Request to correct a certificate or a copy of an act
A person who believes there is an error in an act for an event recorded or entered in the register of civil status may ask the Directeur de l’état civil to correct it. Correction may be requested for a purely clerical error or to standardize a name. The Directeur also has the authority to correct an error on its own initiative, that is, without a prior request from any concerned party, while processing of a file.
Purely clerical errorsThe Directeur may correct a purely clerical error in an act of birth, marriage, civil union or death. A purely clerical error is an obvious mistake made unintentionally, particularly due to oversight, omission, distraction, misunderstanding or inattention.
This type of error may be corrected by the Directeur when valid evidence clearly establishes the information that should have been recorded initially.
However, the correction must be limited to restoring the accuracy of the information. It cannot be used to add completely new information or to change the original intent of the parties concerned. The error must not be due to a deliberately false declaration made at the time the act was issued. If it is, such a modification would have the effect of correcting the register of civil status, and only the court has jurisdiction in these situations (for example, someone lying about their age when they get married).
Categories of purely clerical errorsPurely clerical errors generally fall into the following categories:
1. Spelling errors
These errors involve incorrect spellings of
- des usual given names or other given names;
- des surnames;
- des place names.
2. Errors regarding details in an act
These errors may relate to the
- date of the event;
- location of the event;
- language;
- gender designation;
- marital status;
- inclusion of an incorrect given name or surname in an act.
Examples
The first time a citizen requests a birth certificate for her daughter, born in 2025, she notices a spelling error in her daughter’s usual given name. It is listed as “Marie Émilie” instead of “Marie-Émilie.” The citizen demonstrates to the Directeur that the error must have been made when the act of birth was issued.
The first time a citizen requests a marriage certificate, he notices an error regarding the date of the event. It reads “September 2, 1983,” instead of “October 2, 1983.” The citizen demonstrates to the Directeur that the error must have been made when the act of marriage was issued.
See who can request a correction of a purely clerical error for each event.
Who may request a correction of a purely clerical error?
| Type of event | Who may submit the request? | Who must consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Person of full age concerned by the error.
One of the parents of the minor child concerned by the error. One of the parents of the person of full age concerned by the error. |
Person of full age concerned by the error. Minor child: both parents of the person concerned and the minor child aged 14 or over. The parent of the minor child, if the error concerns the parent’s name. |
| Marriage | Either spouse. | Both spouses. |
| Civil union | Either civil union spouse. | Both civil union spouses. |
| Death | The declarant The funeral director or their authorized representative The deceased’s spouse The deceased’s civil union spouse The deceased’s mother or father The deceased’s children. |
If you are not the person who declared the death and you are among those authorized to submit the request, you must check the box in the form confirming your commitment to inform the persons concerned by the succession. |
You must send us the relevant document(s) without delay.
Name standardizationThe Directeur can also correct a person’s name as it appears on an act of civil status, based on the name recorded on their act of birth, to ensure that their name is consistent throughout the register of civil status. This is not a matter of proving an error, but of ensuring that the person’s name matches the one on their act of birth.
The Civil Code of Québec provides that every person is assigned a name at birth, which is recorded on their act of birth. It also stipulates that a person must exercise their civil rights under the surname and usual given name appearing on that act.
However, despite the checks performed by the Directeur when registering life events, it may happen that the name recorded in an act of civil status does not match the one appearing on the act of birth.
This can occur, for example, when the act of birth of a person born outside Québec has not been filed with the register of civil status, or when a person has used a nickname or changed the spelling of their name upon marriage or the birth of their children.
This type of correction allows the Directeur to go beyond correcting purely clerical errors in order to ensure the consistency of a person’s name.
Example
The mother’s given name on her child’s act of birth does not match the name on her act of marriage, which was issued earlier in Québec. The mother was born in Brazil. When her child was born in Québec in 2025, the mother entered “Maria” as her usual given name on the declaration of birth. When she got married in 2020, the mother identified herself as “Marie” on the declaration of marriage and signed the declaration under the given name “Marie.” On the mother’s act of birth, issued in Brazil in 1990, her usual given name is “Maria.”
Upon presentation of the mother’s act of birth (with a translation, if written in a language other than French or English), the Directeur may correct the given name on her act of marriage to “Maria.”
How to request a correction
Important: Do not enter the corrections you want made directly on the certificate or copy of an act.
You must fill out the Application for Correction of a Life Event in the Register of Civil Status form to request a correction of a life event and mail it to the Directeur de l’état civil. Please mail your form and the certificates or copies of acts (original documents) issued by the Directeur de l’état civil that are subject to the correction request, if any, to the following address:
Gestion des retours Directeur de l'état civil 2535, boulevard Laurier Québec (Québec) G1V 5C5
We will review the information contained in the document. If we see that there is an error, we will make the necessary correction within the limits of the powers conferred on us by law. Otherwise, the document will be returned to you.
Fees
Although the correction is free of charge, once the correction is made, any documents that have already been issued will be cancelled. A fee will apply for the reissuance of new documents.
Other useful link
- Language of acts of civil status and issuing of documents
- Directive Correction d'une erreur purement matérielle (PDF, 40,3 Ko)
Reviewed: 2026-06-25
