5. Cost and Payment Methods
The government fee is $120 per application (including either one person or an entire family); however, there is also the fee the independent registry charges on top of the government fee. In some cases, it may be as high as, or even higher than $300 (including the government fee). The registry fee has not been capped by the government, so make sure you do some research to find the best price.
You can pay the registry by cash, debit card, credit card, money order, or traveller’s cheque. If you pay using a personal cheque, the application is delayed for 14 days in order to process the cheque.
There is also an additional cost of $25 for the RCMP fingerprint processing fee. Note that this fee varies depending on your jurisdiction.
The swearing or affirming of the affidavit by a commissioner or notary will also have a fee, which can vary so shop around.
6. Contact
On the Service Alberta website, there is a list of independent registries that provide services for Vital Statistics. You can also find them listed in the Yellow Pages under “licensing services.”
Note: You must be physically present in a registry office; you cannot send your information in the mail. It has to be submitted by a registry agent.
If you have questions, you can talk to your local registry, or you can contact Service Alberta.
Website: www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/1641.cfm
Telephone: 780-427-7013 (Edmonton and surrounding areas)
Toll Free: 310-0000 then dial 780-427-7013
Mail:
Service Alberta
Vital Statistics
Box 2023
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W7
Chapter 3
British Columbia
It is a relatively simple process to apply for a formal, legal name change in British Columbia. 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 British Columbia as you will see in the following 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 various places (e.g., credit card companies, Social Insurance). Organizations may have additional requirements, so you will have to contact them to find out if you 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 the official divorce certificate (or a notarized copy of it) and your birth certificate.
1.3 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 British Columbia, you will need to contact Vital Statistics or a 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 also complete the Statutory Declaration Re: Correction of Error or Omission in Birth Registration form online (www.vs.gov.bc.ca/forms/vsa412B_fill.pdf).
The fee is $27 at time of writing.
See the download kit included with this book.
2. Who Is Eligible to Apply?
The following outlines who is eligible to apply for a formal name change in British Columbia:
• A resident of British Columbia for at least the previous three months.
• Someone who is 19 years of age or older.
• You can apply for a name change if it is your own name.
• You can apply to change a child’s name (you’ll need a birth certificate showing parentage; and the child must be younger than 19, but if older than 12 must also give his or her consent. Your spouse’s or the other parent’s consent may also be needed.)
If you’re younger than the age of 19, you may still change your name if one or more of the following applies:
• You’re legally married.
• You’re living in an adult interdependent relationship.
• You’re the parent or guardian of a child.
If you are a temporary resident (e.g., have a work or student visa), or are a tourist/visitor, you cannot apply for a name change in British Columbia.
3. Name Restrictions
There are some restrictions on what type of name you can choose:
• You must include a first and last name.
• The name has to use the Roman alphabet.
• The name cannot have non-letter characters (i.e., no symbols).
• The name cannot include profanity.
• The name cannot include numbers.
Some punctuation marks are acceptable, such as a period, a hyphen, and an apostrophe. If you want to have an accent in your name, you will need to contact the registry to find out what accents are acceptable. There is also a limit to the amount of punctuation marks and accents that will be accepted.
4. Application Process
You can get the current Application for Change of Name form from Vital Statistics or Service BC offices or on Vital Statistics’ website at www.vs.gov.bc.ca/forms/vsa529.pdf; you also need to separately obtain a fingerprinting package (see section 4.2). Follow the instructions in the packages carefully.
When you are done completing the Application form, you have to return to the registry to submit the form to a registry agent in person. The fingerprinting package will be submitted by the RCMP; it will not be returned to you.
It can take a minimum of four to six weeks to process your application (longer if information needs clarification).
Refer to the download kit included with this book for an example of an Application form.
4.1 Necessary documents
You