Changing Your Name
Changing your name due to a relationship
How do I assume or unassume a married name?
How do I legally change to my partner or spouse’s name?
How do I legally change my name back?
Formal name change options
How do I formally change my own name (16 and over)?
How do I formally change my child’s name (under 18)?
How do I amend my child’s name (under 12)?
Privacy notice: Legal name changes are published in the Ontario Gazette.
How do I assume or unassume a married name?
Getting married? You don’t have to change your last name legally — which means changing your birth certificate. You can simply assume your spouse’s last name, or combine both of your last names into a hyphenated last name.
You can use your marriage certificate to make the change on all your other identification (driver’s licence, health card, passport, social insurance number (SIN) card, banks, etc).
Most people choose this option because:
- It is free.
- It is easily reversible.
- There is no application process.
The benefit of assuming a married name instead of doing a legal name change is that it does not change your last name on your birth certificate.
Later, if you wish to use your own last name again, it is already on your birth certificate and you won’t have to pay to change it back.
Fees
No fee required.
Service delivery time
You will be given a transaction record when you go to your nearest ServiceOntario Centre. You can continue to use your existing ID until your new health card and driver’s licence arrive in the mail about 4 to 6 weeks later.
How do I apply to assume my partner’s name?
You can make your name changes in person at your local ServiceOntario Centre.
What do I need to bring to make ID changes?
- To assume: Your marriage certificate.
- To unassume: Your birth certificate and your marriage certificate or divorce certificate.
- Your current Ontario photo ID (health card and/or driver’s licence).
- If you do not already have a photo health card, you must also bring three original documents to prove citizenship, Ontario residence and identity.
- A Change of Information form.
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact ServiceOntario’s INFOline at 1-800-664-8988.
How do I legally change to my partner or spouse’s name?
If you are married or living together as common-law, individuals can legally change their last name by completing the Election to Change Surname form.
If you are common-law, you will also need to file a form called a Joint Declaration of Conjugal Relationship.
Your Ontario birth certificate will show your new name and your previous last name.
Why would I choose a legal name change?
The difference between a legal name change and assuming a married name is that a legal name change will alter the name on your birth certificate. Also, common-law couples who want to change their names must do so legally, as they do not have the option to assume (a marriage certificate is required).
Fees
- There is no fee if you legally change your name within 90 days of the date of marriage or of filing a joint declaration of conjugal relationship.
- If you legally change your name after 90 days following marriage or of filing a joint declaration of conjugal relationship, the fee is $25.
Service delivery time
Where applications are complete and accurate the service delivery time is 6 to 8 weeks.
How do I apply for a legal name change?
You must phone in to the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305 to get forms sent to you in the mail.
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305.
How do I legally change my name back?
You can also change your last name back if you are currently married, separated, or in a common-law relationship by filing another Election to Change Surname form.
You can resume your former surname if:
- You changed your name using the Election to Change Surname form.
- The relationship has ended by divorce, splitting up if you’re common-law, or death of a spouse.
Fees
- The fee is $25.
Service delivery time
Where applications are complete and accurate the service delivery time is 6 to 8 weeks.
How do I apply to legally change my name back?
You must phone in to the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305 to get forms sent to you in the mail.
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305.
How do I formally change my own name?
You can formally and legally change your first and/or second name and/or last name.
Applicants who are 16 or 17-years-old may also apply to have their names changed as an adult, with the written consent of the person(s) who have lawful custody of them, unless the applicant is married or a judge has dispensed with the consent requirement.
To change your name as an adult, you must:
- Be 16 years of age or older.
- Have lived in Ontario for at least one year before submitting a change of name application.
You’ll be issued a change of name certificate with your new legal name(s) and you’ll receive a new birth certificate if you were born in Ontario.
If you were not born in Ontario, you will need to apply to the province or territory in Canada or other country where you were born for a new birth certificate.
Fees
The fee for a formal name change is $137.
Service delivery time
Where applications are complete and accurate the service delivery time is 6 to 8 weeks.
How do I apply for a legal name change?
Download the Application to Change an Adult’s Name, fill it out, then mail in the completed form and original documents to the Office of the Registrar General.
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305.
How do I formally change my child’s name (under 18)?
To formally and legally change a child’s name, the child must:
- Be under the age of 18.
- Have lived in Ontario for at least one year before submitting a change of name application.
When you change a child’s name, you will be issued a change of name certificate with their new legal name(s).
A new birth certificate will be issued if the child was born in Ontario.
If the child was not born in Ontario, you will need to apply to the other province or territory in Canada or other country where your child was born for a new birth certificate.
Custody and access
If you have sole custody, others may still be entitled to legal access to the child. If a court order is silent on the issue of access, you will be required to provide notice of the proposed name change to persons who might otherwise be entitled to legal access to the child (e.g. a parent named on the child's birth registration but does not have custody of the child).
Fees
The fee for a formal name change for a child, submitted on its own, is $137.
However, when a parent changes the child’s name at the same time the parent changes his or her own name, the fee for each child 17 years of age or younger is $22. These applications must be submitted together.
There is a shorter form, with only a $37 fee, to amend your child’s name.
Amendment is an option if your child:
- Was born in Ontario.
- Is under the age of 12.
- Is having their name changed to one that they could have been given when they were born (e.g. to a different first name or taking the mother, father or other parent’s last name as listed on the birth registration).
Service delivery time
Where applications are complete and accurate the service delivery time is 6 to 8 weeks.
How do I apply to legally change my child’s name?
Download the Application to Change a Child’s Name, fill it out, then mail in the completed form and original documents to the Office of the Registrar General.
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305.
How do I amend my child’s name (under 12)?
Amendment of a child’s name is an option if your child:
- Was born in Ontario.
- Is under the age of 12.
- Is having their name changed to one that they could have been given when they were born (e.g. to a different first name or taking the mother, father or other parent’s last name as listed on the birth registration).
Custody and access
If you have sole custody, others may still be entitled to legal access to the child. If a court order is silent on the issue of access, you will be required to provide notice of the proposed name change to persons who might otherwise be entitled to legal access to the child (e.g. a parent who is named on the child's birth registration but does not have custody of the child).
Fees
The fee to amend a child’s name is $37, plus fees for new birth certificates.
How do I apply to amend my child’s name
You must phone in to the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305 to get forms sent to you in the mail.
Service delivery times
Where applications are complete and accurate the service delivery time is 6 to 8 weeks
Further information
Please see the frequently asked questions or contact the Office of the Registrar General toll free at 1-800-461-2156 or in Toronto at 416-325-8305.
Privacy Notice
All formal and elective name changes registered under Ontario’s Change of Name Act must be published in the Ontario Gazette.
The Attorney General can make exceptions if publishing a name change could cause significant harm to the individual, or if a person requests that his or her name change not be published because he or she is transgendered at the time of the application. The Ontario Gazette currently publishes information in paper format and electronically on the internet.
