This right now is the focus and source of all my frustration.

I was told regardless of being a citizen or not, I can change my name here in Australia, and that's true.
I assumed because Australia's government says they will "inform the relevant Registrar of Births of your change of name" that Canada would recognise it automatically but asked my grandmother who still lives in Canada to find out, and it seems they won't.

On one hand here, I could go for citizenship. But I'm poor, and my passports expired while abroad (I've been here for 6-7 years), as well as my old passport being a child passport, so it's hectic and expensive to get a new one.

To go through citizenship I believe I would need to -

• get a new passport while abroad ($150 CADish) and wait for that,
• 
  apply for citizenship (apparently could be only $40 AUD, but I'd need to take a test but I'm severely anxious and also possibly autistic, my assessment is next month, so I believe I'll fail it..) and wait for that,
• 
  FINALLY change my name ($200AUD)
• And then in the end I would need a new Australian passport, ($250aud.)

On the other, preferred hand, I need to know if I can simply change my name and inform them/apply for a name change with my Australian name change documents somehow.

The fear is that, if I change my name, Canada will no longer recognise me and I'll have an issue travelling anywhere because I wouldn't have or be able to get a passport. Or something.

Has anyone been through this or is familiar with now Canada deals with overseas name changes?

I believe your best bet is contact whichever office your province here deals with name change and ask them. In quebec they are extremely strict and would probably ask you to return and do your name change locally. Don't know about the other provinces.

Quote from: Myarkstir on March 03, 2015, 07:17:49 PM
I believe your best bet is contact whichever office your province here deals with name change and ask them. In quebec they are extremely strict and would probably ask you to return and do your name change locally. Don't know about the other provinces.

Hmm, dang it. I lived in British Columbia, so not Quebec, at least.
We could try finding an contacting that office - we were considering just contacting the embassy in Australia, but either of those options are a hassle as I can't use phones and emails/mail is very hard to get to the point with people like that.

No way I could afford getting back just to change my name, sigh.

If you haven't changed your birth certificate yet, do it. Once you do that, its done and I doubt anyone would question it after that although I don't know for sure. You will need a birth certificate to get a passport anyway, so if you can get ahold of Canada's birth records, change it.

Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.

sam1234

Quote from: sam1234 on March 08, 2015, 10:33:11 AM
If you haven't changed your birth certificate yet, do it. Once you do that, its done and I doubt anyone would question it after that although I don't know for sure. You will need a birth certificate to get a passport anyway, so if you can get ahold of Canada's birth records, change it.

Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.

sam1234

Unfortunately I believe changing my birth certificate in the first place would require changing my name in Canada, which isn't possible unless I was, and had been, in the country for at least three months.
Good try though!

Hello,
I went through this last year. I was born in Ontario but live in the Czech Republic.
Where you change your name depends on where you reside, not where you were born. So, if you live in Australia, especially if you are no longer a tax resident in BC, you need to change your name in Australia and in accordance with the local law. Once your name has been legally changed, you will need to apply to have your new legal name reflected on the birth registry in BC. I am not sure the process of this for BC, but in Ontario I just had to fill in an application for a new birth certificate and included the original copy of the name change certificate, in English or French. Once you have your new birth certificate, go to your local consulate and apply for a new Passport. Since you will not have any supporting document in the new name, you may need to include a declaration that you changed your name and why (I was asked to include a letter from my doctor saying I was trans). After that you should have your new passport in 2-4 weeks and with that you can change all your locally issued IDs.
Good luck with everything,
Mary

Quote from: Mary81 on March 09, 2015, 05:25:48 AM
Hello,
I went through this last year. I was born in Ontario but live in the Czech Republic.
Where you change your name depends on where you reside, not where you were born. So, if you live in Australia, especially if you are no longer a tax resident in BC, you need to change your name in Australia and in accordance with the local law. Once your name has been legally changed, you will need to apply to have your new legal name reflected on the birth registry in BC. I am not sure the process of this for BC, but in Ontario I just had to fill in an application for a new birth certificate and included the original copy of the name change certificate, in English or French. Once you have your new birth certificate, go to your local consulate and apply for a new Passport. Since you will not have any supporting document in the new name, you may need to include a declaration that you changed your name and why (I was asked to include a letter from my doctor saying I was trans). After that you should have your new passport in 2-4 weeks and with that you can change all your locally issued IDs.
Good luck with everything,
Mary

Ah, it's you!! Your thread convinced me to join and ask, as I was far too shy to track you down personally or anything.
I never really was a tax resident there, I left when I was twelve years old and am now 18 in Australia.

