Open ProvincesDocuments and ID in Nova Scotia: birth certificate and change of name
Who issues birth certificates in Nova Scotia, how to order one, how a legal change of name works and what to update afterwards.
Who issues your documents
Birth, marriage and death certificates and legal changes of name in Nova Scotia are handled by Service Nova Scotia, Vital Statistics. It can only issue documents for events registered in Nova Scotia: for a birth, marriage or death elsewhere, order from the province or territory where it happened.
Order a birth certificate
Apply by mail or at an Access Nova Scotia centre. A long-form certificate (with parents' names) is required for a passport application for anyone under 16. A change of name needs fingerprinting for applicants aged 12 and over.
- Ask for the long form (it shows your parents) if the certificate is for a passport, immigration or citizenship file: the short form is often not enough.
- Order well before you travel or apply: processing times vary and can be long. Rush options exist in some provinces.
- Have the person's full name, date and place of birth, and their parents' names ready, exactly as they were registered.
- You will need to prove who you are; only certain people can apply (the person, a parent, a guardian or an authorized representative).
Official page: birth certificates ↗
Change your name
- Marriage or divorce: in most provinces you can start using your spouse's surname, or go back to your birth surname, without a legal change of name: you show the marriage certificate or divorce papers. Check your province's page.
- Any other change is a legal change of name made through the province's vital statistics office. Many provinces now require a criminal record check, often with fingerprints, and some publish the change in a government gazette.
- Residency rules, minimum ages, consent for children and fees are set by each province: use the official page and plan for several weeks or months.
Official page: change of name ↗
After a name change: update the rest
- Social insurance number record, then the CRA and Service Canada (see our SIN guide).
- Passport (see our passport guide), health card and driver's licence.
- Bank, employer, insurers, landlord and online accounts (see government online accounts).
Moving to Nova Scotia from another province? See our moving checklist and the moving page for Nova Scotia.
Procedures only: fees, forms and waiting times change, so each official page above is the authority. Quebec has its own rules: see AtlasQuébec.
Guides for this province
- Renting in Nova Scotia: rights, rent increases and average rents
- Working in Nova Scotia: minimum wage, standards and wages
- Moving to Nova Scotia: health card, driver's licence and taxes
- Cost of living in Nova Scotia: prices, rent, wages and taxes
- Buying a home in Nova Scotia: land transfer tax, rebates and first-time buyer help
- Health care in Nova Scotia: health card, drug plans and dental help
- Studying in Nova Scotia: tuition, student aid and grants
- Seniors in Nova Scotia: pensions, supplements and programs
- Taxes in Nova Scotia: income tax rates, sales tax and take-home pay (2026)
- Families in Nova Scotia: child benefits and family programs
- Documents and ID in Nova Scotia: birth certificate and change of name
- Starting a business in Nova Scotia: register a name, GST/HST and licences
- Problems and disputes in Nova Scotia: consumer complaints, small claims, workplace injury and legal aid
- Driving and vehicles in Nova Scotia: switching your licence and what is required
- Photo ID card in Nova Scotia without a driver's licence: who can apply, documents and fee
- Getting married in Nova Scotia: marriage licence, fees and documents
- Health card in Nova Scotia: who qualifies, waiting period and how to register
- When someone dies in Nova Scotia: death certificate, estate and probate
- Registering a child for school in Nova Scotia: age, documents and where to sign up
- Child care in Nova Scotia: fees, finding a space and subsidies
- Immigrating to Nova Scotia: nominee program, steps and processing times
- Accessible parking permit in Nova Scotia: how to apply
- Alcohol rules in Nova Scotia: legal age and where to buy
- Car insurance in Nova Scotia: what is compulsory and where to buy it
- Cannabis rules in Nova Scotia: legal age, where to buy and where to use
- Disability income and supports in Nova Scotia: how to apply
- Prescription drug coverage in Nova Scotia: public plans and how to enrol
- Emergency preparedness in Nova Scotia: alerts, evacuation and your 72-hour kit
- Separation, parenting and child support in Nova Scotia: free help and enforcement
- Help for family violence and victims of crime in Nova Scotia
- Fishing and hunting licences in Nova Scotia: where to buy and what you need
- Health advice line (811) in Nova Scotia: speak to a nurse any time
- Indigenous relations and services in Nova Scotia: who does what
- Marriage licence fee in Nova Scotia
- New drivers in Nova Scotia: graduated licensing stages and minimum ages
- Provincial parks and camping reservations in Nova Scotia
- Probate fees in Nova Scotia: what an estate pays
- Social assistance in Nova Scotia: how to apply for income support
- Social housing and rent help in Nova Scotia: how to apply
- Student loans and grants in Nova Scotia: where to apply
- Voting in Nova Scotia: register, check your status and find your election office
- Wills, powers of attorney and health care directives in Nova Scotia