Changing my last name

[sm90]

Hi guys, I hope somebody can help me with this question.

When we filled out our application I used my maiden last name on the paperwork because that is the name that is still on my passport and documents. I want to change my last name on all my documents to my husband's but I am not sure if I can do this because the name on my application will be different. I am thinking that this might not be a problem at all since my marriage certificate is with the application so they can see my marital last name, but I just want to double check maybe somebody is better informed on this subject. Can i change my last name right away or should I wait until all our papers are approved?

Thank you

 

[parker24]

Hi guys, I hope somebody can help me with this question.

When we filled out our application I used my maiden last name on the paperwork because that is the name that is still on my passport and documents. I want to change my last name on all my documents to my husband's but I am not sure if I can do this because the name on my application will be different. I am thinking that this might not be a problem at all since my marriage certificate is with the application so they can see my marital last name, but I just want to double check maybe somebody is better informed on this subject. Can i change my last name right away or should I wait until all our papers are approved?

Thank you

Go for it. My last name is maiden-married, but with CIC they refer to me as maiden. It didn't seem to make too much of a difference

 

[SchnookoLoly]

We applied as common-law, so the application (me as sponsor) went in with my maiden name. We got married partway through the application process, and I've taken my husband's last name. I emailed CIC (there's an email address written in the guides) to inform them that we'd got married, I was taking his name, and included a scan of our marriage certificate. I haven't received a response, but the automatic reply said not to expect one. From reading here and on BritishExpats, many people have done this, and it's not an issue.

 

[Creampop]

Everywhere I have read, name changing can cause delays, specially if you get married in the process it even says on the CIC website if your going to get married do it before applying. I applied using my middle name, I will wait To change everything over once the process is over. another thought tho it may depend on who's changing their name the sponsor or the applicant.... sponsor's changing their name prolly isn't as much as the applicant changing names then all the police certificates and everything else will have to be done in the married name as well.... GL!

 

[OhCanadiana]

Everywhere I have read, name changing can cause delays, specially if you get married in the process it even says on the CIC website if your going to get married do it before applying. I applied using my middle name, I will wait To change everything over once the process is over. another thought tho it may depend on who's changing their name the sponsor or the applicant.... sponsor's changing their name prolly isn't as much as the applicant changing names then all the police certificates and everything else will have to be done in the married name as well.... GL!

One thing to consider, however, is that the applicant's name on the CoPR and later the PR card will be their legal name in Canada and it isn't necessarily simple to change one's last name once one is in Canada (it varies by province with at least one province not allowing it and another one requiring applicants for name change to have lived in the province for at least a year). So, it may be well worth doing it during the application to ensure the CoPR and PR Card is the name the applicant will want to use for SIN, Health Cards, bank accounts, etc.

We applied as common-law, so the application (me as sponsor) went in with my maiden name. We got married partway through the application process, and I've taken my husband's last name. I emailed CIC (there's an email address written in the guides) to inform them that we'd got married, I was taking his name, and included a scan of our marriage certificate. I haven't received a response, but the automatic reply said not to expect one. From reading here and on BritishExpats, many people have done this, and it's not an issue.

I would encourage you to send them a copy of your passport so they have it and actually change your name (though as a sponsor it's less critical)

 

[parker24]

Everywhere I have read, name changing can cause delays, specially if you get married in the process it even says on the CIC website if your going to get married do it before applying. I applied using my middle name, I will wait To change everything over once the process is over. another thought tho it may depend on who's changing their name the sponsor or the applicant.... sponsor's changing their name prolly isn't as much as the applicant changing names then all the police certificates and everything else will have to be done in the married name as well.... GL!

I forgot to put I'm the sponsor haha.

 

[Franzi]

I have a similar problem, I got married in Canada before we submitted our application, but since I wanted to send it off as soon as possible, I put my maiden name. It would have taken too long to apply and wait for a new passport.

I think I will just wait until I have my PR and then change my passport and then apply for a name change on my PR card. Is that possible?

Thanks for your help!