I showed your thread to my grandmother and had her contact Service BC and she passed on this information:

Quote"I contacted them by phone and went to office again. BC Vital statistics will not honor a change of name form from Australia - you would have to go through the entire procedure again to have it changed here. Also Passports Canada will not issue you a passport in your new name without a birth certificate in the same name. I do not know if the Canadian Consulate in Australia has the ability to issue you a Passport with the Australian Documentation of a name change and your birth certificate in your old name. Sorry - frustrating I know. You would have to talk to them there but BC Vital Statistics who holds your birth records here says they cannot change the name on the birth record without Canadian issued change of name documents."

I really can't confirm if they're being difficult, but what they're saying seems to go against what worked for you - or else I'm just not understanding.
I'm heartbroken because it seems to be implying I'm going to need to go through a full name change twice, including once where I need to be in Canada which I certainly cannot afford including two ~$200 name changes, flight prices, rent while away, and passport, when I'll then need to get a new passport right after.

Did you have anything like this said to you? Does it seem like I can work around this? I'm so stumped and confused, I'm not used to working with governments and such.

Hello again Emrys,

I think BC vital statistics is just being difficult. I would suggest you call them personally. Tell them that both Ontario and Newfoundland accept out-of-country legal name changes and that you are not certain why BC would not accept an Australian name change as legally binding. If they cannot give you a concrete answer, escalate to a manager. Often when you call or talk to a person on a desk they just don't know what the actual answer is, especially as they do not deal with out-of-country name changes regularly. Without knowing why they wont accept it specifically, it is hard to give you advice. Like I said, both Ontario and Newfoundland will issue you a birth certificate based on an out-of-country name change, provided it is done in accordance with the local law.

In my case it was a real hassle to change my name. Both because of the Czech laws which require me to pick a "transition name" from a list called "first names for transsexuals" and because Service Ontario really had no idea about what to do with me. On different occasions I was told different things and at one point I was asked to provide a translation of the Czech Civil Code. In the end it took 6 full months to get my new birth certificate, but it was possible and I didn't need to repeat the process twice or move back to Canada.

Passport Canada certainly wont issue you a passport based on the legal name change alone. You have to have your new birth certificate. Even then, you will likely get a provisional passport which is only valid for two years. This is what happened to me.

Let me know what BC Vital Statistics tells you. Once you reach 15 posts you can PM me directly.
Mary

Quote from: Mary81 on March 09, 2015, 07:27:01 AM
Hello again Emrys,

I think BC vital statistics is just being difficult. I would suggest you call them personally. Tell them that both Ontario and Newfoundland accept out-of-country legal name changes and that you are not certain why BC would not accept an Australian name change as legally binding. If they cannot give you a concrete answer, escalate to a manager. Often when you call or talk to a person on a desk they just don't know what the actual answer is, especially as they do not deal with out-of-country name changes regularly. Without knowing why they wont accept it specifically, it is hard to give you advice. Like I said, both Ontario and Newfoundland will issue you a birth certificate based on an out-of-country name change, provided it is done in accordance with the local law.

In my case it was a real hassle to change my name. Both because of the Czech laws which require me to pick a "transition name" from a list called "first names for transsexuals" and because Service Ontario really had no idea about what to do with me. On different occasions I was told different things and at one point I was asked to provide a translation of the Czech Civil Code. In the end it took 6 full months to get my new birth certificate, but it was possible and I didn't need to repeat the process twice or move back to Canada.

Passport Canada certainly wont issue you a passport based on the legal name change alone. You have to have your new birth certificate. Even then, you will likely get a provisional passport which is only valid for two years. This is what happened to me.

Let me know what BC Vital Statistics tells you. Once you reach 15 posts you can PM me directly.
Mary

I thank you for telling me exactly the action I should take as I'm autistic so I require a good deal of guidance and yet there is nobody really here to guide me on this as they know no better than me. I will try contacting them myself, or at least my partner who lives with me, as I suffer from telephone phobia and it would require a good kick for me to do it myself, and I'll also contact the Consulate here just in case they have any more guidance - since they basically just deal with Canadian citizens in Australia so it may be more of a common topic there.

It's very easy for me to change my name here, I just have to fill out a little bit of paperwork, hand over $200 AUD, and wait a month, but my grandmother was concerned that I should work out what the deal is with Canada beforehand so that I don't become in an iffy situation, such as becoming alienated.

