Open ProvincesDocuments and ID in Ontario: birth certificate and change of name
Who issues birth certificates in Ontario, 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 Ontario are handled by ServiceOntario, Office of the Registrar General. It can only issue documents for events registered in Ontario: for a birth, marriage or death elsewhere, order from the province or territory where it happened.
Order a birth certificate
You can order online, by mail or in person at the two ServiceOntario offices that offer it. The birth must have been registered in Ontario. Name changes go through the Registrar General, may require a certified criminal record check, and can take months.
- 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 Ontario from another province? See our moving checklist and the moving page for Ontario.
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 Ontario: rights, rent increases and average rents
- Working in Ontario: minimum wage, standards and wages
- Moving to Ontario: health card, driver's licence and taxes
- Cost of living in Ontario: prices, rent, wages and taxes
- Buying a home in Ontario: land transfer tax, rebates and first-time buyer help
- Health care in Ontario: health card, drug plans and dental help
- Studying in Ontario: tuition, student aid and grants
- Seniors in Ontario: pensions, supplements and programs
- Taxes in Ontario: income tax rates, sales tax and take-home pay (2026)
- Families in Ontario: child benefits and family programs
- Documents and ID in Ontario: birth certificate and change of name
- Starting a business in Ontario: register a name, GST/HST and licences
- Problems and disputes in Ontario: consumer complaints, small claims, workplace injury and legal aid
- Driving and vehicles in Ontario: switching your licence and what is required
- Photo ID card in Ontario without a driver's licence: who can apply, documents and fee
- Getting married in Ontario: marriage licence, fees and documents
- Health card in Ontario: who qualifies, waiting period and how to register
- When someone dies in Ontario: death certificate, estate and probate
- Registering a child for school in Ontario: age, documents and where to sign up
- Child care in Ontario: fees, finding a space and subsidies
- Immigrating to Ontario: nominee program, steps and processing times
- Accessible parking permit in Ontario: how to apply
- Alcohol rules in Ontario: legal age and where to buy
- Car insurance in Ontario: what is compulsory and where to buy it
- Cannabis rules in Ontario: legal age, where to buy and where to use
- Disability income and supports in Ontario: how to apply
- Prescription drug coverage in Ontario: public plans and how to enrol
- Emergency preparedness in Ontario: alerts, evacuation and your 72-hour kit
- Separation, parenting and child support in Ontario: free help and enforcement
- Help for family violence and victims of crime in Ontario
- Fishing and hunting licences in Ontario: where to buy and what you need
- Health advice line (811) in Ontario: speak to a nurse any time
- Indigenous relations and services in Ontario: who does what
- Marriage licence fee in Ontario
- New drivers in Ontario: graduated licensing stages and minimum ages
- Provincial parks and camping reservations in Ontario
- Probate fees in Ontario: what an estate pays
- Social assistance in Ontario: how to apply for income support
- Social housing and rent help in Ontario: how to apply
- Student loans and grants in Ontario: where to apply
- Voting in Ontario: register, check your status and find your election office
- Wills, powers of attorney and health care directives in Ontario