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The SAI has become the SASIE

Since October 25, 2022, the Secrétariat à l’adoption internationale (SAI) has changed its name for the Secrétariat aux services internationaux à l’enfant (SASIE). For more information, see the News section of our website.

Summary of Family and Medical Antecedents

Bill 113, An Act to amend the Civil Code and other legislative provisions as regards adoption and the disclosure of information (2017, Chapter 12), was adopted and received assent on June 16, 2017. The amendments to the confidentiality rules regarding the identity of adopted persons and their parents of origin came into effect on June 16, 2018. For more information, visit the section Legislative amendments.

The information on this page does not replace that of the official legislation.

In Québec, adoption files are confidential and cannot be consulted. In fact, none of the information in a file may be disclosed, except in accordance with the law.

However, some information may be obtained in the form of a summary of family and medical antecedents. 

Content of the summary

The summary of family and medical antecedents contains information that, by law, may be communicated. If the information is in the adoption file, the summary may indicate:

  • the child’s usual given name before the adoption;
  • the date, time and place of birth;
  • medical information on the child and his or her parents of origin;
  • the circumstances surrounding the adoption;
  • the profile of the parents of origin, meaning:
    • age
    • civil status
    • language
    • religion
    • ethnic origin
    • education
    • occupation
    • lifestyle

The summary may also contain other information on the child, such as the date of placement for adoption and the year of adoption.

The summary keeps the identity of all persons involved confidential, including that of the parents of origin.

Who can request a summary

The summary of family and medical antecedents is sent upon request to:

  • an adopted person who is 14 years of age or over;
  • an adopted person under 14 years of age, with the consent of the adoptive parent;
  • the adoptive parent.

The parent of origin may also obtain a summary of family and medical antecedents of the adopter.

Submitting a request for a summary

A person who wishes to receive a summary of family and medical antecedents must contact the Secrétariat à l’adoption internationale (SAI) to obtain the information relevant to his or her situation. The SAI will then send the forms to be completed in order to open a file.

For the SAI's contact information, see the Contact us page.