--- title: "Legal name change in Ontario: forms and cost" url: "https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/ontario" description: "Legally change your name in Ontario: handled by ServiceOntario (Office of the Registrar General). An adult or child name change costs $137. No sign-up." 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 Ontario: forms and cost Ontario · 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 In Ontario, ServiceOntario (Office of the Registrar General) handles it. Who handles it: [ServiceOntario (Office of the Registrar General)](https://canadaservicemap.ca/bodies/the-government-of-ontario). Handles it in Ontario. ## Official links - [Apply to change your name](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 12 October 2026 - [Change your last name](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-your-last-name), checked 12 October 2026 ## Who can apply - You can change your own name if you are 16 or older, have lived in Ontario for at least 12 months, and are not on the Ontario sex offender registry with a reporting obligation. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. - If you are 16 or 17, everyone with legal custody of you must consent. If you are married or in a declared conjugal relationship, you must give your spouse or partner a notice form. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## Steps 1. Fill in the online application, which gives you pre-filled forms and a checklist, or use the paper form. Either way you print the application and send it in with your documents. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## What you need - Sign the Statutory Declaration in front of a commissioner of oaths, such as a lawyer, paralegal, notary public, municipal clerk or MPP. Some applicants must also include a police record check. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## Cost - An adult or child name change costs $137. A child's application costs $22 when sent with a parent's application. Survivors of residential schools and their families can reclaim an Indigenous name at no charge. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## Where to go - Mail your application to the Office of the Registrar General in Thunder Bay, or bring it in person to ServiceOntario at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in Toronto. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## Good to know - After approval you get a change of name certificate. If you were born in Ontario you also get a new birth certificate automatically. Use these to update your health card and driver's licence. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ## In every province and territory The same service across Canada: who handles it and the official link. Ontario 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](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/alberta) | 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 (this page) | 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 it cost to change your name in Ontario? The application fee is $137. A child's name change costs $22 if it is sent with a parent's application. Fees are waived for people reclaiming a traditional Indigenous name. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ### Can I change my name online in Ontario? You can fill in the application online, but you still have to print it, get it signed in front of a commissioner of oaths, and mail it or bring it to ServiceOntario. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name), checked 13 October 2026. ### Do I need a legal name change to take my spouse's last name in Ontario? No. You can assume your spouse's last name after marriage without a legal change. Ontario has a separate process for marriage-related name changes. Source: [ontario.ca](https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-get-copy-ontario-marriage-certificate-online), checked 13 October 2026. ## More - [Legally change your name in every province and territory](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change) - [Public services in Ontario](https://canadaservicemap.ca/provinces/ontario) - [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 Ontario: forms and cost", checked 13 October 2026, https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/ontario