News
2024-09-12
For the adopted person: Copy of the original act of birth
Since June 8, 2024, a new measure concerning the knowledge of one’s origins for adoptees has entered into force in connection with An Act respecting family law reform with regard to filiation and amending the Civil Code in relation to personality rights and civil status adopted in 2022.
Under certain conditions, adoptees can obtain a copy of the original act of birth (prior to adoption) from the Directeur de l 'état civil. If the adoptee is deceased, the application may be made by their descendants in the first-degree aged 14 years of age or older.
For more information, consult the page For the adopted person: Copy of the original act of birth.
2024-06-19
Declaring the birth of a child born from a surrogate pregnancy
The processing of a declaration of birth of a child born as a result of a surrogate pregnancy that began on or after March 6, 2024, allows the declaration of the filiation of the intended parents to be made directly to the Directeur de l’état civil (legal route).
To this end, the following two conditions must be met:
- the surrogate mother has consented after the birth to the establishment of a filiation in favour of the intended parents;
- a surrogacy agreement has been signed between the parties concerned.
For more information, consult the page Declaration of birth of a child born as a result of a surrogate pregnancy.
2024-03-13
New Fees
As of April 1, 2024, new fees will apply to applications for a certificate or a copy of an act, as well as to certain fee-based services offered by the Directeur de l'état civil. For the current fees to apply, you must send us your application for a certificate or a copy of an act before
on that date. For more information, consult the document Modification tarifaire au 1er avril 2024 
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2023-06-15
Some "Directives de l'état civil" have been updated
The Directeur de l'état civil's directives are work tools used to guide the decision-making process in certain situations. Following the entry into force, on June 8, 2023, of legislative changes concerning the usual given name, the following directives have been revised:
- Attribution du nom à un enfant
- Correction d'une erreur purement matérielle
- Définition de la notion de motif sérieux justifiant une demande de changement de nom
- Présentation du prénom usuel dans les documents délivrés par le Directeur de l'état civil
- Remplacement, ajout ou retrait de prénoms dans un acte de naissance lors d'une demande de changement de nom
- Documents judiciaires notifiés ou signifiés au Directeur de l'état civil
They are available in the Access to Information section (in French only).
2023-04-26
Citizen checklist Declarant of the death
In order to properly support the person who acts as the declarant of a death, the Directeur de l'état civil has posted a checklist on its website that the declarant can use to collect all the necessary information to avoid any additional delays in the processing of the file. Learn more »»
2023-03-14
New Fees
As of April 1, 2023, new fees will apply to applications for a certificate or a copy of an act, as well as to certain fee-based services offered by the Directeur de l'état civil. For the current fees to apply, you must send us your application for a certificate or a copy of an act before
on that date. For more information, consult the document Modification tarifaire au 1er avril 2023 .
2021-12-15
The "Directives de l'état civil" have been updated
The "Directives de l'état civil", which are tools to guide decision-making in certain situations, have been revised. They are available in the Access to Information section Access to Information.
2021-11-30
Bill 2 respecting family law reform with regard to filiation and amending the Civil Code in relation to personality rights and civil status
On October 21, 2021, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill 2 respecting family law reform with regard to filiation and amending the Civil Code in relation to personality rights and civil status. The bill is under consideration in the National Assembly. Consequently, the Directeur de l'état civil can neither comment on the progress of parliamentary proceedings nor give an opinion on the adoption of this bill or on measures to be put in place.
The Directeur de l'état civil will adapt its services to the legislative and regulatory amendments that may result from this project, that is, as soon as they come into effect.
For more information, refer to our website www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca on a regular basis. We will publish information once the changes set out by the legislator are adopted.
2021-04-01
Reminder to those in charge of a religious societies
On March 15, 2021, a reminder of the obligations relating to the solemnization of marriage and civil union was sent to all people in charge of religious societies recognized by the Directeur de l'état civil.
Lettre Rappel des obligations relatives à la célébration du mariage et de l'union civile (in french only)
2021-03-16
New Fees
As of April 1, 2021, new fees will apply to applications for a certificate or a copy of an act, as well as to certain fee-based services offered by the Directeur de l'état civil. For the current fees to apply, you must send us your application for a certificate or a copy of an act before
on that date. For more information, consult the document Tarifs exigibles au 1 er avril 2021 .
