How to Change Your Name After Divorce in Ontario

Most people assume restoring their maiden name after divorce requires a formal legal name change. In Ontario, it usually does not. The process depends entirely on how you took your spouse's name during the marriage — and the difference can save you over $100 and weeks of processing time.

Two Paths: Resumption vs. Legal Name Change

Ontario has two completely different processes, and choosing the wrong one wastes time and money.

Path 1: Resume Your Former Surname (CA$25)

If you legally changed your surname using the discontinued "Election to Change Surname" (Form 1) during your marriage, you can reverse it by filing an Election to Resume Former Surname (Form 2) with the Office of the Registrar General in Thunder Bay.

• Cost: CA$25
• What you get: A Change of Name Certificate and a new Ontario birth certificate reflecting your restored name
• No criminal record check required
• No publication in the Ontario Gazette

Path 2: Assumed Name Reversion (Free)

If you simply assumed your spouse's surname without filing any legal paperwork — which is what most people do — you can revert to your birth name for free by visiting a ServiceOntario centre in person.

Bring your:

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Divorce Order or Certificate of Divorce

ServiceOntario will update your driver's licence, health card, and Ontario Photo Card on the spot at no cost.

Path 3: Formal Legal Name Change (CA$137)

If you want to change your first name, middle name, or adopt a surname unrelated to your marriage, you need a full legal name change using Form 11155E (Application to Change an Adult's Name).

This requires:

• 12 months of Ontario residency
• A police background check
• Mandatory publication in the Ontario Gazette
• Cost: CA$137

Updating Government IDs After the Name Change

Once you have your name restored through either path, you need to update every government document individually. None of them update automatically.

Provincial IDs (ServiceOntario)

Federal Documents

Timeline: How Long Does It All Take?

The full name-change cascade — from filing to having every ID updated — typically takes 4–8 weeks if you work through the list systematically. The bottleneck is usually the passport, which can take 6–8 weeks during busy periods.

Start with your provincial IDs at ServiceOntario (same-day), then use the updated driver's licence as primary ID for the federal documents.

Common Mistakes

Waiting too long. There is no legal deadline to resume your name, but the longer you wait, the more accounts and records accumulate under your married name — making the cascade of updates larger.

Skipping the SIN update. Your employer, bank, and CRA all use your SIN. If your name does not match your SIN records, it can create problems with tax filings and employment verification.

Forgetting non-government accounts. Banks, insurance companies, professional licensing bodies, and your employer all need updated name documentation separately.

The Full Post-Divorce Administrative Checklist

Name changes are just one track of the post-divorce administrative process. You also need to close joint accounts, update beneficiary designations, split CPP credits, notify the CRA, and transfer property titles — each with its own forms and timelines.

The Ontario After-Divorce Checklist covers every step in sequence, so nothing falls through the cracks.

See more Ontario guides →