Canada 🇨🇦 · Ontario

Name change after marriage in Ontario

The exact Ontario sequence: which office, which document, in the order that avoids doing anything twice.

  1. 1. Order the government marriage certificate

    From Ontario's Vital Statistics office — the ceremony 'record of solemnization' is not enough. Get 2–3 copies.

  2. 2. Service Canada — your SIN record (free)

    In person at any Service Canada Centre with your marriage certificate and photo ID. Payroll and CRA check against this, so it comes first. Your number never changes.

  3. 3. Driver's licence — ServiceOntario

    In person with your current licence and marriage certificate. This becomes your everyday photo ID in the new name, so do it early.

  4. 4. Health card — ServiceOntario (OHIP card, same visit)

    Update with the marriage certificate; in several provinces this happens in the same visit as the licence.

  5. 5. CRA

    By phone (1-800-959-8281) or CRA My Account — it does not update automatically.

  6. 6. Passport — new application

    A name change means a new adult passport application (PPTC 153) with your marriage certificate, not an amendment.

  7. 7. Banks, employer, and the long tail

    After your new licence arrives: banks (letter each), HR/payroll, insurance and beneficiaries, subscriptions, airline profiles.

Does my SIN or health number change in Ontario?

No — only the name attached to them changes. Never give those numbers to a website; add them with a pen on printed forms.

How long does it all take?

The certificate order is the long pole (1–3 weeks). The Service Canada visit takes minutes; licence and health card are same-day in person; the passport takes standard processing times.

Want it all done for you?

The Canada Name Change Kit builds your personalized Ontario checklist and writes a signed-and-ready letter for every bank and your employer — one PDF, instantly.

All provinces · document-preparation aid, not legal advice.