2021-03-09
Modification of the terms and conditions with respect to applications for a change of name and applications for a change of sex designation
As of March 9, 2021, any person who has been domiciled in Québec for at least one year may submit an application for a change of name or an application for a change of sex designation to the Directeur de l'état civil. Canadian citizenship is no longer a requirement.
Additional information on eligibility to apply may be obtained by consulting the Change of name section or the Change of sex designation section.
Archive
2020-10-21
Reminder concerning marriages and civil unions
The Directeur de l'état civil would like to issue a reminder that the rules governing the solemnization of marriages and civil unions, as well as the publication of notices of marriage and civil union have not changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that the officiant, the two spouses and the two witnesses must be present at the ceremony. For this reason, a marriage or civil union cannot be solemnized using videoconferencing facilities.
In addition, the officiant must ensure that his or her authorization is valid for the date and place of the marriage or civil union and that a compliant notice of marriage or civil union has been published.
For officiants designated for a single event:
For any change to your designation or your notice of publication, you must contact the register of officiants team at celebrants.designes@dec.gouv.qc.ca.
For notary officiants, ministers of religion, clerks, deputy clerks, municipal officers and elected municipal officers:
For any question or any change to your notice of publication, you must contact the staff of the Directeur de l'état civil.
Lastly, please note that the staff of the Directeur de l'état civil cannot answer questions concerning the measures to limit gatherings announced in response to COVID-19. For information on this matter, please call the coronavirus (COVID-19) information line at 1 877 644-4545 and select the star key option, or consult the Québec.ca website.
2021-03-09
New terms and conditions with respect to certificates
It is now possible to request a certificate of birth, marriage, civil union or death that does not specify the sex of the person concerned.
To do so, you must fill out the Application for a Certificate or Copy of an Act form and enclose a letter indicating that you do not want the sex of the person concerned specified on the certificate.
2020-06-15
Public official: an important but little-known role
Did you know that there are four public officers in Québec, two of whom are an integral part of the State registrars sector? The registrar of civil status and the enterprise registrar are the only two public officers within our department.
Also, did you know that public officer is not an honorary title? A public officer's legal responsibilities are related to the public office conferred on him or her by the State, the actions of which have a direct impact on the lives of citizens and businesses. For more information »»
2020-03-19
Online and telephone services
The current situation related to COVID-19 causes the Directeur de l'état civil to implement preventive measures in order to ensure the well-being of our clients and staff.
In that regard, in order to limit face-to-face contact and interactions, we invite you to use our online services instead of going our service centres. To find out which services are available, go to: etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca.
You can also contact us by telephone at the following numbers:
Québec: 418 644-4545 Montréal: 514 644-4545 Other regions of Québec: 1 877 644-4545 (toll free) Outside Québec: 1 418 644-4545 (tolls apply) Teletypewriter (TTY): 1 800 361-9596
Thank you for your understanding.
2020-03-16
New Fees
As of April 1, 2020, new fees will apply to applications for a certificate or a copy of an act, as well as to certain fee-based services offered by the Directeur de l'état civil. For the current fees to apply, you must send us your application for a certificate or a copy of an act before
on that date. For more information, consult the document Tarifs exigibles au 1 er avril 2020 .
2019-05-24
Increase of the time period for entering an event in the register of civil status
Due to an increase in the number of registration files to be processed, the time period needed to enter a civil status event (birth, marriage, civil union or death) in the register of civil status is, on average, 30 to 40 business days.
The Directeur de l'état civil has implemented an action plan to regularize the situation. The plan provides for a series of measures and methods aimed at reducing the backlog of files and the time period for processing files requesting that an event be entered in the register of civil status. Processing times are expected to return to normal by December 2019.
If the documents received are incomplete or non-compliant, additional time may be required before the event can be entered.
