Difference between revisions of "Name Changes (3:XIV)"

The instructions for changing a surname are outlined in the ''Name Act''. It can be skipped if the change occurs during the marriage ceremony or divorce. The procedures for changing a first name are much less formal and are not set out in legal rules (see [[{{PAGENAME}}#C.Changing a First Name | Section XIII.C: Changing a First Name]]). The Department of Vital Statistics provides a name change package complete with forms and instructions. They can be reached in Vancouver at (604) 660-2937.

Note the Court decision in ''Trociuk v British Columbia (Attorney General)'', [2003] 1 SCR 835 which declared ss 3(1)(b) and 3(6)(b) of the British Columbia ''Vital Statistics Act'' unconstitutional. These sections prevented a father from having the registration of the child’s surname altered, violating the father’s rights under s 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.