In-Person Trans ID Clinic
The In-Person Trans ID Clinic can:
- answer any questions you may have on the process to change your first name, last name, and/or gender marker in Québec;
- give you information on how to change your name and gender marker with different government bodies (birth certificates, RAMQ cards, driver's licenses, passports, etc.);
- accompany you through filling out name change and/or gender marker change forms, and completing any related applications, on the spot;
- commission under oath your documents quickly;
- have access to forms, a printer, and much more on site.
The in-person legal clinic works on a drop-in basis, without any appointments: you can simply come in and ask for help! Please note that it generally takes 45 to 90 minutes to complete a name change application, and depending on the case, you may need to come a second time (depending on whether your application is going ahead, and whether there are additional steps to take).
Note that you must have lived in Quebec for at least twelve (12) months in order to apply for a name and/or gender marker change in Quebec; however, we can answer your questions about the process in other jurisdictions, and refer you to similar legal clinics across Canada and around the world.
The legal clinic is managed by Celeste Trianon (who manages Juritrans as a whole), and operated by her, as well as ad hoc volunteers with lived experience in the process.
Please note that, in accordance with the Act respecting the Barreau du Québec (Québec Bar Association Act), we do not offer legal advice at the in-person legal clinic. If advice is required – which should not be the case for most people – we can refer you to specialized lawyers.
Legal clinic schedule
| Location | Date | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Montréal (Downtown / L'Astérisk) 1575 Atateken |
Sun. December 1st, 2024 — open 1:30pm → 6pm |
Look up location on Google Maps |
| Québec City (Old-Québec / La Dauphine) |
Sat. December 7, 2024 — open 1:30pm → 5pm |
Look up location on Google Maps |
Si vous habitez trop loin de la clinique juridique en présentiel, n’hésitez-pas à plutôt prendre un rendez-vous virtuel (offert à travers le Québec en français et en anglais)! Nos ami·es à TransEstrie offrent également un service similaire à Sherbrooke; pour les rejoindre, veuiller aller sur leur site web.
What should I bring?
Many thing are required to complete an application to change your legal name and/or gender marker. Here is a (hopefully exhaustive) list to help guide you!
To change your first name without changing your gender marker, and/or to change your last name
- A request for a name change must be motivated by a ‘serious reason’ – including psychological reasons (e.g. domestic violence, abandonment, etc.), gender identity reasons, a name that causes laughter/prejudice, or continuous use of the requested name for a period of at least five years. Provide documents to prove this, e.g. letters from a psychologist/doctor, or in the case of continuous use, documented proof (e.g. e-mails signed under the name you wish to add).
- This evidence only needs to be provided for the final application – not the preliminary analysis form you’ll need to fill out and submit beforehand.
- When you’re asked to justify your request, do so in depth (as far as possible)!
- If you’re under 18, you’ll need the consent of all your parents, unless their parental authority has been revoked.
- An exception can be made by obtaining a waiver from a court of law: this will follow the guiding legal principle of the best interests of the child (art. 33 CCQ). Write to us if you need help finding a lawyer to represent you or your child.
- Your final application – not the preliminary analysis application for the name change – will need to be sworn under oath. We have commissioners for oaths at the legal clinic – but do plan to either have access to a printer or to be able to sign a document virtually, as this will be necessary!
- There is a $152 application fee. If you are unable to pay, write us!
To change your gender marker (and optionally, your first name as well)
- An application to change your gender marker (known as “sex designation” under Québec law) is deemed to be for gender identity-related reasons. This means that the substantive requirements to obtain this request are enshrined in government regulation.
- If you’re 18 or over, you’ll need a sworn affidavit from a third party – a friend, family member or professional with whom you’ve been in contact – who has known you for at least a year, to support your application for a change of sex designation. This person can be anyone except the Commissioner of Oaths.