Really dumb question, and of course I fully expect "it's none of your business", but how did you both come to living in a foreign country so young?
I've been fortunate to have traveled the world, but now I'm trying to convince my partner of possibly moving. I've sort of tired of Canada - lived in five provinces and nothing keeps us here.
We visited Iceland in March, and while expensive, its an amazing country.
I'm looking into Norway, Denmark and maybe Netherlands.

Just curious

Hello again,

There is no need to thank me. I can fully understand how stressful this situation is, especially when you have no one to guide you. I cannot tell you how often it brought me to tears.

Quote from: Emrys on March 09, 2015, 07:51:47 AMIt's very easy for me to change my name here, I just have to fill out a little bit of paperwork, hand over $200 AUD, and wait a month, but my grandmother was concerned that I should work out what the deal is with Canada beforehand so that I don't become in an iffy situation, such as becoming alienated.

I certainly agree with your grandmother on this. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to international law. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you have two legal names and no paperwork to support either.

Quote from: Muffinheart on March 09, 2015, 08:13:44 AM
Really dumb question, and of course I fully expect "it's none of your business", but how did you both come to living in a foreign country so young?
I've been fortunate to have traveled the world, but now I'm trying to convince my partner of possibly moving. I've sort of tired of Canada - lived in five provinces and nothing keeps us here.
We visited Iceland in March, and while expensive, its an amazing country.
I'm looking into Norway, Denmark and maybe Netherlands.

Just curious

Thank you for calling me young I feel far too old. I moved to Europe when I was 25. I had just finished my M.A. in Russian linguistics and wanted to study another Slavic language before going back to school to do a PhD. One thing led to another, though, and I stayed here. By the time I started my transition, the Czech Republic was already home for me. 

Quote from: Muffinheart on March 09, 2015, 08:13:44 AM
Really dumb question, and of course I fully expect "it's none of your business", but how did you both come to living in a foreign country so young?
I've been fortunate to have traveled the world, but now I'm trying to convince my partner of possibly moving. I've sort of tired of Canada - lived in five provinces and nothing keeps us here.
We visited Iceland in March, and while expensive, its an amazing country.
I'm looking into Norway, Denmark and maybe Netherlands.

Just curious

Not too personal at all, I am really quite open about these types of things.
When I was young, my mother and I were living with her abusive partner.
They split while we still lived there, and for my mother a relationship with someone online, in Australia, developed.

Just before my twelth birthday, we hopped on a plane...
(well, it was more confusing than just hopping on any old plane... but I was young!)
and soon enough we were in Australia, and it saddens me that I've never been able to afford turning back and seeing anyone from there again.

I didn't have a choice in any of this so for the first year at least I was not happy, but as I grew to forget my friends, but never my family in Canada, and make new friends here, I adjusted, because I know if I turned around and went 'home' tomorrow, just the same I would not be able to cope now.

I have never been to those countries - only here, Canada (though I've been to AB and road tripped up the arctic circle) Britain, US (Alaska), and a few week long hotel stays in NZ for visa reasons. Wish I could travel much, but the cost is just way too high for me especially with passport troubles here. Would love to go to Japan, not too expensive from here and only takes about an hour to get there I've heard.

Emrys: ty so much. Wonderful that your mom could get away from the abuse. I wish my own mom had of done the same or else we might have been living somewhere else. I've never been down under, but have made it to China for three weeks.
One day you'll travel, and it'll be an adventure...like transition.

Mary: wow! Congratulations on the academic achievements, you have such a bright future ahead of you.
One day I hope to visit Eastern Europe - Warsaw, Prague, Budapest. I'm a foodie and just see either wonderful foods and sights to see.
I wish you well in your journey.

Muffinheart: That said, though, she also has BPD and with my brainweird symptoms we just never could get on, and I had tonnes of emotional, psycnhological, and rarely even physical abuse from her as well. So it was good for me when I moved out of home at 16. You could imagine how tough it was for me back in Canada, it was like some type of weird abuse triangle. :c

Not to throw a pity party of course, but just in getting to know me, my childhood relationships shaped me into something awful.

If you ever do decide to move I can probably give some advice, I grew up in Iceland and spent a fair bit of time in both Norway and Denmark before moving to Canada and settling down (for the second time, this time in Toronto, last time in Montreal), hmm feels like opposite land in here

I know for me as an Icelandic citizen living in Ontario I just do everything here and then send the paperwork back to Iceland and wollah, magic.

