Do I have a valid guarantor for my Name Change Application?

If you are applying for a change of name, for yourself or your child, guarantor information is required.

A guarantor is someone who:

• knows the person whose name is to be changed personally, and
• knows that the person whose name is to be changed has lived in Ontario for at least one year (or since birth) immediately before making the application, and
• is a guarantor on the list below.

or 

If a guarantor from the list below is unavailable, the guarantor can be a person who:

• knows the person whose name is to be changed personally for at least five years (or since birth if the person is less than five years old), and
• is someone other than a relative, and
• knows that the person whose name is to be changed has lived in Ontario for at least one year (or since birth) immediately before making the application. 

The role of the guarantor is to certify that information provided on the application is as complete and accurate as possible. If required, a qualified guarantor must also be available to verify the information with the Office of the Registrar General.

The guarantor is required to sign your application.  

The guarantor must provide the following information on the application:

• Last name
• First name
• Address
• Occupation
• Confirmation that the guarantor knows each person whose name is to be changed and how long they have known them.
• Confirmation that the guarantor knows how long each person whose name is to be changed has lived in Ontario (at least one year or since birth).
• Guarantor's signature

Qualified guarantors for a Change of Name application are as follows:

• Provincial judges appointed under the Courts of Justice Act.
• Justices of the peace appointed under the Justices of the Peace Act.
• Chiefs of Indian bands that are located in Ontario.
• Persons authorized under the Marriage Act to solemnize marriages.
• Legally qualified medical practitioners.
• Members of The Law Society of Upper Canada.
• Heads of municipal councils in Ontario.
• Clerks of municipalities in Ontario.
• Principals of elementary and secondary schools, as defined in the Education Act.
• Managers or signing officers of Ontario branches of banks listed in Schedule I or II of the Bank Act (Canada), loan corporations, trust corporations, credit unions and caisses populaires.  R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 68, s. 4 (2).

The list above is not an endorsement by the Office of the Registrar General of professional status or recognition of superior qualifications.