- If you’re under 18, a health or social services professional – a doctor (general practitioner or specialist), psychologist, sexologist or social worker – will need to write a letter establishing that the sex designation change will benefit you (e.g., a recommendation for a change of sex designation, a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, etc.).
- If you are under the age of 14, you will need to obtain the consent of all your parents, unless their parental authority has been revoked. They will also have to fill out the forms for you!
- An exception is made if you are capable of representing yourself in court to obtain a waiver: this will follow the guiding legal principle of the best interests of the child (art. 33 CCQ). Write to us if you need help finding a lawyer to represent you.
- Your application will need to be sworn. We can offer this service at our legal clinic – plan to have access to a printer to do this remotely! The same applies to a third party who has to swear an affidavit.
- This request is free of charge for anyone who has never changed their sex designation. If this is not the case for you, this request will cost $152; if you are unable to pay this fee, write to us!
For any applications to the Directeur de l'état civil to change something (whether it'd be your first name, your last name, your gender marker or all three)
- As of March 2021, Canadian citizenship is no longer required to change your name and/or gender marker. On the other hand, a name change can have incidents on your immigration file, and/or bring attention to the authorities – be careful!
- If you were born outside Quebec, you will have to submit your (original) birth certificate to the Directeur de l’état civil. This certificate must be in ‘long format’ (must include the name(s) of your parent(s)).
- Said certificate will NOT be returned to you!
- Under Bill 96 (SQ 2022, c 14), this certificate must be in French, or bilingual with French as one of the languages. We provide in-house translation services for English and Russian documents.
- If your birth certificate is in English only, but you were born in another Canadian province or territory (except British Columbia), you can instead order a new long-form birth certificate – all newly issued ones are bilingual.
- A photocopy (or print photo) of an ID belonging to each person concerned by the application must be supplied.
- This implies, in particular, the person concerned by the application (getting the name change), and, as the case may be, the third party supporting/witnessing said person’s application, or the parents of the person concerned by the application.
- Generally speaking, any government-issued document containing name, date of birth, photo and signature are accepted. Notably, RAMQ cards, drivers’ licenses, passports and PR cards are OK.
- You’ll need to provide documents proving your current address and, if applicable, your continuous residence in Quebec for at least one year.
- In practice, this means: one proof of address document no more than one month old (up to 45 days is tolerable), and another such document that’s at least twelve months old.
- This document must contain name, address, and a date (of issue, of payment, a concerned period, etc.).
- Bank or credit card statements, pay stubs, Internet, cell phone or electricity bills, home or auto insurance certificates, official invoices for medication, and any mail sent by the Quebec or federal government are accepted as proof of address.
- If you’ve recently moved, your new proof of address must show your current address (for correspondence purposes). The old proof (>12 mo.) can show any previous address in Quebec.
- If you’re a parent yourself, you can change your parental designation – i.e. the way you’re recognized on your children’s birth certificate – at the same time as applying for a gender reassignment or name change. The parental designation can be one of “mother”, “father”, or “parent”, depending on either your future or current legal sex designation (depending on which other requests you make).
- If you have previously changed your name and/or gender (for reasons other than marriage), including gender identity, be sure to submit a photocopy of any applicable judgment (including, but not limited to, an adoption judgment), change of name certificate, and/or combined change of name and sex designation certificate you have. If you are unable to obtain such a judgment or certificate, this will not prevent you from making a gender or other name change, but it may slow down the process.
- If you have previously changed your sex designation, you’ll also have to provide a letter from a health or social services professional (similar to the letter requested for trans minors). An exception is made for anyone applying for an “X” gender designation, and who has previously changed their gender designation before the “X” designation was made available (before June 8, 2022).
- If you were married outside Quebec and haven’t gone through the process of registering your marriage with the Quebec civil registry, you’ll need to provide an original document (e.g. judgment, marriage certificate, copy of marriage act) attesting to your marriage, and, if applicable, your spouse’s birth certificate. If you are divorced or if your spouse died outside Quebec, you will need to provide the applicable judgments and/or certificates.