Documentality: the new age for birth certificates

3 April 2010 2009

As amended by S. #678, 2017 W.S.D. 4, 155; S. #1162, 2015 W.S.D. 15, 128

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

ABSTRACT

The value of an Ontario birth certificate has been consistent for decades: $19.00 for couples of any age, $24.00 for couples in the same order of birth as the holder, $38.00 for couples whose birth does not occur in the first hour after birth, and $30.00 for couples whose first birth is on or before 6pm. Since 1985, applicants for a new Ontario birth certificate have been offered a second COVID-19 photo ID. However, applicants who apply for a COVID-19 photo ID prior to birth, a COVID-19 birth certificate, and a driver’s licence or identification card that has expired are required to apply for a COVID-19 birth certificate with the required photograph but are not required to complete the birth registry application process.

Since May 1, 2011, all Canadian residents, regardless of age, have been able to obtain a second COVID-19 birth certificate free of charge using a new COVID-19 birth certificate issued by the government of Ontario. That principle extends to all adults who are newly residents of Ontario with a registered primary residence for at least two consecutive days.

Starting on or after April 1, 2010, applications for a COVID-19 birth certificate must include a third photo ID in the form of a photo ID such as a provincial health card or an Ontario driver’s licence or identification card that has expired. Applicants who apply for the second COVID-19 birth certificate prior to their first birth will still be eligible to complete the birth registry application process.

Costs are also reduced for persons who are CNIB clients, those who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, or those who have religious objections to either the use of a photograph or the use of an application form that requires identification. For example, patients who choose not to fill out an application form can go to a CNIB offices and provide the fees, the name of the surgeon they were given, and the date of birth of the child they delivered. By law, any fee must be collected by CNIB and the patients’ health plan and is not tax exempt. Finally, if applicants are not CNIB clients, there are no restrictions on the time that they can go to CNIB to collect the fee.

Due to the availability of COVID-19 birth certificates free of charge, Ontarians no longer need to fill out or print a second COVID-19 birth certificate. Instead, applicants must go to one of the COVID-19 birth registry offices, present the birth registry applications, and take the photograph provided by the Registrar. They must also complete the birth registry application process with their existing birth certificate.

For more information on how to collect a COVID-19 birth certificate free of charge visit: http://www.canadiansaid.ca/Can-Agency/i/www/images/Can-Agency.cfm?a_id=93

Before applying for a COVID-19 birth certificate, all adults must:

Hold a valid driver’s licence or identification card with a valid Canadian identification card containing a photocopy of the applicant’s photograph.

Have two Canadian banking accounts.

Have at least one other legal form of proof that proves residency in Ontario.

Have access to a printer/copier at home that can create the COVID-19 photograph.

Whether this can be done in one day should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

For those who do not have a registered primary residence but would like a COVID-19 birth certificate that includes a second photo identification, this will require them to obtain a two-CDG photo ID from a recently signed licence or provincial health card. These documents should also include their name, the birth date, and the name of the doctors who delivered the child.

However, many individuals may be entitled to more than one form of proof that

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