Quebec Trans ID Clinic

Legal information and accompaniment service for name and gender marker changes in Quebec

The Quebec Trans ID Clinic is a year-long, all-in-one drop-in service for individuals wishing to change their legal name and gender marker, offered across the province of Quebec and notably in Montreal. For now, this service is offered in-person only, but will eventually also be made available remotely.

Name changes can be a complicated process, and this is especially true in Quebec for trans migrants and other people facing intersectional violence. The amount of bureaucratic paperwork one must go through is also a routine struggle. Getting one’s true name on one’s IDs is often times a great relief: it can bring to a screeching halt the consistent misgendering and deadnaming that would otherwise be commonplace.

The Clinic is open to anyone having a basic understanding of spoken French or English and having lived in Quebec for at least 12 months. It is offered for free, on a pay-what-you-want/can basis; donations help offset administrative costs and help fuel other community events, such as the Montreal Trans March.

The Quebec Trans ID Clinic can provide you with legal information about the process, and act as Commissioner for Oaths for any gender marker change requests. I will provide forms and access to a photocopier on the spot: you only need to bring specified documents! I can check your forms and verify them — but cannot give legal advice, since that requires a lawyer’s presence, and I’m not a lawyer. In most cases, I can mail out your forms for you as well — meaning that you won’t have to pay a cent, even in postage!

Applications for a gender marker change performed alone, or with a first/middle name change, can be filled on-the-spot, oftentimes in one swoop and in under an hour. Note that for name changes alone, or for last name changes, you may still come on over, but you’ll probably need to come twice — and the process will take longer.

Any questions? Email Celeste at celeste (at/à) juritrans.ca to ask them.

Upcoming Drop-ins

The drop-in, in-person legal clinic is currently on a temporary hiatus! As an alternative, we’d invite you to check out the Virtual Trans ID Clinic, run by law students trained by Celeste, at https://juritrans.ca/qc/: even though this is a by appointment service, it runs on a much more frequent basis!

What should I bring?

The particularities of the Quebec gender marker change process, as well as its civil-law tradition, makes it quite a bit different, compared to neighboring common-law provinces and states, to change your gender marker and/or name. However, one thing stands true: only change your name once you are sure which name(s) and/or gender marker(s) you want to use for the rest of your lifetime! Second name changes tend to be much harder to obtain in Quebec than other Canadian provinces; the same applies for gender marker changes. A name is, by its very nature, something intensely intimate and personal, which only one can decide for themselves.

The name change legal regime in Quebec is distinct from the gender marker change legal regime. As such, you’ll need to look at the category applicable to you. You may change your first name and/or middle name(s) when changing gender marker; however, you cannot change your last name, owing to government regulations.

Gender marker changes (with or without a name change)

For people born in Quebec as well as outside of Quebec getting a gender marker change, and/or intending on changing their first and/or middle names with their gender marker, you’ll need to bring the following:

If you are 18+: another adult who has known you for one year or more. They will have to sign onto your papers in person, and they’ll need to have one piece of government-issued photo ID (see below) photocopied. This person can be anyone — including someone related to you by blood.
If you are age 17 or lower: a letter from a health or social services professional (doctor, psychologist, sexologist, or social worker) “proving” or “attesting” that you are trans, or otherwise recommending that you get a name or gender marker change.
If you are age 13 or lower: one of your parents will need to fill out the form, and the other one will need to sign onto it. Lack of consent from either parent means that the parent requesting the change will need to prove their case in court, since the Directeur de l’état civil automatically rejects requests for gender marker changes if one or both legal parent(s) does not consent.
One piece of government-issued photo ID, such as a Quebec Régie de l’assurance maladie (RAMQ) health card, drivers’ license from Quebec or another jurisdiction, photo ID card from another Canadian province, passport, permanent resident card, Indigenous status card, or any other document containing name, date of birth, photo, and signature.
- RAMQ cards without photo or without signature works as well.
Two proofs of address, one from 45 days or less ago, the other one from at least 365 days ago.
- Proofs of address include drivers’ licenses (if not used as photo ID), bank, credit card and LoC statements, paystubs, Internet, phone and electricity bills, home or automobile insurance certificates, official prescription medication receipts from a pharmacy, and any mail received from the Quebec or federal governments.
- As a last resort, if none of these work, you may provide a photocopy of your lease.
- If you moved recently: your newer proof of address must show your current address. Your old proof of address simply has to be for an address in Quebec.

