--- title: "Legally change your name in Quebec" url: "https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/quebec" description: "Legally change your name in Quebec: handled by Directeur de l'état civil. You must have lived in Québec for at least one year and show a serious reason." 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." --- # Legally change your name in Quebec Quebec · 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 Quebec, Directeur de l'état civil handles it. You must have lived in Québec for at least one year and show a serious reason. Who handles it: [Directeur de l'état civil](https://canadaservicemap.ca/bodies/the-government-of-quebec). Handles it in Quebec. ## Official links - [How to change your name](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 12 October 2026 ## Who can apply - You can apply to change your own name if you are 14 or older and have been domiciled in Québec for at least one year. Parents or tutors can apply for a minor who meets the same residence rule. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. - A change is only granted for a serious reason under the Civil Code, such as using another name for five years or more, or a name that is hard to pronounce or invites ridicule. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Steps 1. First send the Application for Preliminary Analysis for a Change of Name. If you are eligible, the Directeur de l'état civil mails you a change of name package with the forms for your situation. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. 2. The decision is sent by registered mail. If you disagree, you have 30 days to ask a court to review it. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## What you need - If you were born outside Québec and your birth is not in the Québec register, you must first apply to have your birth act inserted in the register. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## How long it takes - Once your file is complete, a notice of your application is posted on the Directeur de l'état civil website for 15 days so people can comment or object. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Good to know - Spouses keep their own names when they marry in Québec. Taking a spouse's surname is only approved in exceptional situations. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. - Residential school survivors and their descendants who want to use a traditional Indigenous name again can be exempted from the fees until June 8, 2032. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## In every province and territory The same service across Canada: who handles it and the official link. Quebec 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](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 (this page) | 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 ### Can I take my husband's or wife's last name in Québec? Usually not. In Québec both spouses keep their own names after marriage, and the Directeur de l'état civil only allows taking a spouse's surname in exceptional cases. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### How long do I have to live in Québec before changing my name? At least one year. The Directeur de l'état civil checks this during the preliminary analysis. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### What happens after my Québec name change is approved? You update your name with government bodies using your change of name certificate and new birth certificate. The Directeur de l'état civil can notify RAMQ and Retraite Québec for you. Source: [etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca](https://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/EN/change-name.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## More - [Legally change your name in every province and territory](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change) - [Public services in Quebec](https://canadaservicemap.ca/provinces/quebec) - [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, "Legally change your name in Quebec", checked 13 October 2026, https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/name-change/quebec