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Name change questions?

Name change in Canada questions?

  • My friend is an immigrant who was naturalized in Canada. His name is really foreign sounding and is often misspelled & mispronounced, sometimes it is truncated as there are not enough spaces for it to be written on the credit/debit card, ID etc. Basically, he wants to change his long name to a short Canadian sounding name. He knows how to go about changing it already but his question is this: Does he have to change his citizenship ID & passport as well? What about credit bureaus? Will his good credit be gone with his old name? What about his college degree and work experiences? How will he justify supporting docs when he applies for work? What about his SIN? Does he need to reapply for a new one or just change the name? How will he travel abroad with his kids if they do not share the same family name? Can anyone with actual experience or have legal knowledge enlighten us? I told him to change it to John Doe, instead of the Iceland volcano sounding name he has. (kidding)

  • Answer:

    He simply has to notify everyone of the change. His credit rating won't change. All he has to do is give the original documents and a copy of the official change of name document. He doesn't need to change. How will he travel with his kids? Why not change their names as well. They are going to have the same problems he is - and it's easier if the whole family has the same name.

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A formal name change will necessarily affect any and all forms of identification. Since changing one's name falls under the purview of the province, your friend would be better off contacting someone there. A name change must necessarily be reflected in all official documents, from passports to credit cards. However, one's record, good or bad, does not go away with a name change. If it did, then people with bad credit records would be changing their names constantly. The SIN card is attached to one's tax records and so any and all federal agencies your friend deals with would need to know the new name and how it is changed from the old one. Honestly, your friend's situation is SO similar to what a lot of other people go through and certainly what a lot of women go through when they marry. So, contact the nearest provincial office and speak with them about it. They see this sort of thing regularly and so will be better able to help you there. Peace -Z

Z

john smith, paul wight, jimmy davis david beckham

Matthew

I've changed my last name 2 years ago. He's gonna have to go trew his province. For exemple, in Ontario I went on their website, got the phone # for the Office of the Registrar General, they send me some paperwork. Send them back all signed, 4 weeks later my name was legally and officialy changed. In that province, one needs to be 16 or over and has been living in this province for over a year. I had it free, it was for a wedding and you usually have 3 months to do it free. But normaly it's 137$ So basicly, he just have to contact the Office of the Registrar General if his province and start from there! If it's a legal name change, he's gonna have to change every thing. Credit will not change, he only has to call and make the change. College degree will stay, work experience also. He's gonna receive a name change certificat with date and all, this will be is legal proof. He will have no problem at all because the change was autorised by the gouvernment.

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