How to Apply for Probate in Prince Edward Island
Apply for probate in Prince Edward Island: the Form 65A petition, the inventory, the 30-day citation rule, and filing at the Estates Section in Charlottetown.
How to Legally Change Your Name in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island's legal name change costs $100 for the first person in a family, including processing, registration, and the change of name certificate. Adults must have resided on PEI for at least three months, and the certificate takes one to two months.
Applies in: Prince Edward Island
The short answer
In Prince Edward Island, a legal name change is filed in person at the Vital Statistics office, and the fee is $100 for the first person in a family, including processing, registration, and the change of name certificate. The Government of Prince Edward Island's change your name legally page sets the entry rule, an adult must have been residing in Prince Edward Island for at least three months and not be in lawful custody of another person, and the province's Vital Statistics service fees table sets the $100 figure. Expect the process to end with a signing appointment before a commissioner of oaths and a one-to-two-month wait for the certificate.
This guide covers the process only. It does not give legal advice, and it does not decide custody or consent questions, The office applies those rules to your file.
Who can request a legal name change
An adult can apply for a legal change of name as long as they have been residing in Prince Edward Island for at least three months and are not in lawful custody of another person.
The legal custodian of a minor, under age 18, who has been living in the province at least three months can apply to legally change the name of the child. Two consent rules apply to a child's change:
- You must have written consent of any other person who has lawful custody, or of a parent who is lawfully entitled to access.
- If you want to change a child's surname, you must request a legal change of name, and a child aged 12 or older must provide written consent to change his or her name.
Forms
The office provides three forms for this process: the Adult Change of Name Form, the Minor Change of Name Form, and the Minor Change of Name - Consent Form. Use the adult form for your own change and the minor forms for a child's.
Information and documents to bring
Before you request a legal change of name, have this information ready:
- both the present and proposed names, in full, of the person whose name is to be changed
- the date and place of birth of the person whose name is to be changed
- details of any previous change in name of that person
- your full name and address, your place of ordinary residence at the time of application, and your length of residence in the province
- proof of lawful custody of the person, and the relationship between you and the person, if the name being changed is a child's
The supporting documents are:
- written consent of the legal guardians of any child whose name is to be changed, and of that child if over age 12
- a detailed birth certificate containing parent information, if the person whose name is to be changed was born outside Prince Edward Island
- proof of Prince Edward Island residency, such as a Prince Edward Island Health Card or a citizenship card
- all previously issued birth certificates, marriage certificates, and change of name certificates from another province, territory, state, or country
How the filing works
The process begins once you bring the completed application, the associated documentation, and the fees to the office. Someone from the office will be in touch once your application is received, to ensure all required information has been gathered and to arrange an appointment time to sign the documentation in the presence of a commissioner of oaths. It may take one to two months to receive your change of name certificate, and your new name will appear on any birth certificates issued after the process is complete.
The fees table also shows two figures that used to cost money and now do not: registering a change of name that has taken place outside Prince Edward Island is $0, and notifying the province of birth after a legal change of name completed on Prince Edward Island is $0. Payment options across these services are cash and debit in person, a money order or cheque payable to the PEI Minister of Finance, or a credit card with expiry date; the fees page notes that fees are subject to change.
Who is notified of the change
Except where special circumstances warrant, every registered name change on Prince Edward Island is:
- published in the Royal Gazette
- provided to the RCMP and other police authorities as may be prescribed
- filed with the registrar of deeds for the county in which the person whose name is changed resides
- provided to the Director of Maintenance Enforcement, as prescribed
- provided to such other authorities as may be prescribed
That notification list is part of the registered change itself. There is no step where you notify these bodies yourself, but there is also no private version of a standard registered change: plan on the Royal Gazette publication unless your case falls under the special circumstances exception.
Marriage is a separate, simpler route
Changing your surname for marriage does not require a legal change of name, unless you want to change the surname on your birth certificate. If you change your surname for marriage, you can use your marriage certificate to change your name on identification documents, passport and driver's licence are the province's examples, and on most bank and insurance documents.
