Vital Statistics

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Services in Alberta

Vital statistics are crucial records documenting significant life events. In Alberta, these records encompass events like births, marriages, deaths, and legal name changes. This page offers an overview of the various vital statistics services provided in Alberta.

Birth Certificate

The Government keeps a record of all registered births that take place in Alberta and can only issue documents for these births.

There are 3 kinds of birth documents you can order:

Birth Certificate with Personal Information Only
Birth Certificate with Personal Information and Parentage
Photocopy of a Registration of Birth

There is only one size of birth certificate. What varies is the amount of information it contains. The parent’s information may or may not be reflected, that is your choice. Various organizations may require one of the specific birth certificate styles.

The following must be applied for through the Provincial Archives of Alberta since they qualify as historical records (anyone may apply):

copies of Registrations of Birth 120 years old and older (from the date of birth)
copies of Registrations of Birth where the person (whose birth is registered) has been deceased for 50 years or more (proof of the death is required)

Death Certificate

The Government keeps a record of all registered deaths that take place in Alberta and can only issue documents for these deaths.

All certificates are certified extracts of the original Registration of Death.

Altering and/or laminating Vital Statistics documents makes them invalid.

There are 3 kinds of death documents you can order:

Death Certificate
Photocopy of a Registration of Death
Photocopy of a Medical Certificate of Death

The following must be applied for through the Provincial Archives of Alberta since they qualify as historical records (anyone may apply):

Copies of Registrations of Death 50 years old and older (from the date of death)
Copies of Medical Certificates of Death 50 years old and older (from the date of death)

Marriage Licence

A marriage licence shows the person performing your marriage that you have met all the legal requirements to be married in Alberta.
Conditions for a marriage
Banns (postings or announcements in a church) are not acceptable in place of a marriage licence.
There are no residency or citizenship requirements.
There is no time period that must pass between the date a couple arrives in Alberta and the date a marriage licence is issued.
Blood tests are not required.
A marriage licence is valid for 3 months from the date it is issued.
A marriage ceremony may take place the same day a marriage licence is issued. There is no waiting time.
An Alberta marriage licence is only valid for an Alberta marriage. The marriage ceremony must take place in Alberta.
If you are currently married, you cannot apply for an Alberta marriage licence.

Marriage Certificate

The Government keeps a record of all registered marriages that take place in Alberta and can only issue documents for these marriages.

Altering and/or laminating Vital Statistics documents makes them invalid.

There are 3 kinds of marriage documents you can order:

Marriage Certificate
Photocopy of a Registration of Marriage
Marriage Search Letter

Anyone may apply for a copy of a person’s Registration of Marriage through the Provincial Archives of Alberta after 75 years have passed from the date of marriage.

This marriage certificate includes:

full names of the married couple
date of marriage
place of marriage
places of birth of the married couple
registration number
registration date
date issued

Legal Name Change

The Government keeps a record of all registered legal changes of name that take place in Alberta and can only issue documents for these.

All certificates are certified extracts of the original legal change of name registration.

Altering and/or laminating Vital Statistics documents makes them invalid.

There is only one kind of change of name document you can order:

Legal Change of Name Certificate

A “Legal Change of Name Certificate” is not the same as a “legal change of name request”.

A “legal change of name request” is the application to change a person’s name. When a person legally changes their name, a legal change of name certificate is automatically sent to a person to show the legal change of name process is completed. For information about legally changing a person’s name, see Legal change of name request and speak with a registry agent.
When a person has already legally changed their name and just needs another legal change of name certificate, the following application process applies.

Still Birth

The Government keeps a record of all registered stillbirths that take place in Alberta and can only issue documents for these stillbirths.

What is Still Birth?

-When you have been pregnant for 20 weeks or longer and your baby dies before or during birth, it is called a stillbirth

Altering or laminating Vital Statistics documents makes them invalid.

There are 3 kinds of stillbirth documents you can order:

Certificate of Registration of Stillbirth
Photocopy of a Registration of Stillbirth
Photocopy of a Medical Certificate of Stillbirth

The following must be applied for through the Provincial Archives of Alberta since they qualify as historical records (anyone may apply):

copies of Registrations of Stillbirth 75 years old and older (from the date of stillbirth)
copies of Medical Certificates of Stillbirth 75 years old and older (from the date of stillbirth)

Amendment request

If you find an error on an Alberta record, you may be able to correct it with an amendment.

Alberta vital statistics (event) records, such as birth, marriage, death and stillbirth, may be corrected with an amendment.

Contact Vital Statistics for detailed information.

When amending a record, the following documentation is needed:

Evidence to support the correction
- Vital Statistics will tell you what kind of evidence you will need for your amendment, if required
An affidavit
- Vital Statistics will prepare an affidavit for you, based on what is being corrected
- if you are swearing/affirming the affidavit in Canada, it may be executed by a Commissioner for Oaths or Notary Public
- if you are swearing/affirming the affidavit outside Canada, it may be executed by a Notary Public or a person with the authority to execute affidavits in that jurisdiction
- Guide to Completing an Affidavit (PDF, 468 KB)

If an event happened outside Alberta, contact the jurisdiction where the event occurred to request an amendment.

Forms

Click on the buttons to get the forms.

Remove family member/s from your AHCIP account

Use this form if you already did a Legal Change of Name and want to obtain the certificate or documents

Ammendment Request

Legal Change of Name Request

Sex Indicator Ammendment Request

If you’re applying from Outside Alberta , a statutory declaration is mandatory in addition to the forms above.