How to change the name and gender on your ID

This post provides information about how to legally change your name and gender markers on identity documents issued by provincial and federal governments. There is no law that says trans people must change their ID. You are allowed to use your chosen name and gender marker without a legal change. However, for lots of reasons trans people may want to change their name and/or gender. This post focuses on British Columbia, but the federal information section is relevant for people changing federal records from anywhere in Canada. This information is up to date on July 10 2022.

Most people change their provincial documents first. Provincial documents include driver’s licence, BCID, Service Card (CareCard) and Birth Certificate.

Once you have an updated birth certificate, you can change your federal documents. These include citizenship and immigration Passport, Income Tax Records, Social Insurance Number, and voting information.

Note: These steps are complicated and difficult to do. You will need internet access, English reading skills, the ability to print and a safe place to get mail. For some applications you will need to get fingerprints taken at a police or other fingerprinting service, and to visit a lawyer, notary, or doctor. There are costs. Missing a step will lead to delays and could affect your ability to access government services like healthcare, or to get ID that says who you are. Make of checklist and call the responsible office if there is an unusual delay. Updating your name and gender should not affect the outcome of an immigration application or a criminal trial, but you might choose not to complete an update until these are over. For help for forms and fees, contact lawyer@cwhwc.com.

Step 1. Provincial Identification

Change your name in British Columbia

You must change your name in the jurisdiction where you live. These instructions are for people living in British Columbia, no matter where you were born.

Here are the steps to apply to change your name in BC.

• Choose a new name. You can change your middle name(s) too. Don’t pick something offensive. BC is bad at incorporating marks that are not letters.
• Fill out the application form online (print your application) or use the paper form. This application contains a Statutory Declaration which you must take to a lawyer or notary. Do not sign this section yourself.
• See a lawyer, notary or commissioner for taking oaths, and fill out the Statutory Declaration. Service BC staff can notarise these for free. Find an Office.
• Get fingerprinted. Your local police station does these for an approximately $80 fee. Here is information from Vancouver Delta Victoria  Port Moody Abbotsford and for the RCMP. Subsidies for low income applicants are available. If you prefer not to go to the police station you can have fingerprints done at a Commissionaires office. Your fingerprints will be taken electronically and sent to the RCMP. They will not use ink, and you will not get a copy. Keep the receipt. You will need to mail it with your application. ALERT – if there is a warrant out for your arrest you will be arrested when you go to get fingerprints done. Speak to a criminal lawyer about vacating your warrant first. People under 18 do not need to get fingerprints.
• **during the COVID-19 pandemic, many fingerprinting services are closed. You can still got to the commissionaires by appointment: and this private place: Notaries and lawyers can still notarise the Stat Dec by video, but for that to work, people need ID, video, a printer, & a scanner or phone camera. Talks with the law society to address this barrier are underway.
• Other documents Find any birth certificates, marriage certificate or other change of name certificates issued by British Columbia and return them. Vital Statistics will destroy them and issue you new ones. It is ok if you lost these, but do not keep any that you have.
• Pay the $137 fee either online, by or in person at a Service BC office;

Additional requirements – BC name change

In some situations, you must include more information and pay extra fees. Do these only if they apply to you:

• If you were born in BC and lost your original birth certificate, pay the 27$ search fee.
• If you were not born in BC, include a photocopy of your birth certificate.
• If you were not born in Canada, include a certified (stamped by a lawyer or notary) copy of both sides of your Permanent Resident Card or citizenship document. If these documents are not in English you must have them translated and certified.
• If you were married in BC but lost your original marriage certificate pay the $27 marriage search fee.
• If you changed your name in BC before but lost your Certificate of Name Change, order a new one here.
• If you are a young person,
  • You do not need to get fingerprints.
  • A parent with custody must apply to change your name for you.
  • You must include a handwritten letter explaining why you want to change your name.
  • You must get consent from all parents with custody to change your name. If you cannot get permission from all your parents you will need a court order, police or hospital or death records that show that a parent does not have custody, or that they are unable to consent. Fill out the pages about waiver of parental consent here and include copies of court orders or other records.
• If you are a child or youth in the care of the Ministry of Children and Families, your social worker must apply to change your name for you. They must include a sworn affidavit about how being deadnamed causes you trauma. You must write a letter about how being deadnamed causes you trauma.

