Marriage Licence Registration:
Once you are married, your marriage commissioner will need to send your marriage licence for registration, or you can drop it off at any registry agent for the fastest registration. At the same time, you may order your marriage certificate.
A marriage certificate is an official document that proves a marriage has been registered in Alberta. You can apply for one through the New Urban Registry office.
Who Can Apply?
– Either spouse listed on the marriage record.
How to Apply:
– Visit a New Urban Registry Office – You must apply in person.
– Provide Identification – You will need a valid government-issued photo ID.
– Complete the Application – Fill out the required marriage certificate application form.
– Choose Delivery Method – You can either
-Have the certificate mailed to you once processed.
-Pick it up at the New Urban Registry office when it’s ready.
-Pay the Fee.
A Statement of Claim for Divorce to the Court of King’s Bench is required when filing for divorce in Alberta. This document must include an original marriage certificate to be filed in court. A marriage certificate in Alberta is an official government record provided by Alberta Registries. This is not the document that was signed by your witnesses at your wedding. The marriage certificate contains the full names of the married couple, the date of the wedding, the registration number of the marriage, and the date and places of birth of the married couple.
The process to get married in Alberta after a divorce is nearly identical to applying for the first time. The only difference is that you will be required, in addition to the normal identification requirements, to provide a divorce certificate to confirm that the previous marriage has been dissolved.
If you were divorced in Canada, you can obtain a divorce certificate simply by contacting the court in which the divorce had been filed. If you were divorced in Alberta, we can order these on your behalf. If you were divorced outside of Alberta, the requirements could be more involved. If the document is not readable in English, a translation will be required.
The divorce document will need to clearly state that the divorce has been finalized or dissolved as of a specific date. Documents that state that the marriage will be finalized at a future date (ie the document states the divorce will take effect in 30 days as of the date of the certificate) will not be accepted. Courts allow this waiting period to allow for the terms of the divorce to be contested, so these documents cannot be used to prove that the divorce has been finalized.
In rare circumstances, finalized documents cannot be obtained. If you have a divorce document from another country, you may supply the documents you have been provided and we will submit them to the appropriate government agency (Vital Statistics) for approval. Please allow additional processing time for government approval. You will not be able to apply for your licence until approval has been granted. This exemption is not available to clients who have been divorced in Canada.
In Canada, you may apply to have your legal name changed. As a spouse or parent, you may also apply change the name of your spouse or children. Once completed, you will be given a certificate that will allow you to change your name on all of your legal documents including birth certificates, passports, driver’s licences, health care, and more.
Please note that performing a legal name change is legally distinct from assuming a married name. If you would like to change your surname to your spouse’s surname, or to return to a maiden name, you do not need to perform a legal name change. A simple marriage certificate to prove your marriage is sufficient in this case.
To legally change your name, you will need the following:
Your first step should be to obtain fingerprints. Because the fingerprint certificate is issued in Ottawa, please allow approximately two weeks for delivery. If you are unable to submit your fingerprints within 30 days, you may need to also obtain a criminal record check. If so, these can be obtained through the local police. Do not obtain these through a private business, as these will be rejected.
Page 2 of the application will require a signature from a Commissioner for Oaths. This is a complementary service we supply for legal name changes and can be performed at the registry office.
Once we have submitted the application, the turnaround time varies between one and six months, depending on service volume. Please ask your registry agent for a more accurate waiting period, as this changes regularly.
Once completed, you will receive a certificate that you can use to change your name on your other documents. If you were born in Alberta, Vital Statistics will replace your birth certificate free of charge. Please note that if you had surrendered a birth certificate from another province, it will not be returned to you. You should arrange to order a new birth certificate from the province of your birth after the name change has been completed.
If you are also applying to change your gender marker, you may also submit your amendment documents with the legal name change to have it all updated together.
To change your gender marker, you will need to file a Sex Indicator Amendment. These forms can be obtained online, [link: https://www.alberta.ca/birth-record-sex-amendment] at the registry office, or by contacting Alberta Vital Statistics directly. [email: vs@gov.ab.ca]
Once completed, the document will need to be signed by a commissioner for oaths, a service we provide at our registry. The affidavit will then be sent to Vital Statistics. You will have the option of also submitting an Alberta birth certificate if you were born in the province for a complementary replacement with the new gender marker. If you are also changing your name, you may submit these documents together with your name change application.
In Alberta, divorce certificates are obtained through the family court system. You can order them directly through our registry. You will need to make sure that at least 31 days have passed since the final judgment before a divorce certificate can be ordered.
To order, you will need to provide us the name of both partners of marriage, the jurisdiction (location) of the court where the divorce was filed, and a reason for the request.
Please allow at least 10 days for processing. If you need the document to be rushed, it may be faster to order the certificate directly through the court at which the divorce was filed.
If you require the document for use outside of Canada, you will need the document to be authenticated. Please allow for greater waiting times, as this will need to go through multiple government agencies.
A birth certificate is an official document that proves a birth was registered in Alberta. You can apply for one through New Urban Registry.
For Newborns:
Before applying for a birth certificate, you must register the birth online through the Alberta government website. Once the birth is registered, you can apply for the birth certificate at a New Urban Registry office.
Who Can Apply?
How to Apply:
Provide Required Identification:
Choose Delivery Method:
Additional Notes:
Only births that took place in Alberta are eligible for an Alberta birth certificate.
