If you are changing the gender marker on your Birth Certificate, you can choose if you also want to change your legal name. If you go by a name in everyday life that is different from the name on your legal documents, you may want to make an official change. Using a different name than the one on your identity documents can cause confusion and difficulties when you apply to receive services or when you sign official documents.Changing your name on your birth records is a separate process, but if you are changing your gender marker, you can apply to make both changes at the same time. There is a separate fee for applying to change your name.[8]It is important to know that if you change your legal name on your Birth Certificate, you will also have to change your name on many of your other identity documents.Your old name will still remain in your government records. Both names will be shown. If You Were Born in OntarioIf you were born in Ontario, your legal name is the one that appears on your Ontario Birth Certificate. You can amend your legal name by applying for a legal name change under the Change of Name Act[9].You can change your legal name if: You are over 16 years old; and, You have lived in Ontario for the past 12 months. You will need a person to sign your application who is not a relative, who can support your claim that you have lived here for the past year[10]. The Ontario Registrar General can change your legal name if you send: A completed Application to Change an Adult’s Name form, which includes personal information about you, your finances, any criminal record, and reasons why you want to change your name; All of your previous Birth Certificates; If requested because there have been criminal charges against you, a Police Record Check; Proof of payment of a fee (for example, a credit card receipt showing the payment) If your name change is approved, you will receive a new Birth Certificate and a Change of Name Certificate, which shows your old name and your new name. Your new Birth Certificate will only show your new name. You can use either your Birth Certificate or the Change of Name Certificate to change your name on other documents like your Driver’s License, Health Card and Photo Identity Card.If You Were Born Outside of OntarioIf you were born outside of Ontario, your legal name is the one recognized by law in the last place you had a strong connection before living in Ontario[11]. This is usually the name that is on your Birth Certificate. The best way to find out how to change your Birth Certificate is by contacting the government services agency in your home province.If you don’t or can’t change your name on your Birth Certificate from a place outside of Ontario, you can still change your legal name in Ontario for Ontario documents like your Driver’s License and Health Card.To do this, you can apply to receive a Change of Name Certificate. You must be over 16 years old and living in Ontario for the past 12 months. In addition to completing an Application to Change an Adult’s Name, you must submit all previous Birth Certificates. If you were born outside of Canada, you must also submit photocopies of your Passport and proof of your immigration status in Canada, such as a Canadian Citizenship Card, Permanent Resident Card, or Record of Immigrant Landing.After Changing Your Legal Name In most cases, a legal name change in Ontario must be published in The Ontario Gazette. This is an official public record that everyone can read. There is an exception to this rule for transgender and nonbinary people who request that the record not publish their name change. You can submit this request by filling out the Request for Non-Publication in the Ontario Gazette. It is your decision if you want your name change to be published.It is important to know that if you change your legal name on your Birth Certificate, you must notify Service Ontario within six days. Your name on your Driver’s License or Photo Identity Card has to match the name on your Birth Certificate, and you will need to bring your current Driver’s License and your Change of Name Certificate to a Service Ontario location.  If you do not change your Birth Certificate but you get a Change of Name Certificate in Ontario, you can decide whether to change your name on other legal documents.If you change the name on your Birth Certificate, you must also make sure that the same name is on your Canadian Passport or other Canadian immigration documents and your Social Insurance Number record.