Franzi

 

[OhCanadiana]

I have a similar problem, I got married in Canada before we submitted our application, but since I wanted to send it off as soon as possible, I put my maiden name. It would have taken too long to apply and wait for a new passport.

I think I will just wait until I have my PR and then change my passport and then apply for a name change on my PR card. Is that possible?

Thanks for your help!

Franzi

It's not so simple - you'll need to have a "provincial driver’s licence, provincial identification card or provincial health card in the requested name." And, getting that document will be difficult since the provincial authorities generally will use your CoPR as proof of your legal name. Furthermore, it can take 2-3+ months to get your PR card (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp). So, you'll either need to get SIN, health card, etc in your maiden name first or wait several months before applying for them.

Therefore, I would encourage you to update your passport now and send a copy of it to your visa office before they issue the CoPR so that it comes out in your married name.



From http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/information/applications/guides/5445ETOC.asp:
"Legal change of name document

If your present name is different from the name printed on your Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688), you must send in supporting legal documentation as proof of your name change:

a certified copy of a legal change of name document, court order, adoption order, marriage certificate issued by civil authorities with your new name or a divorce decree with your new name, and
a certified copy of your provincial driver’s licence, provincial identification card or provincial health card in the requested name."

 

[Deutschbug]

It's not so simple - you'll need to have a "provincial driver's licence, provincial identification card or provincial health card in the requested name." And, getting that document will be difficult since the provincial authorities generally will use your CoPR as proof of your legal name. Furthermore, it can take 2-3+ months to get your PR card (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp). So, you'll either need to get SIN, health card, etc in your maiden name first or wait several months before applying for them.

In Ontario at least it's no problem to get a driver's license, SIN card and health card in your married name just by showing your marriage certificate, even if you are not a PR yet. I've done that with no issues.

I did apply for the legal name change with the German authorities (because you always have to do a legal name chance in Germany, you can't just adopt your spouse's last name like you can in Canada), and submitted a copy of my passport to the VO. Not sure if that will slow down things or not, I'll report back.

I am not sure if you would need to submit another police certificate- I doubt it, because you're still the same person, and the maiden name is also still on the new passport with the married name, so it should make no difference because it's all linked, but who knows.

I also already stated my married name in the "other names" field when we submitted my application with my maiden name documents.

 

[OhCanadiana]

In Ontario at least it's no problem to get a driver's license, SIN card and health card in your married name just by showing your marriage certificate, even if you are not a PR yet. I've done that with no issues.

Hold on a moment before extrapolating to Franzi's case.

From prior posts, Franzi is currently is Canada on temporary resident status so she'll need to apply for her SIN number using her CoPR (or PR Card) once she has it as she wouldn't be eligible for one before then.

BTW, I don't know your status in Canada, but if you weren't a PR when you got your SIN number, I would assume you were likely given a temporary SIN (starting with '9') based on your temporary residence status (e.g., your work or study permit or your diplomatic identity card. If so, you'll need to get a permanent one once you become a PR. For that, you'll need your CoPR:

"Permanent residents of Canada need to provide one of the following documents:
• Permanent Resident Card issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC);
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence issued by CIC and affixed to a foreign passport or a travel document for visa exempt countries;
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence WITH visa counterfoil issued by CIC and affixed to a foreign passport or a travel document for non-visa exempt countries; or,
• Record of Landing (IMM 1000) issued by CIC (before June 28, 2002)."
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eforms/forms/nas-2120-%2801-12%29e.pdf

For driver's licenses and health cards, per my prior post, the requirements depend on the province Franzi will live in.

You can get an Ontario DL even as a tourist, so you don't need to show a CoPR (but can to have them use that as your legal name if other documents don't match). That's not the case in provinces which do require proof of non-visitor immigration status.

For OHIP as a PR you do need to submit your proof of eligible immigration status, which for Franzi would be her CoPR or PR Card (see List 1 at http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/GetFileAttach/014-9998E-82~1/$File/9998-82E.pdf)

 

[OhCanadiana]

In Ontario at least it's no problem to get a driver's license, SIN card and health card in your married name just by showing your marriage certificate, even if you are not a PR yet. I've done that with no issues.

