Driving Licence and Motor Vehicle Name Change

The first step to changing names is to get legal proof of your name change. This could be your marriage certificate from Vital Statistics, your divorce order, your legal name change certificate or your amended birth certificate. Next, notify all the various organizations of your new name. We always recommend starting with your provincial driver’s licence or non-driver photo ID card as this can be used as proof when updating your passport.

Update your driver’s licence in person

All provinces require driver’s licences to be updated in person and offer multiple locations to attend. Always take your proof of name change in addition to your current driver’s licence. If you no longer have your licence you should take 2 other forms of ID, but always check with the driver licensing authority first as exact identity requirements vary between provinces. Motor vehicle registrations are updated at the same time.

The exact name change procedure varies between provinces. Some provincial service offices can change your driver’s licence at the same time as your health card. BC drivers must get their MSP updated and receive proof before attending any ICBC location. Click the button below to get the process for your province.

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What married name can you take?

You can swap your surname for your spouse’s. All provinces except BC allow a double-barrelled surname on presentation of your marriage certificate. The names can appear in either order and can be separated by a space or hyphen. BC residents will need a legal name change if they want to add their spouse’s surname to their own.

Need to change names anywhere else?

It’s recommended that driver’s licence and other government records are updated first. Prioritize your provincial health care card, SIN card and Canadian Revenue Authority. We provide ready to send forms, letters and emails for your companies along with the latest researched name change procedures.

GET YOUR NAME CHANGE PAPERWORK
 

Tips

  • We recommend taking a few photocopies of your old licence first, as you need to surrender it to get a replacement. This may help if you ever need to prove your previous name.
  • Provinces set different policies for driver’s licence name change. You may be required to pay a small fee, so come prepared and able to pay via one of their multiple payment methods.
  • It’s important to prioritize your driver’s licence as some companies want to see an updated photo ID as proof of name change.
  • Need to change your BC or Ontario license? Visit our dedicated pages for more info.

Ready to change your name now?