Send everything away (including a copy of your application if you applied and paid online) to:

Vital Statistics Agency
Attn: Confidential Services
PO Box 9657 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 9P3

ALERT This is a different address than the office that does gender changes.

Waiting times can be as little as a few weeks or it could take months.

Once your name change is made you will get a Certificate of Name Change. BC will notify other provinces that you have changed your name. This Certificate will be required to change your name on education, finance and other records. If you are only changing your name (and not your gender also) you can order a new birth certificate. 

Send a copy of your new birth certificate to Health Insurance BC:

Health Insurance BC
PO Box 9035 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC
V8W 9E3
1 800 663-7100 (MSP)

Wait for a confirmation letter form HIBC that the update has been made to your health records.

Take your new birth certificate, your Change of Name Certificate and your other ID to a Service BC office or Drivers Services Centre to get a new BC Service Card (Care Card) and Drivers Licence or BCID. We recommend you do not get the combined BCDL/Service Card. Ask for separate cards. Trans people often need two pieces of government issued picture ID.

 *Do not do this step yet if you are also changing your gender.* If you also want to change your gender marker, do not order a new birth certificate or update your other ID yet. Follow the steps for updating gender in the next section.

If you would like to update the gender on your provincial records, see the next section.

If you would like to update the name and gender on your federal records, skip ahead to that section.

Change your Gender in British Columbia

You must change your gender in the jurisdiction where you were born. The display of a gender marker in BC is compulsory, and the choices are M, F, X.

Additional requirements gender change

Because some people have problems because of the X on their ID, the government has produced this info card to carry with you.

Young people must have the consent of all “parents with custody” to change their gender. You can ask for a waiver of this consent if:

• You have a court order severing guardianship (custody);
  • You have a youth agreement with the Ministry of Children and Family Development;
  • You are married;
  • You have custody of your children;
  • Your parent has died or lacks capacity;
  • Your parent cannot be located.

Here are the steps to apply to change your gender in BC. Find the category that is right for you. They are:

• You were born in BC
• You were born Canada but not in BC
• You were born outside Canada and your birth country allows name and gender changes
• You were born outside Canada and your birth country does not allow gender changes

If you were born in BC, update the gender on your BC birth certificate:

• Adults- fill out this form. Minors fill out this form.
• Proof of surgery or a physician form are not longer required for BC born applicants over 12. It is not clear why applicants under 12 are still required to complete this form. Applicants born outside BC may need to provide a physician form as part of the application for their birth province. The BC physician form is generally accepted in other Canadian provinces and territories where physician forms are required.
• Pay the $27 fee
• Enclose your birth certificate unless you sent it away for a name change. If you did, write this on the form and enclose a photo copy of it.
• Check the box to order a new birth certificate if you are only changing your gender. Do not check this box if you are also changing your name.

Send everything away to:

ALERT This is a different address than the office that does name changes.

Wait for your confirmation letter from Vital Statistics to arrive. If you are also changing your name, wait for your Certificate of Name Change to arrive also. Order a new birth certificate.

Send a copy of your new birth certificate (and copy of your change of name certificate) to Health Insurance BC:

Health Insurance BC
PO Box 9035 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC
V8W 9E3
1 800 663-7100 (MSP)

You can update your MSP online at this link.

Wait for a confirmation letter form HIBC that the update has been made to your health records. This could take up to 21 days. Only the person on the account can request changes to the MSP account- a lawyer or advocate cannot do this for you.

Take your birth certificate, your Change of Name Certificate (if you are also changing your name) and your other ID to a Service BC office or Drivers Services Centre to get a new BC Service Card (Care Card) and Drivers Licence or BCID. We recommend you do not get the combined BCDL/Service Card. Ask for separate cards. Trans people often need two pieces of government issued picture ID. It is not possible to get an X marker on an enhanced drivers licence.

If you would like to update the name or gender on your federal records, skip ahead to that section.

If you were born in Canada but not in BC

Google the rules for changing your gender in the province or territory where you were born. Most Canadian provinces require an application form, a fee, and either a form filled out by a doctor, or a Statutory Declaration sworn by a lawyer or notary, or both. Some provinces require you contact them directly to get the forms.

Order a new birth certificate from your birth province. (If you are also changing your name, wait for your name change to happen before you order a new birth certificate – you want both your name and gender correct when you order it).

