name change dilemma!

[gooseberry 2]

Hi fellow Canadians!

So it looks like I'll need to get a new Canadian passport using my married name however it looks like theres some catch-22 I'm seeing here. According to the Passport Canada website and an email reply I got from them, they require an official document/ID in my married name, something like a SIN card or a health card. see here I have these in my maiden name, and upon looking at Service Canada's site on how to change your name on a SIN card, they ALSO require a document in your new name. So where do you freakin start?! I don't have a driver's license so that's a no go. Also, I could apply for a new Quebec Health Card, but as I understand it, Quebec doesn't even recognize married names and use maiden names only.

Please help! I'd like to send my DS-230 and checklist asap, but this issue is holding me up

[Inky 1,110]

The marriage certificate. Its a government paper showing you married and you use it to change your last name on your IDs.

[gooseberry 2]

The marriage certificate. Its a government paper showing you married and you use it to change your last name on your IDs.

I contacted Passport Canada and they replied saying a marriage certificate is not even required sometimes, and that they need one of those things listed in this link in the new name. My marriage certificate is an american one issued in California as well (maybe a Canadian marriage certificate would have sufficed)? Sorry for the trouble, I'm just getting a lot of conflicting information here from the supposed 'official' government sites on these things! I appreciate your help though!!

Edited January 31, 2011 by gooseberry

[Marilyn. 340]

this is what it says on the passport site..

Documentation to support your identity must be issued by a federal, provincial, municipal authority, must be valid and must include the bearer's name and signature.

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/section5.aspx?lang=eng&region=Canada

the things listed are examples.. I am sure your marriage certificate would work, I am pretty sure that is what I used to change my name in my passport..

[gooseberry 2]

this is what it says on the passport site..

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/section5.aspx?lang=eng&region=Canada

the things listed are examples.. I am sure your marriage certificate would work, I am pretty sure that is what I used to change my name in my passport..

I guess they are just examples, but I wish it would clarify, I was trying to avoid going to a passport office only to be told I don't have the right documents, but I might not have a choice since the website's not really super clear.. BAH! I guess if you guys used just your marriage certs, it SHOULD be ok? I'll hope for the best, haha!

Thanks all.

Edited January 31, 2011 by gooseberry

[Inky 1,110]

The forms have a specific spot to fill out your spousal information and marriage date. Just use your Marriage cert if you use the original ask for it to be returned etc same for your passport if you include that ask for the original back. The cert doesn't matter if its american or Canadian as long as its a valid government marriage certificate.

It will be ok! they try to make it confusing on purpose I think.

[Canadiandggal 49]

Hi fellow Canadians!

So it looks like I'll need to get a new Canadian passport using my married name however it looks like theres some catch-22 I'm seeing here. According to the Passport Canada website and an email reply I got from them, they require an official document/ID in my married name, something like a SIN card or a health card. see here I have these in my maiden name, and upon looking at Service Canada's site on how to change your name on a SIN card, they ALSO require a document in your new name. So where do you freakin start?! I don't have a driver's license so that's a no go. Also, I could apply for a new Quebec Health Card, but as I understand it, Quebec doesn't even recognize married names and use maiden names only.

Please help! I'd like to send my DS-230 and checklist asap, but this issue is holding me up

I used my drivers license and my marriage certificate and when I changed my health card I used my marriage certificate. There has to be a way around it

[Udella&Wiz 325]

This gets asked soooooo often - search is a wonderful thing! Here is a link to my post last July

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/263800-details-of-successfully-renewing-my-cdn-passport-while-back-home/page__p__4047153__hl__passport+__fromsearch__1#entry4047153

Since this get's asked about a lot...here is my experience renewing my passport in person when I was back home in Canada.

I filled out the longer form since I wanted to renew my passport in my married name (instead of the simple form when you are not changing names)

- my guarantor was my younger brother

- my references were my best friend of 20 years and her husband

- got my photos done at a Cdn Walmart the day before...easy peasey

ID to show proof Cdn citizenship was:

- my Cdn birth cert (maiden name obviously)

- existing passport in maiden name

ID to show new married name:

- US greencard

- State id card (which has my new signature on it)

- certified copy of marriage cert (I brought this for nothing...they said they didn't need to see it all, they were more interested in a piece of id with my new signature)

Entered the office at 8:30...stand in line to get a number (a la montreal ) and the guy quickly looks over your form and id to make sure you have everything

- waited 10 minutes, was called to a wicket. Teller (for lack of a better word) looked over my stuff...had me sign my new signature while looking at my state id and then a couple minutes while she entered things into the system. She asked if I wanted the old passport back (yes please) and then cut the upper right corner off and stamped the first few pages with "CANCELLED" and handed it back. I wanted it back just in case tehy want more then my GC on the way back into the US.....not that I expect they will, but you never know. I also have the receipt for payment for renewing my Passport

- off to the payment wicket..paid with VISA....DONE!