After the certificate arrives
Use the change of name certificate to update your Prince Edward Island health card, your driver's licence, your Social Insurance Number record with Service Canada, your passport, and your bank, insurer, employer, and Canada Revenue Agency records. Birth certificates issued after the process is complete will already show the new name.
What the opened pages do not state
The Prince Edward Island pages state the $100 first-person fee (with processing, registration, and the certificate included), the $100 additional-person fee, the three-month residence rule, and the one-to-two-month certificate timeline. They do not state an age of majority figure in their own words beyond the adult and minor (under 18) split, and they do not describe a separate fingerprint application step, the change is provided to the RCMP and other police authorities as part of registration, so this guide adds neither an age figure nor a fingerprint step.
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 Health Card in Prince Edward Island — the PEI health card that can serve as residency proof and needs updating afterwards.
- How to Start Getting a Birth Certificate in Canada — the detailed birth certificate a PEI application needs for someone born outside the province.
- How to Start Applying for a Canadian Passport in Canada — updating your passport once your provincial 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 a surname you may use on PEI without a legal change.
Changing your legal name in Prince Edward Island, in four steps
- Get the right form from the officeThere is an Adult Change of Name Form, a Minor Change of Name Form, and a Minor Change of Name Consent Form.
- Assemble the information and supporting documentsPresent and proposed names in full, date and place of birth, any previous name change, proof of PEI residency, and all previously issued birth, marriage, and change of name certificates.
- Bring the completed application, documents, and fees to the officeThe first person in a family costs $100, including processing, registration, and the change of name certificate; each additional person costs $100.
- Sign the documentation before a commissioner of oaths, then wait for the certificateThe office arranges an appointment to sign once it has your application, and the change of name certificate takes one to two months.
Questions people ask
How much does a legal name change cost in Prince Edward Island?
The fee is $100 for a change of name for the first person in a family, and that figure includes processing, registration, and the change of name certificate. Each additional person in the family also costs $100. A stand-alone change of name certificate is listed at $35.
Who can request a legal name change in Prince Edward Island?
An adult can apply as long as they have been residing in Prince Edward Island for at least three months and are not in lawful custody of another person. The legal custodian of a minor under 18 who has been living in the province at least three months can apply to change the child's name.
What consent does a child's name change need on PEI?
You must have the written consent of any other person who has lawful custody, or of a parent who is lawfully entitled to access. A child aged 12 or older must provide written consent to change his or her name, and changing a child's surname always requires a legal change of name.
How long does a PEI name change take?
It may take one to two months to receive your change of name certificate. Your new name will appear on any birth certificates issued after the change of name process is complete.
Who is notified when a name is changed on PEI?
Except where special circumstances warrant, all registered name changes are published in the Royal Gazette, provided to the RCMP and other police authorities as prescribed, filed with the registrar of deeds for the county where the person whose name is changed resides, provided to the Director of Maintenance Enforcement as prescribed, and provided to other prescribed authorities.
Do I need a legal change of name to change my surname when I marry on PEI?
No, unless you want the surname changed on your birth certificate. Changing your surname for marriage does not require a legal change of name; you can use your marriage certificate to change your name on identification documents such as a passport and driver's licence, and on most bank and insurance documents.
Sources
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Change your Name Legally — the three-month residence and lawful custody rules for adults, the custodian and consent rules for a minor including consent at age 12, the marriage surname exception, the three application forms, the information and supporting document lists, the in-person filing and commissioner of oaths signing appointment, the one-to-two-month certificate timeline, and the Royal Gazette, RCMP, registrar of deeds, and Maintenance Enforcement notification list.
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Vital Statistics Service Fees — the change of name fee table: $100 for the first person in a family including processing, registration, and the change of name certificate, $100 for each additional person, $35 for a change of name certificate, and $0 to register an outside-province change or to notify the province of birth, plus the accepted payment options.