Name Change

Assume a last name due to marriage

You can assume your spouse’s last name after marriage on government documents such as:

• Health card

• Driver’s licence

• Ontario Photo Card

There is no cost to assume your spouse’s last name on the above documents. When you assume a spouse’s last name after marriage, it does not change the name on your Ontario birth registration (and birth certificate). You should change all your identification documents to reflect the new last name.

To change your last name on these documents, visit a ServiceOntario centre with your:

• marriage certificate

  • this is not the “Record of Solemnization of Marriage” given to you by the person who performed your marriage

  • you must apply for a certificate as one is not issued to you automatically

• current photo health card (if you do not have a photo health card, you must bring 3 original documents to prove you are a Canadian citizen and Ontario resident)

• driver’s licence or Ontario Photo Card

Note: When assuming a spouses last name, you must record the full last name as listed on the marriage certificate including hyphenated name. If you would like to assume only a portion of the hyphenated name, you must apply for a legal name change.

When updating your last name on documents issued by other organizations, contact each organization that you have an account with and ask what they require to make the change. Most organizations will ask you to show a copy of your marriage certificate.