If you get healthcare through MSP, send a copy of your new birth certificate to Health Insurance BC:

Health Insurance BC
PO Box 9035 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC
V8W 9E3
1 800 663-7100 (MSP)

You can update your MSP online at this link.

Wait for a confirmation letter form HIBC that the update has been made to your health records. If you get healthcare from another province, skip this step.

Take your new birth certificate, your Change of Name Certificate (if you are also changing your name) and your other ID to a Service BC office or Drivers Services Centre to get a new BC Service Card (Care Card) and Drivers Licence or BCID. We recommend you do not get the combined BCDL/Service Card. Ask for separate cards. Trans people often need two pieces of government issued picture ID. It is not possible to get an X marker on an enhanced drivers licence.

If you would like to update the name or gender on your federal records, read the next sections section.

If you were born outside Canada and your birth country allows name and gender changes

Google the rules for your birth country. Follow the rules to make the change if this is allowed where you were born. Many jurisdictions only allow M or F markers, and some may require medical proof of surgery and/or sterility. If you are also changing your name (and name changes are allowed in your birth  jurisdiction), get a certified copy of your Certificate of Name Change Certificate so your new name will be correct on your new birth certificate.

Order a new birth certificate.

If you get healthcare through MSP, send a copy of your new birth certificate to Health Insurance BC:

Health Insurance BC
PO Box 9035 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC
V8W 9E3
1 800 663-7100 (MSP)

Wait for a confirmation letter form HIBC that the update has been made to your health records. If you get healthcare from another jurisdiction, skip this step.

Take your new birth certificate, your Change of Name Certificate (if you are also changing your name) and your other ID to a Service BC office or Drivers Services Centre to get a new BC Service Card (Care Card) and Drivers Licence or BCID. We recommend you do not get the combined BCDL/Service Card. Ask for separate cards. Trans people often need two pieces of government issued picture ID.

If you would like to update the name or gender on your federal records, skip ahead to that section.

 If you were born outside Canada and your birth country does not allow gender changes

Some foreign jurisdictions do not allow name or gender changes at all. If you cannot change your non-Canadian birth certificate to match your gender, you can still change your name and gender in BC. For name changes, follow the rules in the name change section. For gender changes, fill out TWO COPIES of the application form (this form for adults; this form for minors) and TWO COPIES of the physician form. Mail one set to Health Insurance BC.

Health Insurance BC
PO Box 9035 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC
V8W 9E3
1 800 663-7100 (MSP)

You can update your MSP online at this link.

Wait for a confirmation letter form HIBC that the update has been made to your health records.

Take the other set (of application form and physician’s form (the originals) and your Change of Name Certificate (if you are also changing your name) and your other ID to a Service BC office or Drivers Services Centre to get a new BC Service Card (Care Card) and Drivers Licence or BCID. We recommend you do not get the combined BCDL/Service Card. Ask for separate cards. Trans people often need two pieces of government issued picture ID. It is not possible to get an X marker on an enhanced drivers licence.

If you would like to update the name or gender on your federal records, read the next sections section.

Other provincial records

Voting: Update your name and gender with Elections BC with this form.

Education: Student in BC K-12 schools are identified with a Personal Education number (PEN). Each PEN links to a Student Permanent Record Form 1704 which is held by the Ministry of Education. To update these records bring the Change or name Certificate and ID showing a name or gender change to the school, and ask them to forward copies to the ministry to be updated. This should update local school records and Secondary transcripts. New transcripts Dogwoods and GEDs (graduation certificates) can be ordered here, unless you graduated between 1974-1985, in which case contact your high school.

Other provincial records like Serving it Right, Foodsafe, Traffic Safety certifications, First Aid, hunting and fishing, Land tenure records, and municipal voting records (if your municipality does not use the provincial list) will need to be updated separately. Contact the agencies directly. They usually will want to see your Change of Name Certificate and some other matching ID.

Private Records like banking, bills, club memberships etc will also need to be updated individually.

2. Federal records

The government of Canada issues many types of records where your name and gender appear. These are sorted by ministry. Most ministries require that you show a foundational document (your birth certificate or citizenship certificate) and some supporting documents showing the requested change, and reapply for the document. All the federal applications are here. Gender choices are M, F, X.

Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada

Here are instructions to change your name and gender on a:

• Permanent Resident applications;
• Permanent Resident card;
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship; (Citizenship cards are no longer issued)
• document issued to a Protected Person;

If you are only changing your name, choose the application for the type of document you want to change, All the federal applications are here and fill it out.