Civil status documents
It should be pointed out that, in order for a civil status document to be issued in respect of a birth, marriage, civil union or death, the event must first be entered in the Québec register of civil status. Before an application for a certificate, a copy of an act or an attestation concerning an event can be processed, that event must be entered in the register.
2019-04-01
New terms and conditions with respect to certificates
You can now request a certificate that does not designate the sex of the person concerned.
To this end, you must complete an application form for a certificate or copy of an act, and include with it a letter stating that you do not want the designation of sex of the person concerned to appear on the certificate requested.
You can also apply for a birth certificate on which the designations “Father” and “Mother” are replaced with “Filiation”.
To this end, you must complete an application form for a certificate or copy of an act, and include with it a letter stating that you wish to replace those designations with “Filiation”.
Please note that only regular processing time is available for certificates with those specific features and that accelerated processing times do not apply.
For download application form for a certificate or copy of an act.
2018-09-18
Draft Regulation concerning the celebration of marriage and civil union may
A draft Regulation concerning the celebration of marriage and civil union may be made this autumn. The Regulation respecting the solemnization of marriages and civil unions may change the rules surrounding the celebration of a marriage and civil union. This draft Regulation set out rules that will apply to all officiants. It also stipulates which documents must be kept or sent to the Directeur de l'état civil following the solemnization of a marriage or civil union. Lastly, it sets out measures that may be taken in the event of an officiant's non-compliance with the rules governing the solemnization of marriages.
To find out more, we invite you to consult the draft Regulation on the Website of the Gazette officielle du Québec. 
2018-06-16
Amendments to the rules regarding adoption and tutorship
Certain rules regarding adoption, tutorship and the disclosure of adoption-related information have been amended further to the passage, on June 16, 2017, of the Act to amend the Civil Code and other legislative provisions as regards adoption and the disclosure of information, which, in particular:
- Makes it possible to recognize in the adoption judgment pre-existing bonds of filiation between the child and his or her parents of origin.
- Recognizes the effects of Aboriginal customary adoption and makes it possible to recognize pre-existing bonds of filiation and allows rights and obligations to subsist between the adoptee and his or her parent of origin.
- Provides, where applicable, for the recognition of pre-existing bonds of filiation to be mentioned in a copy of an act of birth, and rights and obligations that subsist between the adoptee and his or her parent of origin to be mentioned in the case of an Aboriginal customary adoption.
- Establishes suppletive tutorship and Aboriginal suppletive tutorship.
- Establishes a register of competent Aboriginal authorities, which can be accessed on the website of the Directeur de l'état civil.
For more information concerning the rules regarding adoption and suppletive tutorship, consult the website of the ministère de la Justice.
For more information concerning agreements for disclosure between the family of origin and the adoptive family, disclosure of information relating to identity or to establishing contact, and disclosure of medical information, please consult the website of the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
For more information concerning a copy of an act of birth or a copy of an Aboriginal customary adoption certificate, please consult the section entitled Certificates and copies of acts or contact us.
For more information concerning the register of competent authorities, please consult the section entitled Register of competent authorities in matters of Aboriginal customary adoption, Aboriginal suppletive tutorship and recognition of Aboriginal customary adoption outside Québec or contact us.
For more information concerning Aboriginal customary adoption or Aboriginal suppletive tutorship, please contact us.
2018-05-17
End of the transition period
Since January 1, 2018, notices of marriage and civil union must be published on the website of the Directeur de l'état civil for 20 days prior to the date of the ceremony.
During the six-month transition period, which ends on June 30, 2018, publications made under the former rules are accepted for marriages and civil unions solemnized no later than June 30, 2018. Marriages and civil unions solemnized after this date, however, must be published on the website of the Directeur de l'état civil.
Note that failure to comply with the rules applicable to the publication or solemnization of a marriage or civil union, be it the current rules or those in effect during the transition period, could result in the Directeur de l'état civil's refusal to enter the event in the Québec register of civil status. In addition, the officiant's authorization could be suspended or revoked.
2018-01-09
Designated Officiant or One-day Officiant
As of January 1, 2018, the Directeur de l'état civil is responsible for processing applications for the designation of officiants when designation concerns a mayor, municipal councillor or civil servant, court clerk or assistant court clerk or one-day officiant. For more information, consult the section Designated Officiant or One-day Officiant.
