Described as a legal document that helps in establishing the identity of a person, the birth certificate is utilised as proof of identification in Canada for the application of a passport, medical insurance or for obtaining any other service from private or government institutions. In the country of Canada, there’s no single portal to apply for birth certificates because each birth certificate is registered based upon the territory or province where your child was born.
Hence, it should be known that the requirements for obtaining a birth certificate in Canada will depend on the territory or province to which you’re applying. As of the current day, Canada is segregated into ten different provinces or territories and the portals for the application of birth certificates for each of them are as follows: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
Applying For a Birth Certificate Online
Before you can apply for a birth certificate in any of the above-mentioned Canadian provinces or territories, you have to first register the birth of the newborn.
For example, in Ontario, Canada, before you can apply for a birth certificate online, you have to first complete the application for ‘Statement Of Live Birth’. The aforementioned application can be obtained from the hospital or nursing home where you or your partner has given birth. Once you fill out the required details in the application form, the next step would be to send the same to your local municipality of your residential area. The address of the municipality can be found on the application form.
After you’ve submitted the application process, it can take up to a maximum time of four months for the application to be processed. Once the processing is completed successfully, you will receive a ‘Notice Of Birth Registration’ in your mail.
It should be known that the maximum time limit for registering the birth of a newborn will differ based on the province or territory you’re living in Canada. For instance, in Ontario, the maximum limit is within 30 days, while in New Brunswick the limit is 14 days.
Once you receive the ‘Notice Of Birth Registration’, only then you can apply for the child’s birth certificate. All you have to do is to head over to the respective online portal of your Canadian province or territory (respective links have been provided above) and thereby apply for the same along with the required fees being paid online as well.
Applying For a Birth Certificate By Mail
In case you’re reluctant to apply for the birth certificate online or if your Canadian province/territory doesn’t support online applications for obtaining birth certificates, then you can also apply for the same through traditional mail service.
To apply through mail, you have to download the respective application form via the official website of your residential province or territory and proceed to print the same. Once you fill out the application form, don’t forget to bundle the same with the required supporting documents (as mentioned in the form), such as providing a photocopy of the child’s original birth registration, and then proceed to mail the same to the registered office of your Canadian territory or province (responsible for handling requests for birth certificates).
Applying For a Birth Certificate in Person
Not every Canadian province or territory will support an in-person application for birth certificates, especially due to the current public health emergency guidelines set by the Canadian Government, keeping in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, in-person birth certificates can be applied in the province of Ontario, but not in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
However, in case your respective province or territory supports the above-mentioned service, be sure to learn about the venue where you have to visit along with the supporting documents that you need to carry for the application process. Additional documents for personal identification might also be required.
