How do you change your name in Québec?

General information, not legal advice. The law allows you to apply to change your first name or your last name under certain conditions, but such a change is granted only if a serious reason is shown. Depending on the situation, the request is made through the administrative route, to the Directeur de l'état civil, or through the judicial route, before the court. You must be 14 or older and have been domiciled in Québec for at least one year. For one person, the listed fee is $164.00 (including the first certificate of change of name).

Key facts

Who can apply

A person aged 14 or older domiciled in Québec for at least one year, or the father, mother or tutor of a minor domiciled in Québec for at least one year.

Reason

A serious reason within the meaning of the Civil Code of Québec must be shown. Example given on the page: use, for at least 5 years, of a name or first name not entered on the birth act.

Listed fees

Change of last name or first name of one person: $164.00 (including the first certificate). Last name of a child under 18 at the same time as the parent's: $33.75. New certificate of change of name: $13.50. Substituting the usual first name with another first name stated on the birth act: $136.00.

Time

Processing of 90 business days from the first day the notice is published, not counting the preliminary analysis and file opening, whose times vary. The decision takes effect 30 days after it is received.

After a marriage

According to the page, each spouse keeps their name after marriage; the Directeur de l'état civil grants the spouse's last name only in an exceptional situation.

Sex designation

This is a separate request, with its own forms. You cannot request a change of last name through it: a separate name change request is needed.

Steps

1. Check whether you can apply: you must be 14 or older and domiciled in Québec for at least one year. For a minor, the request is made by their father, mother or tutor, and the minor must have been domiciled in Québec for at least one year.
2. Check that your birth is registered in the Québec civil status register: this is a prerequisite. If you were born outside Québec and it is not, a request to insert the birth act is needed.
3. See which route applies: the court may authorize a child's name change in some cases (abandonment, loss of parental authority, change in filiation), and the Directeur de l'état civil can authorize changes that are not for the court. The page invites you to speak to a legal adviser in cases that fall to the court.
4. Fill out the preliminary analysis request form: the Directeur de l'état civil checks your domicile, its own jurisdiction and the registration of the birth act. It then mails you a name change kit.
5. Return the completed kit. When the file is complete, the notice of the request is published on the Directeur de l'état civil's website for 15 days and the required fees are collected.
6. The Directeur de l'état civil analyzes the serious reason you give and may ask for additional proof. It sends its decision by registered mail.
7. The decision takes effect 30 days after it is received, if no one has it reviewed by the court. You receive a certificate of change of name, and you must then have your name updated with the ministries and organizations where you have a file.

General information drawn from official sources. It does not replace legal, medical or financial advice. For your situation, contact the organization concerned or a professional.