Nova Scotia - Change your Name

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Procedure

1. Publish a notice of intention to change a surname. The advertisement must appear in one issue of the Nova Scotia Royal Gazette. The advertisements must be published within one year prior to the date of the application.
2. Applications must be accompanied by the required fee payable to the Department of Justice. This fee includes one change of name certificate showing all name changes. This fee includes items such as marriage registration, spouse's name, children's names.
3. You can apply in different ways:
   • In Person
     Vital Statistics Office
     Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
     Joseph Howe Building
     Ground Floor
     1690 Hollis Street
     Halifax, NS B3J 2M9
   • By Telephone
     1 (902) 424-4381
     Toll Free Within Nova Scotia: 1-877-848-2578
   • By Fax Fax:
     1 (902) 424-0678
   • By Mail
     Postal Address:
     Vital Statistics
     Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
     P.O. Box 157
     Halifax, NS B3J 2M9

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Required Documents

• A birth certificate for each person whose name is to be changed if born outside Nova Scotia.
• Immigration documents if born outside Canada (Record of Landing)
• Marriage certificate if the marriage occurred elsewhere in Canada (not in Nova Scotia). The certificate must have been issued by the provincial or territorial Vital Statistics office.
• Detailed birth certificates showing parentage for minor children born outside Nova Scotia.
• All birth certificates issued prior to the change of name

Documents in other languages will need an official translation.

Office Locations & Contacts

Access Nova Scotia
Counter Service:
Vital Statistics Office
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
300 Horseshoe Lake Drive Halifax, NS
B3S 0B7
Monday to Friday
8:30am - 4:30pm.
Atlantic Standard Time

Services Available:
(902) 424-4381
Monday to Friday,
8:30am - 4:30pm
Atlantic Standard Time

Toll-Free:
(within Nova Scotia)
1-877-848-2578

Fax:
(902) 424-0678

Mailing Address:
Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations
Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 157
Halifax, NS
B3J 2M9

Email:
[email protected]

Eligibility

The applicant must be:

• 19 (nineteen) years of age or over and;
• either born in the province of Nova Scotia, OR have resided in the province of Nova Scotia for at least one year immediately before the change of name application.

An applicant may be a person changing their own name, spouse's name or, a parent making application to change their minor child's name (under the age of 19).

Fees

• Legal Change of Name (includes Change of Name Certificate): $160.85
• Each additional change to a birth or marriage record on the same change of name: $24.20
• Duplicate Change of Name Certificate: $18.10
• For a complete list of fees, follow this link: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/vitalstats/vital-statistics-fees.asp

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

• The completion of a consent form is usually required by the other parent when a child's name is changing.
• The completion of a consent form is usually required when a married person is changing their surname and consent of their spouse is required.
• In the absence of a required consent, the applicant must supply an Order of the Court, dispensing with the consent.

Need for the Document

To change a name is allowed in Nova Scotia. You must follow the steps on how to do it as discussed below.

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Changing your Name: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/vitalstats/changing-name.asp
Contact Information: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/access/vitalstats/contact.asp

Others

More information which might help people.