2017-11-08
Amendment to the publication regulation regarding marriage and civil union
As of January 1, 2018, new responsibilities will be entrusted to the Directeur de l'état civil in connection with the publication of marriage and civil union notices and the dispensation of such notices. To find out more, please read the Marriage and civil unionsection of our website.
2017-11-01
New Publication Rules Regarding Change of Name and Late Declaration of Filiation
As of November 27, 2017, all notices relating to a change of name and to a late declaration of filiation will be published solely on the Directeur de l'état civil's website rather than in the Gazette officielle du Québec and local newspapers, as it is currently the case. For more information, go to the Change of Name section.
2016-06-30
New rules concerning the marriage of minors
The Law introducing diverse legislative modifications to reinforce the protection of persons ( RLRQ, 2016, Chapter 12) received official sanction on June 8, 2016. This law introduces certain measures pertaining to civil status that will be enacted at a later date to be determined by the government with exception to the following which is already in force:
Before June 8, 2016, a minor wishing to be married had to obtain the authorization of the titular parental authority or, if applicable, the tutor. As of this date, a person of 16 or 17 years of age who wishes to marry must first obtain from the courts the permission to marry. However, a transition disposition established in Art. 48, a.2 of this law, provides that, if consent had been obtained from the parental authority or, if applicable, the tutor prior to the date of June 8,2016, the marriage of the minor remains governed by Art. 373 of the Quebec Civil Code as read before this date on condition that the marriage be solemnized within the following six (6) months of said date.
For more information, consult the Justice Quebec web site or contact us.
2016-06-13
Adoption du projet de loi no 103 : communiqué de la ministre de la Justice
Press release (French only)
2016-05-10
Reminder to all officiants from the Minister of Justice
Letter to officiants from Québec's Minister of Justice, reminding them of their duty to send all declarations of marriage to the registrar of civil status.
Letter to officiants from Québec's Minister of Justice
2015-12-08
Strike by Québec government employees on December 9, 2015
Please note that due to the strike by Québec government employees, our call center and service counters will be closed. We apologize for this situation.
2015-09-08
Adoption of the Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting change of name and of other particulars of civil status
Québec, September 5, 2015 – Ms. Stéphanie Vallée, Minister responsible for the fight against homophobia, Minister of Justice, Attorney General of Québec and Minister responsible for the Status of Women announces the adoption by the Conseil du trésor of the Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting change of name and of other particulars of civil status. For more information »»
Press release (French only)
2014-04-15
Notice to our clientele – Security breach of OpenSSL, named Heartbleed
The security breach of OpenSSL, named Heartbleed, has been discovered. Please note that this transactional site is not affected by Heartbleed. You may therefore continue to use our online services safely as your personal information is protected.
2014-03-01
Entry into force of modifications to the Civil Code of Québec regarding notice of a change of name and of a change of designation of sex
On March 1, 2014, certain articles of the Act to amend the Civil Code as regards civil status, successions and the publication of rights (2013, chapter 27) , adopted on December 6, 2013, come into force. They entail modifications regarding notice of a change of name and of a change of designation of sex.
The entry into force of these articles means that a citizen will no longer be required to publish, in newspapers and in the Gazette officielle du Québec, notice of an application for a change of given name when it is clear that the change requested relates to a modification of sexual identity, of an application for a change of name concerning a child under six months of age or of an application for a change of designation of sex appearing on an act of birth. In addition, the Directeur de l'état civil is no longer required to publish notice of its decisions authorizing such applications.
2014-01-24
It's the 20th anniversary of the Directeur de l'état civil
This year marks the Directeur de l'état civil's 20th anniversary. The office was established by the government on January 1, 1994, when the Civil Code of Québec came into force.
A single officer of civil status and a single register
From the early 1600s until 1993, civil status was administered by thousands of public officers, mainly ministers of religion and prothonotaries. During that period, 17 million acts were entered in 425,000 registers in 3,600 different locations.
On January 1, 1994, the registrar of civil status became the sole officer of civil status in Québec. At the same time, all papers were centralized in a single register, the civil status register.
