Name Changes

In order to change your own or your child’s first, middle or last name, you must:

• be 18 years of age or older unless you are legally married, widowed, divorced, or in or separated from a common-law relationship
• be a resident of Saskatchewan
• have lived in Saskatchewan for at least three months within the last year
• be legally entitled to remain in Canada

You must contact eHealth Saskatchewan to apply to change your name. They can give you the forms for changing your name and provide further assistance.

Your application must include:

• the consent of any other person that is required or a court order saying their consent is not needed
• an affidavit of bona fides in which you swear that you are not changing your name for fraudulent or unlawful purposes
• a criminal record check if you are 18 years of age or older
• any additional information required by eHealth Saskatchewan
• the required fee

Whether eHealth Saskatchewan requires additional information varies from situation to situation. They may require things like proof of age or proof of residency.

Once completed, you can submit the application to eHealth in person or by mail. Applications will typically be accepted if you meet all the requirements and pay the required fees.

eHealth Saskatchewan may refuse your application if:

• the application is incomplete
• your new name is not written entirely in the Roman alphabet or is otherwise objectionable
• your new name might cause confusion or embarrassment to another person
• you are applying to change your name for an improper purpose such as to avoid debt collection
• you have been convicted of a designated offence, such as most sexual offences, murder or criminal harassment

You do not need your spouse's consent to apply to change your own name. However, you must either:

• prove that they were given notice of the application
• if you are no longer living together, but still married, attach an affidavit indicating that you are living separately

In cases where you can simply elect to change your name, you do not need your spouse’s consent or to notify them.

You can also apply to change the name of your spouse at the same time that you apply to change your own name. Your spouse's consent is required in this case.

Parents, or others, who are the legal custodian of a child can apply to change the child's first, middle or last name. Every other legal custodian of the child must consent to this in writing.

Both parents are legal custodians unless they never lived together after the birth of the child. In that case, the parent who the child lives with is the legal custodian. Agreements and court orders can also change who the legal custodian is.

If the child is 14 years of age or older, they must also provide their written consent. You can apply to change the name of your child at the same time that you apply to change your name or at any other time.

If your application meets all the requirements your new name will be registered and you will receive a Certificate of Change of Name. By law, most name changes are published in the Saskatchewan Gazette, which is available to the public. The fee you need to pay includes a charge for this advertisement. In very rare circumstances publishing your name in the Gazette may not be required.

Once changed, you have the right to have your new name substituted in any document or record that contains your old name. You should make arrangements to change your name on things like your bank accounts, health card and driver's licence. A copy of the Certificate of Change of Name should be sent with each request or notice of name change. Some agencies and institutions may charge a fee for issuing documentation in a new name.

In some cases, you can change your last name without applying to eHealth Saskatchewan. This is called a name change by election.

If you are someone’s spouse, you can change your name by election. Spouses include people who are legally married or living together as common-law spouses. If you are not legally married, you will need to file a declaration confirming your spousal relationship. There is a fee for this form.

A spouse can choose to use:

• the last name they were given at birth
• the last name they were using immediately before their current spousal relationship
• their spouse's last name

Spouses may also elect to use a double surname consisting of both spouses' surnames. Double surnames:

• cannot contain more than two components
• may have a hyphen or not, for example “Smith-Jones” or “Smith Jones”
• may be used by one or both spouses

If both spouses choose to use a double surname, each spouse must use the same components but may combine them in a different order.

When a spousal relationship ends, a former spouse may elect to use:

• the last name they were given at birth
• the last name they were using at the time the relationship ended
• the last name they were using immediately before entering into the relationship

If you were not legally married, you must file a declaration indicating that the relationship has ended to continue to use or change a last name by election. There is a fee for this form.

Changing a last name by election does not change your name on your Birth Registration or your Birth Certificate. People who have elected to change their last name may also wish to change their last name on things such as bank accounts, health cards and drivers' licences. Agencies involved may require proof of the relationship and may also charge a fee for issuing documents with a changed last name.