I did apply for the legal name change with the German authorities (because you always have to do a legal name chance in Germany, you can't just adopt your spouse's last name like you can in Canada), and submitted a copy of my passport to the VO. Not sure if that will slow down things or not, I'll report back.

I am not sure if you would need to submit another police certificate- I doubt it, because you're still the same person, and the maiden name is also still on the new passport with the married name, so it should make no difference because it's all linked, but who knows.

I also already stated my married name in the "other names" field when we submitted my application with my maiden name documents.

It shouldn't delay your application at since they already used your aliases to run your background and criminality check (and most police certificates require fingerprints). There's been several people on the forum who have changed their names without any trouble during the process by sending in a copy of their updated passport prior to receiving their CoPR.

 

[Deutschbug]

It shouldn't delay your application at since they already used your aliases to run your background and criminality check (and most police certificates require fingerprints). There's been several people on the forum who have changed their names without any trouble during the process by sending in a copy of their updated passport prior to receiving their CoPR.

Thanks for the info, that's interesting indeed. Alas, German police certificates don't require fingerprinting, but I hope that just matching the names will suffice in this case.

 

[Deutschbug]

Hold on a moment before extrapolating to Franzi's case.

From prior posts, Franzi is currently is Canada on temporary resident status so she'll need to apply for her SIN number using her CoPR (or PR Card) once she has it as she wouldn't be eligible for one before then.

BTW, I don't know your status in Canada, but if you weren't a PR when you got your SIN number, I would assume you were likely given a temporary SIN (starting with '9') based on your temporary residence status (e.g., your work or study permit or your diplomatic identity card. If so, you'll need to get a permanent one once you become a PR. For that, you'll need your CoPR:

"Permanent residents of Canada need to provide one of the following documents:
• Permanent Resident Card issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC);
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence issued by CIC and affixed to a foreign passport or a travel document for visa exempt countries;
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence WITH visa counterfoil issued by CIC and affixed to a foreign passport or a travel document for non-visa exempt countries; or,
• Record of Landing (IMM 1000) issued by CIC (before June 28, 2002)."
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eforms/forms/nas-2120-%2801-12%29e.pdf

For driver's licenses and health cards, per my prior post, the requirements depend on the province Franzi will live in.

You can get an Ontario DL even as a tourist, so you don't need to show a CoPR (but can to have them use that as your legal name if other documents don't match). That's not the case in provinces which do require proof of non-visitor immigration status.

For OHIP as a PR you do need to submit your proof of eligible immigration status, which for Franzi would be her CoPR or PR Card (see List 1 at http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/GetFileAttach/014-9998E-82~1/$File/9998-82E.pdf)

Thanks for elaborating on this. I guess what I was trying to say is that you can change your last name to your married name in Ontario for the above documents if you bring your marriage certificate in addition to your valid immigration document that makes you eligible for said services. In my case, was able to change my cards to my married name, even though my most recent work permit was still issued with just my maiden name. Obviously, as a visitor you're not eligible for OHIP nor a SIN, so this doesn't apply to a lot of people.

 

[Deutschbug]

I guess what I was also trying to say is that you don't need to do a legal name change in Ontario at least, you can just adopt your spouse's name, and with the marriage certificate as a proof you can change it on your DL, OHIP etc. while your legal name is different (in your passport or on whatever immigration document for example).

By German law however, it would technically be illegal to just carry your spouse's last name and sign with it, so from what I understand as a German citizen, you always have to apply for a legal name change with the German authorities regardless, which then results in having to apply for a new passport because as soon as the Germans grant your name change, your pp becomes invalid.

 

[CharlieD10]

I adopted my spouse's name as my legal name after our application was submitted. Before I got around to that I had been using the maiden-married hyphenated name. I submitted the new passport and it caused no delays or issues with getting my COPR and visa.

All my documents here in Canada are now in the married name, because I already did the change in my home country. I find it was a lot simpler compared to what I would have gone through to change them after my COPR and visa had been issued.