How to Legally Change Your Name in Alberta
Alberta's legal name change carries a $120 government fee, paid through a registry agent whose own service fee is extra. Adults need a certified criminal record check filed within 30 days of its date.
How to Legally Change Your Name in Manitoba
Manitoba's legal name change costs $120.07 through the Vital Statistics Branch — $100 for the change and certificate, plus a $20.07 Manitoba Gazette fee. Since November 5, 2025, adult applicants also submit a certified criminal record check, but only after the Branch tells them to.
Applies in: Manitoba
The short answer
In Manitoba, a legal name change runs through the Vital Statistics Branch under The Change of Name Act, and the total is $120.07 — $100 for the change and certificate, plus a $20.07 Manitoba Gazette fee. The Manitoba Vital Statistics Branch change of name page carries a warning that defines the whole Manitoba route: as of November 5, 2025, applicants 18 and older must submit a certified criminal record check, but not until the Branch advises them to. You apply first; the check comes second, on the Branch's instructions.
This guide covers the process only. It does not give legal advice, and it does not decide eligibility — the Branch applies The Change of Name Act and its Regulation to your file.
Who can apply
Anyone applying to change their own name, or a child's name, must have resided in Manitoba for at least three months immediately before the application is submitted. To change your own name, you must be 18 years of age or older — or under 18 and married or in a common-law relationship, or a parent with custody of a child.
To change a child's name, you must be the child's parent with the consent of the child if the child is 12 to 17, and the consent of the other parent, or an original or certified copy of a court order granting sole custody. Notice to the other parent is required. A legal guardian needs a permanent court order of guardianship and consent from the child's parents. Changing the name of another adult requires showing that you are that adult's Committee under The Mental Health Act, or their Substitute Decision Maker for personal care under The Adults Living with an Intellectual Disability Act, with authority to apply.
Manitoba bars some applicants outright: a person cannot apply if they have been convicted of a primary offence as defined in subsection 490.011(1) of the Criminal Code (Canada), have been designated a dangerous offender under section 753 or a long-term offender under section 753.1, or are listed on the National Sex Offender Registry.
The application comes before the record check
This order is the opposite of most provinces, and the Branch states it in capital letters on its page: do not undergo a certified criminal record check until you are advised by the Vital Statistics Branch to do so. The sequence is:
Step 1. Complete the Application for a Legal Change of Name and submit it with the supporting documentation and fees to the Vital Statistics Branch, Attn: Legal Change of Name, 254 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0B6 — or in person by appointment; call 204-945-3701 or toll free within Canada at 866-949-9296 to book.
Step 2. The Branch reviews your application and supporting documentation. If it is approved at this stage, you receive an information sheet with detailed instructions on obtaining your certified criminal record check.
Step 3. Contact the authorized agency named in those instructions to discuss the requirements and fees, and complete the check. Applicants 17 and younger do not need one.
Step 4. Once the Branch receives your certified criminal record check and there are no designated offences or additional grounds for refusal under the Change of Name Regulation, your legal change of name certificate is processed and mailed.
Documents to send with the application
If you were born in Canada, send all previously issued birth certificates, proof of identity, and proof of residency in Manitoba. If you were born outside Canada, send a Canadian Citizenship Certificate or Permanent Resident Card, proof of identity, and proof of residency. For a child under 18, all court documents about guardianship and custody must also be provided.
- Proof of identity must be valid, government-issued, carry a distinct identification number, show your current full legal name and an expiry date, and include your photograph — a Manitoba driver's licence, a Canadian passport, or a Certificate of Indian Status card are the Branch's examples.
- Proof of residency must be valid, government-issued, show your current address, and include an issue date — a Manitoba driver's licence, a Manitoba Identification card issued by Manitoba Public Insurance, or a Manitoba Health card showing your address. Because the new plastic Manitoba Health card does not show an address, it may be accepted with a signed mortgage agreement, a signed long-term rental or lease agreement, a utility bill, a property tax bill, a Canada Revenue Agency income tax assessment showing Manitoba as your residence, or a social assistance or employment and income assistance statement of benefits.
All supporting documents must be originals or copies confirmed by an eligible witness, and documents in a language other than English or French must be translated by a certified translator. Your affidavit of qualification and good faith must be signed by someone authorized under The Evidence Act of Manitoba — a commissioner for oaths (available at the Vital Statistics Branch), a Manitoba justice of the peace or judge, a Manitoba lawyer, a Manitoba notary public, a municipal mayor, reeve, or clerk, a school district or division secretary-treasurer, a postmaster, an RCMP member, or a full-time commissioned officer of the Canadian Forces. The person who witnesses your signature can also confirm photocopies of your supporting documents at the same appointment.
Cost and publication
The Branch's fees are $100 for the legal change of name (including a certificate of change) and $20.07 for the Manitoba Gazette fee, for a total of $120.07. Each additional family member submitted together costs $70.07. A Manitoba birth certificate or marriage certificate is $30 each. Name changes are published in the Manitoba Gazette; the Gazette fee is not required where the reason for the application relates to the individual being transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, or two-spirit Indigenous, because the public notice requirement does not apply then.