Fabulous customer service....20 minutes total from start to finish. Come over prepared and it always works out in my opinion!

[Marilyn. 340]

This gets asked soooooo often - search is a wonderful thing! Here is a link to my post last July

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/263800-details-of-successfully-renewing-my-cdn-passport-while-back-home/page__p__4047153__hl__passport+__fromsearch__1#entry4047153

Since this get's asked about a lot...here is my experience renewing my passport in person when I was back home in Canada.

I filled out the longer form since I wanted to renew my passport in my married name (instead of the simple form when you are not changing names)

- my guarantor was my younger brother

- my references were my best friend of 20 years and her husband

- got my photos done at a Cdn Walmart the day before...easy peasey

ID to show proof Cdn citizenship was:

- my Cdn birth cert (maiden name obviously)

- existing passport in maiden name

ID to show new married name:

- US greencard

- State id card (which has my new signature on it)

- certified copy of marriage cert (I brought this for nothing...they said they didn't need to see it all, they were more interested in a piece of id with my new signature)

Entered the office at 8:30...stand in line to get a number (a la montreal ) and the guy quickly looks over your form and id to make sure you have everything

- waited 10 minutes, was called to a wicket. Teller (for lack of a better word) looked over my stuff...had me sign my new signature while looking at my state id and then a couple minutes while she entered things into the system. She asked if I wanted the old passport back (yes please) and then cut the upper right corner off and stamped the first few pages with "CANCELLED" and handed it back. I wanted it back just in case tehy want more then my GC on the way back into the US.....not that I expect they will, but you never know. I also have the receipt for payment for renewing my Passport

- off to the payment wicket..paid with VISA....DONE!

Fabulous customer service....20 minutes total from start to finish. Come over prepared and it always works out in my opinion!

the OP is still in Canada so she wouldn't have a US green card or State ID

[Marilyn. 340]

that being said.. if you can't get your new passport in your married name I would just use your current one and when you get to the US and get the green card, state id etc you can get your new passport then..

[milimelo 4,479]

that being said.. if you can't get your new passport in your married name I would just use your current one and when you get to the US and get the green card, state id etc you can get your new passport then..

That's the catch I believe - in order to get a green card in her married name she needs her passport in married name. Otherwise, the GC will be produced with her maiden name and it's $460 to change the green card.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

There has to be a way to do it - people change their names in Canada all the time Why not give them a call?

Edited January 31, 2011 by Udella&Wiz

[gooseberry 2]

Hey all, thanks for chiming in with info!

So I called Passport Canada up, and it looks like they are adamant in wanting to see an actual official piece of ID with my new name on it (just marriage certificate is a no go). Which means I'll have to go change those other things as well, IF they'll even let me without an already existing ID god damn Looks like they've changed their procedures-- on an older thread about this stuff, it looked like there was a time you could have just mailed your passport in with your marriage certificate and they ADD your new name onto there. But that made TOO much sense right?

Thanks again everyone.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Hey all, thanks for chiming in with info!

So I called Passport Canada up, and it looks like they are adamant in wanting to see an actual official piece of ID with my new name on it (just marriage certificate is a no go). Which means I'll have to go change those other things as well, IF they'll even let me without an already existing ID god damn Looks like they've changed their procedures-- on an older thread about this stuff, it looked like there was a time you could have just mailed your passport in with your marriage certificate and they ADD your new name onto there. But that made TOO much sense right?

Thanks again everyone.

Dumb - nd the thing is for those of us already down here...we do have a state id or drivers in our married names most times.

Isn;t there still provincial id or did that go by the wayside? Why can't you change your health card and then do the passport?

[OBX 51]

I changed my passport to my married name in 2008 while still in Canada. They didn't even want to see my marriage certificate but did want two pieces of ID in my married name. Luckily I had changed my driver's license and health card first so I was able to use those.