What needs to be commissioned?

Ontario’s Office of the Registrar General handles legal name changes. To apply as an adult you must be at least 16, and you (or the child whose name is changing) must have lived in Ontario for 12 months in a row.

On the adult application, Part 6, the statutory declaration, must be signed in front of a commissioner. On the child application, only the applying parent’s statutory declaration in Part 6 is commissioned. Consent and notice forms are not. A guarantor also confirms your Ontario residence, but the guarantor’s signature does not need to be commissioned.

Who needs it

• Adults changing their first, middle or last name
• Parents changing a child’s name
• People changing their name after marriage, separation or for personal reasons (check ServiceOntario for when an election of name is used instead)

What to bring

• The full application with Part 6 unsigned
• The guarantor section already completed
• Valid government photo ID
• Your supporting documents, so we can check nothing is missing

Avoid these common mistakes

• Signing Part 6 before the appointment.
• Making corrections without the commissioner’s initials. On the child application, every correction must be initialled by the commissioner.
• Forgetting the guarantor’s statement or required consents.
• Not surrendering previous Ontario birth certificates when required.