If you are also changing your gender, include this form. Fill in this form Request form for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier [CIT 0404] and send it with your new application.

Here are directions for government staff about how to change a name record. This says old names stay in the system but your new name will be marked as primary.

Here is a list of provincially issued documents that can be used as secondary ID for citizenship records changes. These include provincial licences and health cards (which is why we suggest you update these first).

 Here is the order of priority of ID the Ministry uses for determining names for various applications. Because of this, for people born outside of Canada, for some applications it is a good idea to first update a non-Canadian passports and foreign travel documents  if you have these and changes are allowed.

If you have a Work Permit, a Student or Visitor Visa, or a Sponsorship Application -in process- you can update your name and gender using this web form. They will get back to you within 5 days and let you know if changes are permitted.

Passport Canada

Passport Canada draws the last name and gender from your birth certificate or Canadian citizenship certificate. These are called Foundational Documents. See above for updating citizenship records; and see the provincial section to update name and gender on Canadian birth certificates. To change your name and gender on a Canadian Passport or travel document, fill in a new application form:

• Passport Application (adult)
• Passport Application (child) 
• travel document application for stateless and protected persons in Canada (adult)
• travel document application for stateless and protected persons in Canada (child)

If you already have an X observation sticker on your passport; or your  supporting ID already shows the gender marker you want (because you updated your birth certificate or citizenship card and secondary ID), just choose the gender you want on the application.

If your supporting ID does not show the gender marker you want (usually because your birth jurisdiction will not allow it), fill out and sign Request – Sex or gender identifier:

if you are an adult

if you are a child

Take your foundational documents, your secondary ID, your old passport or travel document, and the completed application and the gender request form to a Passport Service location near you. Note: passport services may not be available at all Service Canada locations. If you apply by mail, copies of both sides of your ID must be signed by a guarantor. Your old passport will be destroyed. Pay the fee for a new passport. Wait for it to arrive in the mail.

Make sure the name you use to book tickets matches the name on your passport. If it does not some companies will not let you board, and some countries will not let you in.

If you are travelling to a jurisdiction where being gay or trans is illegal or where you cannot update your gender marker, it may be unsafe for you to travel there with a X on your passport.

Canada Revenue Agency (taxes)

You need to tell CRA to update your tax records.

• If you are only changing one name (your first or last name), call 1-800- 959 8281. You will need your Social Insurance Number.
• If you are changing both your first and your last names, send a certified copy of your Change of Name Certificate to you tax center.

I have not been able to locate information about how to update gender with CRA. I suggest you call 1-800- 959 8281 for advice.

Elections Canada (voting)

Elections Canada keeps a National Register of Voters. Check your name in the Online Voter Registration Service. If your deadname is listed, call 1-800-463-6868 or fill out this online form to request an Update Form. Wait for it to arrive and fill it out. You will need proof of identity and address.

You can also update your registration when you go to vote. It is best to choose an advance voting day to do this because the voting place will be less busy.

Elections Canada is very bad at managing updates to the voters list and as a result, you may get a “You-vote-at” card from the government in your deadname; you may be listed in the voting book under your deadname (sometimes in addition to your chosen name); and because the voter’s list is shared with candidates, you may get campaign phone calls or mail to your deadname.

Social Insurance Number

To update your name and gender visit a Service Canada Office, or write to:

Service Canada
Social Insurance Registration office
Post Office Box 7000
Bathurst NB  E2A 4T1
Canada

You must province a valid primary document and supporting document for name changes. Here is information more about those documents.

According to Service Canada, “You now have the option to have your gender marked as “X” or not to declare your gender. Service Canada will add a note to your record indicating your choice. However, until our computer systems are upgraded to register this information, “male” or “female” will still appear on your SIN record.” Call for help if you are issued a new number instead of having your existing number updated.

Other federal records

Other types of federal applications are here.

Each federal document is issued by a different ministry (firearms licencing for example). Each will have different rules. Please contact the government department directly.

This report says it should be easy to update your gender marker (including non-binary gender markers) in federal government records, but this has not happened yet.

Other resources

PHSA info

CWHWC (free lawyer/notary)

p.s.- this is all legal information and not legal advice. Seek independent advice about your situation. Your mileage may vary. Thank you for finding my typos <3