Since then, the Directeur de l'état civil has not stopped developing organizationally to ensure the integrity of the civil status register and to provide citizens with quality services adapted to their needs.
The slogan 20 years at the heart of citizens' lives highlights the Directeur de l'état civil's involvement with citizens and the central role the office plays in terms of collective memory, identity, the exercise of civil rights and access to government programs and services.
2013-12-06
Amendments to the Civil Code of Québec as regards civil status
On December 6, 2013, the National Assembly of Québec passed the Act to amend the Civil Code as regards civil status, successions and the publication of rights (2013, chapter 27) . The Act entails various changes regarding civil status.
Changes that come into force on December 6, 2013
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Modifications facilitating the gradual implementation, by the Directeur de l'état civil, of new online services that will enable declarations of birth or death to be sent electronically, such as eliminating the requirement for citizens to have the declaration signed by a witness or to enclose a copy of the attestation of birth or death.
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Granting the Directeur de l'état civil the power to draw up the act of death of a missing person when the court has found someone guilty of acts causing the person's death or the disappearance of the person's body.
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Granting the Directeur de l'état civil the power, subject to certain conditions, to change the designation of sex that appears on the act of birth of a person who was born in Québec but is no longer domiciled there, when it is impossible to make such a change in the country where the person is domiciled.
Measures that will come into force at a later date to be determined by the government
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It will no longer be necessary to publish notices of applications in newspapers and in the Gazette officielle du Québec with respect to applications for a change of given name when it is clear that the change requested relates to a modification of sexual identity, applications for a change of name concerning a child under six months of age, and applications for a change of the designation of sex appearing on an act of birth. In addition, the Directeur de l'état civil will no longer be required to publish notices of its decisions authorizing such applications.
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The requirement for a person to have undergone medical treatment and surgery in order to obtain a change of the designation of sex that appears on his or her act of birth will be removed and replaced by new conditions to be determined by regulation.
2010-04-20
New online service - DEClic! Express
Certain citizens now have access to DEClic! Express, a new online service to apply for certificates and copies of an act. This service is similar to DEClic!, which was initiated in December 2007.
DEClic! Express is exclusively designed for new parents and new spouses, facilitating their transactions with the Directeur de l'état civil. To benefit from this service, you have to have received a notice of confirmation of birth, marriage or civil union bearing a rapid and secure access number (RSAN). Only notices of confirmation mailed since April 19, 2010 bear a RSAN.
2009-04-23
New procedures when declaring a birth
You may now give your consent to have the Directeur de l'état civil forward your social insurance number with information on the birth of your child to the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, which administers the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP).
To give your consent, you must complete and sign the Notice to parents - Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) section of the Directeur de l'état civil's Declaration of Birth form.
Even if you give your consent, you must still file an application with the Ministère to receive QPIP benefits. However, doing so will speed up the procedure since you will not have to provide your child's birth certificate.
For more information, go to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) website.
2008-11-21
Tribute is paid to the Directeur de l'état civil at the Prix d'excellence de l'administration publique 2008 awards ceremony
After having obtained two OCTAS from the Fédération de l'informatique du Québec (now Réseau Action TI), in May 2008, the DÉClic online service has earned further recognition by receiving the public administration excellence award.
The Directeur de l'état civil's contribution, which allows better access to improved, integrated services focussing on citizens and puts information technologies to good use, was fully recognized through the discernment of the award of excellence in the "online government" category at the annual l'Institut d'administration publique du Québec (IAPQ) gala held at the Québec City convention Centre on November 18, 2008.
Every year, the IAPQ acknowledges the public sector's remarkable achievements in a contest whose winners are recognized at a gala comprising seven categories.
The Directeur de l'état civil would like to congratulate the other finalists in the "online government" category:
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Commission des lésions professionelles
E-mailing of inquiry and hearing notices and consultation of roll -
Services Québec
Espace Entreprises of the government service portal
The Directeur de l'état civil would like to extend its warmest thanks the IAPQ for its role in recognizing excellence in the Québec public service.
Reviewed: 2024-09-12
