Nova Scotia Adoption Records: How to Access Your Information

For decades, Nova Scotia maintained some of the most closed adoption records in Canada. Adoptees could not access their own birth information without the consent of their biological parents. Birth parents were cut off from any knowledge of what had happened to the children they had placed. The legal framework effectively sealed identities on both sides.

That changed in spring 2022 when Nova Scotia implemented an open records model under the Adoption Information Act. The shift has been significant — but the new system has rules, timelines, and opt-out mechanisms that are not clearly explained anywhere in one place. If you are an adoptee, a birth parent, or an adoptive parent navigating this on behalf of a child, this is how it actually works.

What Changed in Spring 2022

The core change is that identifying information is now the default, not the exception. Prior to 2022, Nova Scotia required mutual consent before birth parents and adult adoptees could exchange identifying details. The burden was on individuals to register their consent through a mutual consent register, and if the other party had not registered, the request went nowhere.

Under the new framework governed by the Adoption Information Act, the burden is reversed. Adult adoptees and birth parents can request records without requiring the other party's permission — unless that party has filed a disclosure veto.

For adoptions that occurred after the 2022 law change, disclosure is the automatic default. No veto option exists for new adoptions.

Who Can Request What

Adult adoptees (age 19 or older) can request:

• Their original birth registration (the document created at birth, before the adoption, listing the birth parent or parents)
• The adoption order itself

Birth parents can request:

• The post-adoption birth registration once the adopted person reaches age 20

Adoptive parents acting on behalf of a minor child can request non-identifying background information, but the full disclosure rights belong to the adoptee once they reach adulthood.

How to Make a Records Request

Requests are processed through the DCS Disclosure Program. The contact for adoption information requests is 902-424-2755. DCS also has a formal request form available through the provincial government website.

You will typically need to provide proof of your identity and your relationship to the adoption. Processing times vary, but records requests are not instantaneous — build in several weeks for the process to complete.

Disclosure Vetoes: The Opt-Out Mechanism

The disclosure veto is the mechanism that allows individuals to protect their identity under the new open records system. It applies only to adoptions that occurred before the 2022 law took effect.

If you were a birth parent to an adoption that was finalized before 2022 and you do not want to be identified, you had the option to file a disclosure veto before the law came into force. If a veto is on file, DCS cannot release your identifying information to the adoptee requesting records, even though the adoptee is now legally entitled to request them.

Vetoes can be filed by:

• Birth parents who do not want to be identified to their adult adoptee
• Adoptees who do not want to be identified to a searching birth parent
• Adoptive parents acting on behalf of a deceased adoptee

Vetoes are not permanent by default — they can be withdrawn at any time by the person who filed them.

If you are an adult adoptee who has requested records and received a response indicating a disclosure veto is on file, you will receive non-identifying information instead (such as medical history, ethnic background, and general circumstances of the adoption) but not the birth parent's name or contact details.

The No-Contact Preference

Separate from a disclosure veto is a no-contact preference. This allows a person to indicate that while their identifying information can be disclosed, they do not wish to be contacted. It is a softer opt-out — the information is available, but the person has stated a preference not to receive unsolicited outreach.

If you receive a birth parent's identifying information and there is a no-contact preference on file, respecting that preference is not legally mandated in the same way a veto is, but it is ethically expected and the province provides contact guidelines.

Non-Identifying Information

Even when a disclosure veto is in place, DCS can typically provide non-identifying background information. This includes:

• The birth parent's age and general background at the time of the adoption
• Medical and genetic history (if documented)
• Ethnic and cultural heritage
• General circumstances surrounding the adoption
• Information about siblings, if applicable

Non-identifying information can be important for medical decision-making and can be requested regardless of whether a veto is on file.

Vital Statistics and the Birth Certificate

Once an adoption order is issued, the Vital Statistics Act governs the creation of the new birth registration. The original birth certificate is sealed — it does not disappear, it is held in the sealed record. The adoptee receives a new birth certificate listing the adoptive parents.

Under the open records system, accessing the original sealed registration is now part of what the Disclosure Program facilitates for adult adoptees. Vital Statistics NS (1-877-848-2578) handles administrative aspects of birth registrations after an adoption order, but the records access process itself runs through DCS.

If the Adoption Involved Mi'kmaw Heritage

Adoptions involving Mi'kmaw children may have records that are also held through Mi'kmaw Family and Children's Services (MFCS). If your adoption was facilitated through MFCS — offices in Shubenacadie (902-758-3553) and Eskasoni (902-379-2433) — contact MFCS directly in addition to DCS to understand what records they hold and what their disclosure policies are under both the provincial Adoption Information Act and Indigenous self-government frameworks.

The development of the Maw-Kleyu'kik Kikmanaq (MKK) Customary Code adds further nuance — Mi'kmaw community members pursuing customary adoption recognition may find that their adoption documentation sits outside the provincial registry system entirely.

Mutual Consent Registry

Nova Scotia maintains a mutual consent registry for situations where both parties want to exchange information and both are willing. If you and the other party both register, the match can happen without the formal disclosure process. This remains available as an alternative path, particularly for situations where the open records request might involve a veto.

For a complete walkthrough of how to navigate the Disclosure Program, what documents to gather, and how the Adoption Information Act intersects with your specific situation, the Nova Scotia Adoption Process Guide includes a dedicated section on records access and the disclosure system.

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