Some people might need additional documents:

Parents

If you are a parent yourself, and intending on changing your gender marker, you may change your parental designation — how you are referred to on your children's birth certificates — while changing your gender marker. Your parental designation may be either "Mother", "Father", or "Parent".

See the page on parental designations for more information.

Previous name change (outside of marriage)

If you have previously changed your name (for reasons other than marriage), including for gender identity-related reasons, bring any applicable court orders, adoption orders, name change certificates and combined name—gender marker change certificates you may have. If you are unable to find such a certificate, it usually won't stop you from changing your gender marker — but it could slow down the process for you.

Previous gender marker change

If you have previously changed your gender marker, bring any applicable gender marker change certificates you may have, a letter from a health or social services professional (doctor, psychologist, sexologist, or social worker) explaining the reasons you need a second gender marker change, and $152 (under the form of a cheque, money order, or Visa/Mastercard credit card). This is the case regardless of the reason for your gender marker change (non-linear transition pathways, de-transition, re-transition, etc.).

Unable to afford the fees? Email celeste (at/à) juritrans.ca for more information.

However, if you have changed your gender marker prior to June 8, 2022, and want to obtain a non-binary gender marker, you are exempted from the letter and fee requirements. This is a temporary measure expiring on June 8, 2024, notably for folks who changed their gender markers from F to M or M to F in order to be in the "least worst of the binary prisons".

Married outside Quebec

If you were married outside of Quebec and haven't performed the insertion process for your marriage certificate in Quebec's registry of civil status, bring an original or certified copy of a marriage certificate or court order, if possible. If your spouse is born outside Quebec, in that case, you will also need to insert their birth certificate (see instructions for folks changing their gender marker and born outside of Quebec). Not bringing it won't be fatal for your gender marker change application, but will mean that your name change cannot be applied to you and your spouse's marriage-related documentation in Quebec, and will instead have to be done in the jurisdiction you married in .

Divorced or widowed (and not remarried)

If you are divorced, bring a copy or photocopy of your divorce certificate or judgment.

If you are widowed and your late spouse died outside of Quebec, bring an original or certified copy of your late spouse's death certificate or another official document attesting to your late spouse's death. If your late spouse died in Quebec, you won't need to bring any additional documentation.

For folks born outside of Quebec, and whose births are not registered outside of Quebec, please consult the Knowledge Base for more information! In almost all cases, you’ll need an original birth certificate or equivalent, with parental information, and either in French or bilingual (or translated into French by a Quebec-certified translator). As a general rule, anyone born outside Quebec who wasn’t subjected to an adoption in Quebec will need to register (“insert”) their births here. I also have information available on the aforementioned webapge if you are unable to get a birth certificate for any reason.

If you are not a Canadian citizen, you can still change your gender marker and/or name, but do note that your gender marker and/or name change may not be accepted in your home country, and might attract the attention of Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). At the end of the day, choosing to change your name and/or gender marker is an intimate, personal decision that only you are equipped to make!

More detailed information on the process may be found on this website. Do note that many Quebec government departments still do not accept the “X” gender marker, as such your experience with legal recognition after the change is done may vary.

Name changes performed alone (without a gender marker change)

The process for changing your name alone in Quebec is less straightforward than for a gender marker change. This is especially true for last name changes. For more information on what to bring, please look at my page on name changes performed alone – you’ll need to prepare extra paperwork in order to make sure the name change goes through on your first attempt. You may still come to the Trans ID Clinic though, so long as you fall under the broader trans umbrella.

Filling out your gender marker change or name change application at home

You may also fill out your gender marker change or name change application at home! In that case, I can play a more supportive role, acting as Commissioner for Oaths, verifying document contents, and mailing out documents for you.

For that, you may use the forms available on the Directeur de l’état civil‘s website here: https://etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/en/forms-publications.html. Make sure to use the form applicable for your age group (18+, 14-17, or ≤13). The Change of parental designation form (to fill out if you are a parent) and the Application for Insertion of an Act of Civil Status Made Outside Québec into the Québec Register of Civil Status (to fill out if you are born outside Quebec and your birth is not registered in Quebec) forms may apply.

After your application is sent

This section is currently under construction! Stay tuned for more information.