Changing Your Name in Canada
Tanya Lee Howe & Eileen Velthuis
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada
Copyright © 2014
International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Changing Your Name in Canada
In the past, changing a surname is something most Canadian men never did, and most Canadian women would only do once or twice in their lives when they got married or divorced. Nowadays more men are opting to share their spouse’s last name by combining the two names or even switching to a spouse’s last name, many women still change their names upon marriage or divorce, and some people change their names for reasons that have nothing to do with marriage or divorce.
Although changing a name is a task infrequently done by any one individual, it can be quite involved. There are so many places, people, and organizations you need to contact when you want your name changed, and each one has its own ways to do it, and its own red tape and bureaucracy. At the end of the book, in Appendix II, you’ll find an Identification Update List to help you contact everyone who needs to be alerted to your name change.
To complicate matters more, each province and territory has its own vital statistics agency rules and legal acts when it comes to formally or informally changing a name. A formal name change means a legal change to the first name, surname, or both in which the person’s birth records are updated with the new name and a new birth certificate is issued. An informal name change usually means opting to use your spouse’s surname when you get married, or switching back to a previous surname or birth name if you’ve recently divorced. An informal change does not affect your birth certificate.
People change their names for a variety of reasons, which may include the following:
• Marriage.
• Divorce.
• Correction of a typo or changing an odd spelling of a name.
• Dislike of the name that was given at birth.
• To remove problems with confusion or mispronunciations.
• To use a name the person is known for such as a nickname (e.g., the name is Robert but the person is only known as Bob).
• Protection from others, perhaps to prevent harassment by an individual.
Names are inherently personal, and as such, your reason for changing your name is your choice. Whatever your reason, this book will help you know what to do and in what order, depending on where you reside in the country, to change your name legally and across all of your identification and documentation.
Depending on where you currently reside, and where you were born, you may need to contact your former jurisdiction as well as your current one. This book discusses the procedures for every province and territory in Canada. The Resources section in Appendix I lists Vital Statistics contact information in other parts of the world.
This book discusses name changes for marriage, divorce, amendments to names, and how to change a child’s name. It also includes the costs, which were current at the time of publication but are subject to change. Turn to the chapter for your province of residence for specific instructions.
Chapter 2
Alberta
It is a relatively simple process to apply for a formal, legal name change in Alberta. This chapter will provide you with the information you will need.
1. Who Doesn’t Require a Legal Name Change?
Not everyone needs to go through the formal process to legally change his or her name in Alberta as you will see in the following four sections.
1.1 Marriage
If a person wants to take his or her spouse’s name through marriage, the process is simple. Either spouse may choose to use the other’s last name, or a combination of the two last names. You can combine the two last names using a hyphen or space. The order of the two names is up to you.
You will need to update all your identification (see Appendix II) by visiting with or sending the official marriage certificate (or a notarized copy of it) to the various places you want your name changed (e.g., credit card companies, Social Insurance). Organizations may have additional requirements, so you will have to contact them to find out if you’ll need to send more than a marriage certificate.
1.2 Divorce
If you’re recently divorced, you can return to the last name you had before marriage. You will follow the same process as you did when you got married by contacting the various organizations (e.g., banks, credit card companies) and asking what they need in order to change your identification. Many places will need to see your official divorce certificate (or a notarized copy of it) and your birth certificate.
1.3 Change of parent
You can add or delete the father or co-parent from the birth record of a child who is younger than 12 years old; at that time, the child’s name may be changed. The child has to be born in Alberta to do this.
Both parents can apply to add a father or co-parent by completing a Joint Application.
If a father or co-parent is being deleted from the Registration of Birth, a parentage declaration order is needed in order to amend the parentage. Contact Service Alberta for more about this (see section 6.)
1.4 Amendment of a name
In some circumstances, a person can correct his or her name without completing the legal name change process. At the time of birth, registration is completed and filed permanently with Vital Statistics. If the registration includes incomplete, missing, or incorrect information, you can request to correct it.
If you were not born in Alberta, you will need to contact the Vital Statistics or similar agency in the jurisdiction where you were born.
You can contact a registry agent in your area or contact Vital Statistics directly for an amendment. You can complete the Request to Amend an Alberta Vital Statistics Registration form online (www.servicealberta.ca/pdf/vs/Amendment_Form_2013.pdf). Vital Statistics will contact you with instructions of what to do next such as submitting affidavits and evidence (if necessary).
The fee is $20 unless the amendment is made within 90 days of the birth or event that necessitated the amendment.
2. Who Is Eligible to Apply?
The following outlines who is eligible to apply for a formal name change:
• A resident of Alberta.
• Someone who is 18 years of age or older.
• You can apply for a name change if it is your own name.
• You can change your spouse’s name (you’ll need a marriage certificate and his or her consent).
•