The certified criminal record check is not in that total. The Branch does not set its fee — authorized agencies set their own fees, and you pay the agency directly.
Residential school survivors, Sixties Scoop survivors, and their family members are eligible for a waiver of legislated fees for a legal change of name through the Branch, which can cover the change fee, the Gazette fee, and Manitoba birth or marriage certificate replacement fees. The criminal record check fee cannot be waived by the Branch because an external agency charges it. On the application, indicate that the reason for the name change is to reclaim your Indigenous name, and you may choose a single name if it is part of your or your child's traditional culture.
Changing a surname after marriage is a different route
No legal change of name application is required in Manitoba because of marriage. You may retain your current surname, assume your spouse's surname, combine the surnames with or without a hyphen, or assume your spouse's surname and keep your current surname as a middle name. Update your identification documents with each organization, and expect most of them to ask for your government-issued marriage certificate as proof. If you assume a married surname, the name on your birth certificate remains unchanged.
After divorce or the death of a spouse, reverting to the surname you used immediately before marriage follows the same route, usually with a divorce certificate or death certificate as proof.
What the opened pages do not state
The Manitoba page states the $120.07 total and its $100 and $20.07 parts, the $70.07 additional family member fee, the three-month residency rule, and the four-step sequence. It does not state a processing time for a legal change of name or a dollar figure for the certified criminal record check — that fee is set by the authorized agency — so this guide gives neither.
Related guides:
- How to Start Changing Your Legal Name in Canada — the national overview of provincial vital statistics processes, publication, and record checks.
- How to Get a Manitoba Health Card in Manitoba — the Manitoba health card that can serve as residency proof and needs updating afterwards.
- How to Start Getting a Birth Certificate in Canada — ordering birth certificates, including the $30 Manitoba certificate route.
- How to Start Applying for a Canadian Passport in Canada — updating your passport once your Manitoba documents carry the new name.
- How to Change Your Address in Canada — the address updates that usually travel with a name change.
- Getting Married in Canada Checklist — the marriage steps behind the surname choices that need no application in Manitoba.
Changing your legal name in Manitoba, in four steps
- Send the application, documents, and fees to the Vital Statistics BranchMail it to 254 Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, or deliver it in person by appointment.
- Wait for the Branch to review and accept the applicationOn acceptance you receive an information sheet with instructions for the certified criminal record check — do not get the check before this point.
- Complete the certified criminal record check with an authorized agencyApplicants 18 and older need the check; its fee is set by the agency and paid to the agency.
- Receive the legal change of name certificate by mailThe certificate is processed and mailed once the Branch receives the check and finds no designated offences or other grounds for refusal.
Questions people ask
How much does a legal name change cost in Manitoba?
The Vital Statistics Branch total is $120.07: a $100 legal change of name fee, which includes a certificate of change, plus a $20.07 Manitoba Gazette fee. Each additional family member submitted together costs $70.07. A Manitoba birth or marriage certificate is $30 each. The certified criminal record check is paid separately to the authorized agency that performs it, at that agency's fee.
Why should I not get the criminal record check before applying in Manitoba?
Because the Manitoba process is sequenced the other way. The Vital Statistics Branch tells applicants 18 and older not to undergo a certified criminal record check until the Branch advises them to. You send the application first; once it is reviewed and accepted, the Branch sends you an information sheet with detailed instructions for obtaining the check.
Who is eligible to change their own name in Manitoba?
Anyone applying must have resided in Manitoba for at least three months immediately before the application is submitted. To change your own name you must be 18 years of age or older, or under 18 and married or in a common-law relationship, or a parent with custody of a child.
Will my Manitoba name change be published?
Yes. Name changes are published in the Manitoba Gazette, and the $20.07 Gazette fee is part of the standard total. The Gazette fee is not required where the reason for the application relates to the individual being transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, or two-spirit Indigenous, because the public notice requirement does not apply in that case.
Who cannot apply for a name change in Manitoba?
A person cannot apply if they have been convicted of a primary offence as defined in subsection 490.011(1) of the Criminal Code, have been designated a dangerous offender or a long-term offender, or are listed on the National Sex Offender Registry.
Do I need a legal name change to change my surname after marriage in Manitoba?
No. After marriage you may retain your current surname, assume your spouse's surname, combine the two surnames with or without a hyphen, or assume your spouse's surname and keep your current surname as a middle name, all without a legal change of name application. Your birth certificate keeps its existing name. The same no-application route applies to reverting to your pre-marriage surname after divorce or the death of a spouse.
Sources
- Manitoba Vital Statistics Branch, Legal Change of Name — the November 5, 2025 certified criminal record check requirement and its apply-first sequence, the barred-applicant list, the three-month residency and age rules, the child consent rules, the identity and residency document standards, the affidavit witness list, the $100 fee, $20.07 Manitoba Gazette fee, $120.07 total, $70.07 additional family member fee, and $30 certificate fees, the Gazette publication rule and its exception, the Indigenous name fee waiver, the marriage surname options, and the Winnipeg address and appointment phone numbers.