--- title: "Legal name change in Alberta: forms and cost" url: "https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/alberta" description: "Legally change your name in Alberta: handled by Alberta registry agents (Vital Statistics, Government of Alberta). Compare all 13 provinces and territories." site: "Canada Service Map" author: "Mahmoud Halat" publisher: "Space & Story" lastReviewed: "2026-10-13" licence: "Built entirely from public data: open data and official government pages. Each record keeps the licence of its source, listed at https://canadaservicemap.ca/data." --- # Legal name change in Alberta: forms and cost Alberta · Identity and documents Compiled by Mahmoud Halat, checked 13 October 2026. Not a government website. The official page always has the final word. ## Short answer Alberta residents 18 or older fill in the online Legal Change of Name Application, get a certified criminal record check from the RCMP, police or an accredited fingerprint company, and take everything to a registry agent within 30 days. You surrender your Canadian birth certificates. The government fee is $120, plus the agent's fee and the cost of the check. Who handles it: [Alberta registry agents (Vital Statistics, Government of Alberta)](https://canadaservicemap.ca/bodies/the-government-of-alberta). They handle it in Alberta. Apply in person at a registry agent with electronic fingerprints and a criminal record check. ## Official links - [How to apply](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 12 October 2026 ## Who can apply - You must live in Alberta and stay a resident for the whole process. Applicants must be 18, or younger if married, a parent or in certain other situations. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## Steps 1. Read the Information Guide, then fill in the online Legal Change of Name Application. Vital Statistics can send a paper form if you have no internet access. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## What you need - Adults need a Certified Criminal Record Check from the RCMP, local police or an RCMP-accredited fingerprint company. Checks from other third-party providers are rejected. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. - Each person whose name is changing must surrender all their Canadian birth certificates. Surrendered Alberta certificates are replaced free with the new name. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## Cost - The total is set by each registry agent and includes the $120 government fee for everyone on one form. The criminal record check costs extra. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## How long it takes - Hand in the criminal record check within 30 days of the date shown on it, or buy a new one. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## Where to go - Take the completed application and all documents to a registry agent, who checks them and sends them to Vital Statistics. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## Good to know - You do not need a legal name change to take a married last name. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. - Residential school and Sixties Scoop survivors and their descendants can reclaim an Indigenous name free by contacting Vital Statistics directly, not a registry agent. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## In every province and territory The same service across Canada: who handles it and the official link. Alberta is marked. | Province or territory | Who handles it | Official link | Good to know | |---|---|---|---| | [British Columbia](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/british-columbia) | Vital Statistics Agency (Government of British Columbia) | [Apply to change your name](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/legal-changes-of-name/legal-change-of-name-application), checked 12 October 2026 | Applicants 12 and older need a criminal record check done within 30 days before applying. | | Alberta (this page) | Alberta registry agents (Vital Statistics, Government of Alberta) | [How to apply](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 12 October 2026 | Apply in person at a registry agent with electronic fingerprints and a criminal record check. | | [Saskatchewan](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/saskatchewan) | eHealth Saskatchewan (Vital Statistics) | [Apply for a legal name change](https://www.ehealthsask.ca/residents/birth-marriage-death-certificates/change-your-name), checked 12 October 2026 | Taking a spouse's surname after marriage does not need a legal name change. | | [Manitoba](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/manitoba) | Vital Statistics Branch (Government of Manitoba) | [Legal change of name](https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/change_of_name.html), checked 12 October 2026 | Apply by mail or in person by appointment; adults also need a certified criminal record check. | | [Ontario](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/ontario) | ServiceOntario (Office of the Registrar General) | [Apply to change your name](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 12 October 2026 | | | [Quebec](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/quebec) | Directeur de l'état civil | [How to change your name](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 12 October 2026 | You must have lived in Québec for at least one year and show a serious reason. | | [New Brunswick](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/new-brunswick) | Vital Statistics (Service New Brunswick) | [How to change your name](https://www.gnb.ca/en/topic/family-home-community/vital-statistics/change-of-name.html), checked 12 October 2026 | Apply by mail using the application booklet on this page; there is no online application. | | [Nova Scotia](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/nova-scotia) | Vital Statistics (Service Nova Scotia) | [Change your legal name](https://www.novascotia.ca/change-your-name-or-name-your-spouse-or-child), checked 12 October 2026 | | | [Prince Edward Island](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/prince-edward-island) | Vital Statistics (Government of PEI) | None on record | | | [Newfoundland and Labrador](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/newfoundland-and-labrador) | Vital Statistics Division (Government Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador) | [How to change your name](https://www.gov.nl.ca/gs/birth/legal-name-change/), checked 12 October 2026 | Paper application with a criminal record check; no online option. | | [Yukon](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/yukon) | Vital Statistics (Government of Yukon) | None on record | You must be a Yukon resident to change your name in the Yukon. | | [Northwest Territories](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/northwest-territories) | Registrar General of Vital Statistics (Department of Health and Social Services) | [How to change your name](https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/changing-name-adult), checked 12 October 2026 | | | [Nunavut](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/nunavut) | Nunavut Vital Statistics (Department of Health) | None on record | Contact Nunavut Vital Statistics at 1-800-661-0833 or nuvitalstatistics@gov.nu.ca for the application. | ## Questions people ask ### How much does a legal name change cost in Alberta? It depends on the registry agent. Their price includes the $120 government fee for all names on one form. The criminal record check or fingerprint report is paid separately. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ### Do I need fingerprints to change my name in Alberta? Yes for anyone 12 or older. People 12 to 17 submit an electronic fingerprint document, and adults submit a certified criminal record check that includes fingerprints. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ### Do I have to change my name legally after getting married in Alberta? No. You may simply start using a married last name. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ### What happens after my Alberta name change is approved? A Legal Change of Name Certificate is mailed to each person by regular mail. Surrendered Alberta birth certificates are replaced free with the new name. Source: [alberta.ca](https://www.alberta.ca/legal-name-change), checked 13 October 2026. ## More - [Legally change your name in every province and territory](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change) - [Public services in Alberta](https://canadaservicemap.ca/provinces/alberta) - [Get or renew a passport](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/passport) - [Get a Social Insurance Number (SIN)](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/sin) - [Get proof of Canadian citizenship](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/citizenship-certificate) - [Apply for Indian status or a status card](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/status-card) - [Order a birth certificate](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/birth-certificate) - [Order a death certificate](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/death-certificate) ## Cite this page Canada Service Map, "Legal name change in Alberta: forms and cost", checked 13 October 2026, https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/alberta