British Columbia's adult legal name change costs $137 through the Vital Statistics Agency under the Name Act. Applicants 19 and older who have lived in B.C. for at least 3 months need a criminal record check with electronic fingerprints.
Applies in: British Columbia
In British Columbia, an adult legal name change runs through the Vital Statistics Agency under the Name Act, and the fee is $137. The Government of British Columbia's adult name change page covers adults 19 and older: you must have been living in British Columbia for at least 3 months, and every applicant aged 12 or older needs a criminal record check with electronic fingerprints. Processing takes about 24 weeks once the application is received.
This guide covers the process only. It does not give legal advice, and it does not decide whether the Name Act bars a particular applicant, The Agency applies those rules to your file.
You may apply to change your own name if you are 19 or older, have been living in British Columbia for at least 3 months, and are not prohibited from changing your name under the Name Act, the page gives certain criminal convictions as an example of a prohibition. You also need to be able to complete the criminal record check with electronic fingerprints within the 30 days before the Agency receives your application.
Changing a child's name (18 or under), including a first, middle, or last name, is a separate process with its own form and consent rules. Changing your name and changing your gender designation are also two different processes: if you are doing both, the province says to start with the name change, then use the change of name certificate to apply for the gender designation change on a different form.
Some fees may be waived if you are changing your name to reclaim an Indigenous name, and Indigenous language characters may be used.
A criminal record check with electronic fingerprints is required for all applicants aged 12 or older. For adults 18 and older, the results are sent directly to the Agency, not to you. What goes in your application package is a copy of the payment receipt, and the date on that receipt must be within 30 days of when the Agency receives your application. That timing rule is the main scheduling trap in the British Columbia process: a check done too early goes stale before your package arrives.
To book the check, contact your local RCMP detachment, police department, or an accredited criminal record check agency, and take the "Requesting a Criminal Record Check for Change of Name in B.C." information sheet with you, it is page 9 of the application form. Fees vary by police agency or provider and are paid to them, not to the Agency.
Step 1: Complete the form. Download and fill out the Adult Application for Change of Name (VSA 529_adult). Your new name must include both a first name and a surname. Use the current version of the form, print clearly in black or blue ink, initial any changes, and do not use white-out.
Step 2: Gather the documents. You need proof of birth or status, an original Canadian birth certificate, or certified copies of valid immigration or citizenship documents if you were born outside Canada, and proof of British Columbia residency: a copy of valid, non-expired photo identification such as a British Columbia driver's licence, BCID, or BC Services Card, plus a recent utility bill or government or banking correspondence if your current address is not on the identification. Add the criminal record check receipt, and any further documents the Agency asks for, such as original previous change of name certificates, original British Columbia marriage certificates, or certified translations of documents that are not in English. A certified copy is one stamped "Certified true copy" and signed by an authorized Commissioner for Taking Affidavits, a practising lawyer, an articled law student, or a notary public.
Step 3: Include payment. $137 for the adult name change, plus $27 for each dependent child included in the same application, if a child is included, use the combined Application for Change of Name (VSA 529) instead of the adult-only form, and $27 for each British Columbia birth or marriage search if you do not have the certificate. Payment details are on page 4 of the form.
Step 4: Submit. In person at a designated Service BC location, note that the Surrey and Vancouver Service BC locations do not accept name change applications, and Service BC representatives cannot confirm whether your application is complete, or by mail to Vital Statistics Agency, Attn: Confidential Services, PO Box 9657 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9P3.
Questions go to Service BC toll free at 1-888-876-1633 or to the Agency by email at VSA.CONA@gov.bc.ca.
Once approved, you receive a change of name certificate by mail. British Columbia birth records and current British Columbia marriage records are updated automatically, but your Canadian birth and British Columbia marriage certificates are not returned, order replacement certificates separately if you need them in hand.
Everything else is yours to update: ICBC for your driver's licence, BC Services Card, and BCID; Passport Canada; the Canada Revenue Agency; Service Canada for your Social Insurance Number record; banks and financial institutions; auto, home, and other insurance; and school, employment, benefits, and medical records.
The British Columbia page states the $137 adult fee, the $27 child and search add-ons, the 3-month residence rule, the 30-day receipt window, and the roughly 24-week processing time. It does not state a dollar figure for the criminal record check, it says fees vary by police agency or provider, so this guide gives none. It also does not state a publication requirement for adult name changes, so this guide makes no publication claim for British Columbia.
The fee is $137 for an adult. Add $27 for each dependent child included in the same application, and $27 for each B.C. birth or marriage search if you do not have the certificate. The criminal record check is paid separately to the police agency or provider, and those fees vary.
You may apply for your own name change if you are 19 or older, have been living in British Columbia for at least 3 months, are not prohibited from changing your name under the Name Act, and can complete a criminal record check with electronic fingerprints within 30 days before the Agency receives your application.
The date on your criminal record check payment receipt must be within 30 days of when the Agency receives your application. If the receipt is older than that when the package arrives, the timing rule is not met, so book the check close to when you will submit.
About 24 weeks to process once the Agency receives the application. Incomplete packages take longer.
No. You can submit in person at a designated Service BC location or by mail to the Agency in Victoria, but the Surrey and Vancouver Service BC locations do not accept name change applications. Service BC staff also cannot confirm whether your application is complete.
British Columbia birth and current British Columbia marriage records are updated automatically once the change is approved, but Canadian birth and B.C. marriage certificates are not returned to you. You must order replacement certificates separately, and you are responsible for updating ICBC, Passport Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, banks, insurers, and school, work, benefit, and medical records yourself.