Last name change on Canadian Side

[redBlue 1]

When we change our last name due to marriage,do we also have to re-new the CDN social sec. card,driver licence etc on the CDN side?

Can you have your married name on all doc.s on the US side,but have maiden name on the CDN side?

Thnx

[Canadiandggal 49]

You dont have to do anything per say. Although i would like to know how you would have a Cdn drivers license and a US drivers license ? Most people dont change there Social Insurance number anyways, I mean i have all my ID in my married name except my Canadian SIN.

[Inky 1,111]

How do you keep proof of residence in canada to renew all thos things? I was told you cant renew things unless you have current proof of residence in canada like utility bills etc. Was also told the SSN goes inactive after you become a PR of nother country and you have to live in canada for a certain amount of time to renew the SSN and use it again. Did the government give me the wrong information?

You dont have to do anything per say. Although i would like to know how you would have a Cdn drivers license and a US drivers license ? Most people dont change there Social Insurance number anyways, I mean i have all my ID in my married name except my Canadian SIN.

I have a canadian drivers license good untill 2013 still.

[Canadiandggal 49]

did you get a US drivers license? They are suppose to take your canadian license when you get your us license... Lucky you

[MrsSkull 0]

I changed my SIN when I got married and got a Canadian passport in my married name as well as updating my Canadian bank accounts to reflect the name change. I can't think of anything else I left in Canada that required a name change.

[redBlue 1]

did you get a US drivers license? They are suppose to take your canadian license when you get your us license... Lucky you

Yes I've got my US driver license,but they didn't take the CDN driver licence away.I'm one of those lucky ones I guess..

[Canadiandggal 49]

Darn you both lol, I don't think you can renew it though but i will loook it up now hehe

[redBlue 1]

OK here is the official answer from SERVICE CANADA:

As long as you are a CANADIAN CITIZEN,yes you can still replace your SIN card to reflect your new married name even though you are a NON-resident of Canada.You just have to do it via mail.No cost at all.

[Inky 1,111]

did you get a US drivers license? They are suppose to take your canadian license when you get your us license... Lucky you

Yes Nebraska has a deal with Canada apparently? Or so I was told when I got my State drivers license, they didnt cut or hole punch my Canadian license, just handed it back to me with no marks or stickers saying it was invalid. Its still valid and I still carry it as a form of ID with me even tho its in my maiden name.

OK here is the official answer from SERVICE CANADA:

As long as you are a CANADIAN CITIZEN,yes you can still replace your SIN card to reflect your new married name even though you are a NON-resident of Canada.You just have to do it via mail.No cost at all.

I was told on the phone I wasnt allowed too! how rediculous. Well that clears that up for me haha.

[antda 13]

(I posted this before on VJ, but I thought this would help you here too....redBlue....)

Hi,

Lol....Unforutnately, for a Canadian passport, there is no such thing as a simple name change....

Therefore, if one needs to travel internationally with their married last name, they would have to re-apply all over again for a new Canadian passport...(using the 'difficult' general application process forms, as the simplified application process forms cannot be used for married name changes)...grrr....

Yes, you can legally use both your maiden names and married names at the same time (though why one would do such, is somewhat beyond my comprehension...lol...for professional reasons, perhaps?). After all, both names are yours.....

Neither country cares which name you use. As long as it is legal, and supported by legal documents (such as a marriage certificate, then so be it)....

Lol...Actually, the funniest thing, is that I wanted to change everything to my married name, and managed to successfully do such in the USA. However, I ran into some problems with the Canadian side, in changing things to my married name, as I didn't bother with all of the updates, since I don't live there anymore anyways. So half of my Canadian documents were/are still in my maiden name (valid SIN card, expired health card, Canadian jury duty notice, elections Canada notice, Canadian driver's license before exchanged it, Canadian banking/financial information, expired Canadian passport) there, and the other half are in my married name (current Canadian passport, Revenue Canada/tax information, etc.). Oh well...Hopefully they know it is the same person.......

If you are going to do/not do name changes, here is what I suggest, for your situation.....

For Canada....

Keep your SIN in your maiden name (needed for finances, banks, jobs, etc.)

Keep your Canadian passport in you maiden name (for travel...but you must be careful with this one..and make sure you book tickets in this name too)

Keep your other Canadian identification documents (driver's license, health card, etc.) in your maiden name

Keep your tax information/Revenue Canada information in your maiden name

For the USA...

Put all immigration applications forms and documents in your married name (green card, ead, advance parole, citizenship certificate, etc.)

Put your SSN in your married name (needed for finances, banks, jobs, etc.)

Put other US identification documents (driver's license, health card, etc.) in your married name

Put your tax information/IRS information in your married name.

***And most important of all: Always have a copy of your marriage certificate, in case you run into any problems with your maiden/married names!***

However, in my situation, this is what I did....

I notified about my married name:

-Revenue Canada and Elections Canada (with the "final tax return" in 2007, to prevent tax fraud and to officially notify the Canadian government that I'm not living in Canada anymore, and had to cancel and return those GST cheques I'm not entitled to and would be in trouble for keeping such)

-Passport Canada (when they added my married name to my maiden name passport in 2007)

-Passport Canada again (when I applied for a new passport recently in my married name in 2009)

-I closed my Canadian bank account in Canada (2007)

-I let someone in Canada collect my personal mail for me, and then notified those people by mail that I moved (2006-Present)

-Family, friends, and other acquaintances that I keep in contact with (2006-Present)

-The Office of the Attorney General (optional...but this was after I received the forwarded jury duty notice in 2009....I had no choice there but to tell them that I moved and that I couldn't serve on a Canadian jury)

I didn't notify about my married name:

-Social Insurance (Human Resources Canada, I think) as I wouldn't be working in Canada anymore and wouldn't need a new card.

-OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance) as my card already expired and I can't use it here, so I never renewed it.

-MTO (Ministry of Transportation Ontario) as my license was automatically transfered, surrendered, and destroyed here by the DMV in NYS. Note: You cannot have 2 driver's licenses at the same time (at least that's the way it is here in NYS), so you would either have to pick between the American one or the Canadian one to keep.

Anyone else I need to notify, I can't think of, and haven't done such.

Lol..Sigh...The things we women have to do when we get married and change our last names.....

Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey and name changes/updates too.

Ant