births in the province of Quebec

For children born in Quebec, every child must be declared to Le Directeur de l'état civil. For more information, please call Le Directeur de l'état civil at 1-800-567-3900 (toll free in Quebec) or visit the office online at Directeur de l’état civil.

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Notice of Birth Registration

From the time your baby is born it may take up to four months to complete the registration. The sooner you register the birth, the sooner you can expect to receive a Notice of Birth Registration from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario and the birth certificate.

The City of Ottawa does not provide any notification once the child has been registered.

For more information, please call the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario at 1-800-461-2156 or visit the office online.

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Birth certificate application

The Office of the Registrar General of Ontario processes birth certificate applications. Once you have completed your child’s Birth Registration Form using the online Newborn Registration Service you also have the option to complete the online application for your child’s birth certificate and social insurance number (SIN). If you have already registered your child’s birth, you can still apply for your child’s birth certificate using the online Birth Certificate Application.

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Traveling with a newborn

If you are required to travel with your newborn, you have several options available depending on where in the birth registration process you are:

• Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter (for children born before June 22, 2009)
  If you have registered your baby’s birth with the City but have not yet received your child’s birth certificate, or a confirmation letter from the Province that your child has been registered - you may apply to the City of Ottawa for a Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter (also known as a Travel Letter)
• Express Birth Registration (for children born before June 22, 2009)
  Express birth registration is available strictly to parents who have not registered their newborn child with the City and require a birth certificate on a “priority” basis due to an emergency situation necessitating urgent last-minute travel.
• Expedited service for birth certificates (children born before June 22, 2009)
  You may apply to expedite your child’s birth certificate if you have received your child’s Notice of Birth Registration letter from the Province, or if it has been over 90 days since you registered your child’s birth with the City.

Applying for a Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter

To obtain a Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter (also known as a Travel Letter), at least one parent must appear in person at any City of Ottawa Client Service Centre and provide:

1. Proof of travel (e.g. plane tickets, itinerary, a completed passport application form signed by a guarantor or an affidavit indicating that they are traveling)
2. Original government-issued identification for both parents (no copies permitted) as listed on the Birth Registration Form. If your identification is in a language other than English or French, an official translation of the document may be required. Please contact Client Service Centre staff by e-mail or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) for further details.

If either parent is out of the country and the proper identification cannot be provided, please contact Client Service Centre staff by e-mail or call 3-1-1 (613-580-2400) or (TTY: 613-580-2401) for further instruction.

Validity of a Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter

A Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter may be issued to the parent(s) of the child (and not to any other family member) at any of the Centres within 90 days from the date of filing the Birth Registration Form with the City. A Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter is valid for up to 90 days and the City may only issue one per birth. The City of Ottawa charges a $31 service fee ($32 effective April 1, 2010) to process the Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter. This fee is payable by cash, cheque, Interac, money order, Visa or MasterCard.

Once issued, the Temporary Confirmation of Birth Letter can be used when applying for a temporary passport for your child. It is strongly recommended that you contact your local Passport Canada office well in advance of travel for information on timelines and requirements to process a passport application.

Express Birth Registration – City Hall Client Service Centre

The express birth registration service is offered at the City Hall Client Service Centre for children born before June 22, 2009. This service is available strictly to parents who have not registered their newborn child with the City and require a birth certificate on a “priority” basis due to an emergency situation necessitating urgent last-minute travel. An express registration may be initiated only after the City has received formal, independent confirmation of the birth from a local hospital or midwife.

Hours of operation

The Client Service Centre at Ottawa City Hall is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm. It takes an average of 30 minutes to process an express birth registration, not including any additional wait time due to client volumes. Please take this into consideration when you plan to visit City Hall.

Information pieces required for express birth registration:

If you meet the urgent last-minute travel requirement, you must provide the following pieces of information:

1. A completed Birth Registration Form (Statement of Live Birth), signed by the parent(s).

2. Original government-issued identification for both parents (no copies permitted) as listed on the Birth Registration Form (i.e. valid driver’s licence, valid passport, etc.). If your identification is in a language other than English or French, an official translation of the document may be required. Please contact Client Service Centre staff by e-mail or call 3-1-1 (613-580-2400), (TTY: 613-580-2401) for further details. The City of Ottawa does not accept health cards as a form of photo identification.

3. The City of Ottawa charges a $36 service fee to process the Birth Registration Form and a $31 service fee for the express birth registration, for a total of $67. These fees are payable by cash, cheque, Interac, money order, Visa or MasterCard.

4. A separate written request to the attention of Ontario’s Registrar General outlining the urgency of the request.

5. Proof of travel (i.e. plane tickets). These must be originals; photocopies will not be accepted.

A completed Request for Birth Certificate signed by the guarantor, along with a cheque for the applicable fee payable to the Minister of Finance.

All of the above information must be submitted in-person at the City Hall Client Service Centre, 110 Laurier Avenue West. The documents will be reviewed for accuracy and processed while you wait.

Contact us

For more information about express birth registration, contact Client Service Centre staff by e-mail or call 3-1-1 (613-580-2400), (TTY: 613-580-2401).

Expedited service for birth certificates

If your child was born before June 22, 2009, and you have received your child’s Notice of Birth Registration letter from the province, or if it has been over 90 days since you registered your child's birth with the City, you may be able to apply to expedite your child’s birth certificate request. Visit Ontario's Ministry of Government Services website or call 1-800-461-2156 to learn if you qualify for the expedited service and how to apply to expedite your child’s birth certificate request.

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