How to Change Your Driver's Licence After Divorce in Nova Scotia

If you have moved or changed your name after a Nova Scotia divorce, the Registry of Motor Vehicles needs to know. Address changes have a legal deadline — 30 days from your move — but can be reported online or at Access Nova Scotia. Name changes cannot be done online and require a trip to Access Nova Scotia.

Updating Your Address

Nova Scotia law requires you to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of a change of address. If you moved out of the family home during separation or after the divorce, this clock is running.

Updating the address on file is free. You can do it online or in person at any Access Nova Scotia centre. If you also want the new address printed on your physical licence card, a replacement licence costs $25.10.

Changing Your Name on the Licence

Name changes on a driver's licence must be done in person at an Access Nova Scotia centre. Complete Form 1 (Application for Driver Licensing and Identification Services) and bring it to the centre, along with:

• Your current driver's licence
• Your original birth certificate (if reverting to your birth name)
• Your Divorce Order or Change of Name Certificate (if the name change is court-ordered or through Vital Statistics)
• You will sign a new signature at the counter

The replacement licence with your updated name costs $25.10.

If you are reverting to your birth name using the traditional pathway (no formal legal name change), your birth certificate is sufficient — the RMV will update your records based on the fact that your birth name was never legally changed in the first place. If your Divorce Order includes a court-ordered name restoration, bring the certified copy of the order as well, since it creates a cleaner paper trail.

Vehicle Registration and Title Updates

If a vehicle was transferred to you in the divorce, you also need to update the vehicle registration. The transferring spouse signs the reverse of the Certificate of Registration, and you present it at Access Nova Scotia along with a completed Application for Transfer Form.

The transfer fee is $13.20. Transfers between spouses — including separated common-law partners who cohabited at least one year — qualify for a provincial sales tax exemption. To claim it, you submit a completed Sworn Statement for a Family Gift of a Used Motor Vehicle, signed by both parties and witnessed by a lawyer, notary, commissioner, or RMV staff member.

The registration transfer must be completed within 30 days of receiving physical possession of the vehicle.

Getting Everything Done in One Visit

Most of these updates can be handled in a single trip to Access Nova Scotia. Bring your birth certificate, Divorce Order, current licence, vehicle registration documents, and the sworn statement form if a vehicle transfer is involved. The centre handles driver's licensing, vehicle registration, and title transfers all in one location.

The Nova Scotia After-Divorce Checklist includes a pre-visit document checklist for the Access Nova Scotia appointment, plus the sequence for the remaining ID updates — passport, SIN, health card, and bank accounts — that come after.

See more Nova Scotia guides →