Quote from: Muffinheart on March 09, 2015, 08:13:44 AM
Really dumb question, and of course I fully expect "it's none of your business", but how did you both come to living in a foreign country so young?
I've been fortunate to have traveled the world, but now I'm trying to convince my partner of possibly moving. I've sort of tired of Canada - lived in five provinces and nothing keeps us here.
We visited Iceland in March, and while expensive, its an amazing country.
I'm looking into Norway, Denmark and maybe Netherlands.

Just curious

Quote from: antonia on March 10, 2015, 10:29:59 PM
If you ever do decide to move I can probably give some advice, I grew up in Iceland and spent a fair bit of time in both Norway and Denmark before moving to Canada and settling down (for the second time, this time in Toronto, last time in Montreal), hmm feels like opposite land in here

I know for me as an Icelandic citizen living in Ontario I just do everything here and then send the paperwork back to Iceland and wollah, magic.

Antonia: that's be fantastic!
My desire to move to Iceland is sort of a fantasy or a dream. We absolutely loved the people, the land, the geography...even the food. And yeah, it's expensive, but incomes are relatively higher. I believe Icelandandic people are some of the happiest people in the world. The country was one of the first to adopt same sex marriage and adoption, and are further ahead than most EU countries.
The challenge is finding a job. My partner is in IT, so I'm sure he can find something, but my background is finance.
Heck, at this point in my life, I'd be happy cleaning fish - lol, it's one of the jobs I saw advertised.
I yearn for small town living....Ottawa at 1m is too big for me.
We're thinking maybe moving to Newfoundland also.

Quote from: Muffinheart on March 11, 2015, 05:26:54 AM
Antonia: that's be fantastic!
My desire to move to Iceland is sort of a fantasy or a dream. We absolutely loved the people, the land, the geography...even the food. And yeah, it's expensive, but incomes are relatively higher. I believe Icelandandic people are some of the happiest people in the world. The country was one of the first to adopt same sex marriage and adoption, and are further ahead than most EU countries.
The challenge is finding a job. My partner is in IT, so I'm sure he can find something, but my background is finance.
Heck, at this point in my life, I'd be happy cleaning fish - lol, it's one of the jobs I saw advertised.
I yearn for small town living....Ottawa at 1m is too big for me.
We're thinking maybe moving to Newfoundland also.

Muffinheart: My mother's family is from Ottawa, but I grew up In Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a beautiful place and the economy is booming, from what my family tells me. If you do decide to move to NL, you should let me know and I can put you into contact with some people - my family is very active in the LGBT community in St. John's and I can also put you into contact with Dave Munro from Trouble Bound tattoos who knows everyone and is an all around fantastic man.

Emrys: Do you manage to call BC Vital Statistics yet? Do you have any news?

Quote from: Mary81 on March 11, 2015, 05:40:39 AM
Muffinheart: My mother's family is from Ottawa, but I grew up In Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a beautiful place and the economy is booming, from what my family tells me. If you do decide to move to NL, you should let me know and I can put you into contact with some people - my family is very active in the LGBT community in St. John's and I can also put you into contact with Dave Munro from Trouble Bound tattoos who knows everyone and is an all around fantastic man.

Thank you Mary for the contacts,mu appreciate it.
Oh bout do I know NL. I was based in Halifax for six years, made it to NL 10-12x a year. Been to most places like Deer Lake, Lab City, Cornerbrook, Gander, Goose Bay and of course St. John's. Heck, I've even been to Dildo, NL


NL people are the most hospitable people in Canada...and I know....I was stranded there an extra week during Sept 11

Quote from: Muffinheart on March 11, 2015, 06:20:32 AM
Thank you Mary for the contacts,mu appreciate it.
Oh bout do I know NL. I was based in Halifax for six years, made it to NL 10-12x a year. Been to most places like Deer Lake, Lab City, Cornerbrook, Gander, Goose Bay and of course St. John's. Heck, I've even been to Dildo, NL


NL people are the most hospitable people in Canada...and I know....I was stranded there an extra week during Sept 11

LOL, you have probably seen more of NL than I have! My family lives in or around St. John's and I spent most of my time on the Avalon. The first time I ever visited Dildo I was 10 or 11. The only thing I remember about the town was a shop called Dildo Convenience which had a sign in the window advertising "Coming soon, A Few Good Men"  I think my mom still has a photo of it. 

Mary: Sorry, haven't had a chance yet. Life hitting me on all sides, dealing with diagnostic assessments, giant ambulance bills and the like first. I'll message you when I know, but it might be a little while
I'll likely definitely have 15 posts by then tho.