Which document to request: a certificate or a copy of an act?
A certificate is an extract of information from the act entered in the register. A copy of an act is an integral reproduction of the information contained in the act entered in the register.
A copy of the original act of birth is a civil status document concerning the birth of an adopted person. This document contains the information that can be disclosed on an adopted person's act of birth, prior to adoption.
Do you really need a copy of an act?
The certificate features the most important information required by the majority of organizations, as found on the act entered in the register. It is delivered at a lower cost, when standard processing is requested.
| Type of document | Format | Information contained in the document |
|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate | 21.5 cm x 18.5 cm |
Surname, given names, sex, place of birth, date and time of birth, registration number, surnames and given names of the parent, document number (since March 29, 2005), date of issue and, where applicable, notations entered in the act since it was drawn up. Information may be missing if the event occurred before 1994. |
| Copy of an act of birth | 21.5 cm x 26.7 cm |
Integral reproduction of the information contained in the act, document number (since March 29, 2005) and date of issue. Note: This document may show information pertaining to more than one civil status event. Information may be missing if one of the events occurred before 1994. If the person concerned by the application was adopted and the adoption judgment recognizes pre-existing bonds of filiation or the Aboriginal customary adoption certificate mentions the recognition of pre-existing bonds of filiation or rights and obligations that subsist between the person and a parent of origin, the document will include a second page reproducing that information. That second page cannot be used alone and must be submitted with the first page of the document. |
| Marriage certificate | 21.5 cm x 18.5 cm |
Surnames, usual given name, other given names of the spouses, dates and places of birth of the spouses, date and place of marriage, registration number, document number (since March 29, 2005), date of issue and, where applicable, notations entered in the act since it was drawn up. Information may be missing if the event occurred before 1994. |
| Copy of an act of marriage | 21.5 cm x 26.7 cm |
Integral reproduction of the information contained in the act, document number (since March 29, 2005) and date of issue. Note: This document may show information pertaining to more than one civil status event. Information may be missing if one of the events occurred before 1994. |
| Certificate of civil union | 21.5 cm x 18.5 cm |
Surnames, usual given name, other given names of the spouses, dates and places of birth of the spouses, date and place of the civil union, registration number, document number (since March 29, 2005), date of issue and, where applicable, notations entered in the act since it was drawn up. |
| Copy of an act of civil union | 21.5 cm x 26.7 cm |
Integral reproduction of the information contained in the act, document number (since March 29, 2005) and date of issue. Note: This document may show information pertaining to more than one civil status event. Information may be missing if one of the events occurred before 1994. |
| Death certificate | 21.5 cm x 18.5 cm |
Surname, usual given name, other given names, sex, place of death, date and time of death, date and place of birth (on every certificate issued since February 2012), registration number, document number (since March 29, 2005) and date of issue. Information may be missing if the event occurred before 1994. |
| Copy of an act of death | 21,5 cm x 26,7 cm |
Integral reproduction of the information contained in the act, document number (since March 29, 2005) and date of issue. Note: This document may show information pertaining to more than one civil status event. Information may be missing if one of the events occurred before 1994. |
| Copy of the original act of birth | 21.5 cm x 26.7 cm |
A reproduction of the information contained in an adopted person's original act of birth, document number and date of issue.
Note: Information may be missing if the birth took place before 1994. Certain information cannot be disclosed if the birth parents have barred their disclosure in an identity disclosure veto or a contact veto. In the latter case, passages providing contact information for the original parent, such as address, will not appear on the original act of birth. |
Reviewed: 2023-06-08
