in the Notice of Family Claim or Counterclaim in which the divorce is claimed. An application for a change of name can also be dealt with in a separate proceeding altogether, usually by Petition and likely a without an oral hearing . An application for a change of both given and last names may dealt with by a hearing before a judge . B. Children's Names An application for a change of name of the children of the marriage must be made with the consent of the other parent , even when the person making the application has custody of the children. The consent of the affected children must also be obtained where they are twelve or more years old. If you don't qualify for an automatic change of name, you will have to follow the process outlined in the Name Act to change your name. The Ministry of Health Services' Vital Statistics Agency has a change of name package which includes all the forms you will require and instructions on how to complete them. Although you don't have to run an ad in the newspaper to change your name, you will have to get your fingerprints taken and submit to a criminal records check. As well, a fee will be charged by the police department which takes your fingerprints. The process is fairly straightforward and a hearing before a judge is usually not necessary. The steps for most people are as follows: get the change of name package from