Frequently Asked Questions

Registry Connect Co-op offers three types of services: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Silver and Gold services are classified as "rush" services. Silver service means priority processing of your request, contact by phone or email with any questions, and regular mail delivery of the certificate. The additional cost for Silver service is $35 (charged per applicant, so if you are applying for more than one document you will only pay the rush fee once). Gold service means priority processing, contact by phone or email with any questions, and courier delivery of your certificate. Gold service is the fastest, most secure option to receive your document. The fees for Gold service include the $35 rush fee plus a courier charge, based on where you live. Please see the payment page of the application for details.

Registry Connect Co-op cannot process applications from clients who are in the province of Alberta. In order for Registry Connect Co-op to be able to process an application, the client's address must be a non-Alberta address. Certificates can be delivered to an Alberta address if that is required (clients must provide a cover letter explaining this, along with the complete delivery address). For clients who do not have a non-Alberta address, you must apply in person at an Alberta Registry Agent.

No, Registry Connect Co-op cannot process legal name changes. To change your name, you must apply to the Vital Statistics office in the province or country where you are currently living.

No, to make any changes to an Alberta birth record, you must contact Alberta Vital Statistics directly, at 780-427-7013.

Once a legal adoption has occurred, the birth record of the child is permanently changed. It is no longer possible to receive a birth certificate or photocopy of birth registration from Alberta Vital Statistics with your original birth information. Clients wishing to access original pre-adoption information can contact Alberta Vital Statistics at 780-427-7013.

No, Alberta Vital Statistics does not have a registry of divorces. To obtain your record of divorce, please contact the lawyer you worked with at the time of the divorce, or the courthouse in the city or town in which the divorce was granted. If you are unsure of where in Canada the divorce took place, please contact the Central Divorce Registry, at 613-957-4519.

If you do not have legal guardianship of a child, you are not considered eligible to apply for that child's document. If the child's parent or legal guardian is available, they should apply (proof of guardianship must be provided if the applicant is the child's legal guardian), or authorize a Designated Agent to apply on their behalf (this can be you, if you've known the applicant for at least one year). If there is no legal guardian, you may apply for the document if you provide a copy of a court order, authorizing you to make the application. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact Alberta Vital Statistics at 780-427-7013.

To be used for the Statutory Declaration, identification must meet the following criteria: it must be government-issued, valid (not expired), and must contain a photo of you. The identification must have an ID number, and either an expiry date or an issue date (within the last 5 years). Some examples of acceptable ID include the following:

• Driver's License
• Passport
• Treaty Status Card
• Corrections ID
• Health Card (if it contains a photo)

To prove your identity for your application for a birth, marriage, or death certificate, you must take the Statutory Declaration, along with your photo ID, to a Notary or Commissioner of Oaths. The Statutory Declaration must be filled out correctly and notarized in order to be accepted. Ensure that the Notary or Commissioner of Oaths who notarizes your Statutory Declaration includes their signature, printed name, stamp or seal (if they have one), and the expiry date of their commission. Any changes made to your Statutory Declaration (crossed or whited out information, or information added later in a different colour pen) must be initialled by the Notary or Commissioner of Oaths who notarized your form. You would then send the completed Statutory Declaration (instead of a copy of your ID), along with your application form and payment information.

If you don't have valid photo ID, you will need to have someone assist you with your application, as your Designated Agent. This person can be anyone, as long as they have valid photo ID, and you have known them for at least 1 year. To authorize a Designated Agent, please fill out and sign the Applicant's Consent to a Designated Agent box on the bottom left of the Application page. Please ignore the Designated Agent's Statutory Declaration box on the right. Your friend (Designated Agent) will need to complete the full-page Statutory Declaration for Proof of Identity form, and have it signed by a Notary or Commissioner for Oaths. The Designated Agent signs the Statutory Declaration form as the Applicant (everywhere else on the application you are the Applicant).

In order to apply for a document on behalf of an eligible applicant, a lawyer must provide, in addition to the Application, Statutory Declaration and Payment pages, a letter, on letterhead, stating the name of their client, how their client is related to the document being requested, and the type of document being requested. The letter must be signed by the lawyer in ink. As well, the lawyer must provide a photocopy of their Law Society Card.

In certain cases, caseworkers (such as social workers or corrections caseworkers) can apply as a Designated Agent for a client, even if they have not known the client for at least one year. This exception requires permission from Alberta Vital Statistics, in the form of a letter to be sent with the application. If you think this exception applies to your situation, please have the caseworker contact Alberta Vital Statistics directly at 780-427-7013 for assistance.

If the Corrections ID has a photo of you, an expiry date (that has not expired), and an ID number, it should be acceptable ID for the Statutory Declaration.

If you have a current version of Adobe Reader on your device, you can right click on the link to the form, and save it on your desktop as a PDF document. You should then be able to open the form from your desktop in Adobe Reader. If this doesn't work for you, please contact us and we can email, fax, or mail an application to you.

The choice is up to the applicant, and Registry Connect Co-op staff members are not authorized to make that decision for you. If you require the certificate for an official purpose, please consult with the authorities you are dealing with to determine which document would best suit your needs.

Legal name changes and legal adoptions result in permanent changes to your original birth record. Please fill out the Applicant and Birth sections of the form with your new legal information. Also, if possible, please notify Registry Connect Co-op if you have had a legal name change or if you were adopted, and provide the date and place the name change/adoption took place.

When a woman marries, she is able to legally assume her married name if she chooses, but her actual birth record will always show her last name at birth (maiden name). The only ways to change a last name on a birth record is through a legal name change or adoption.

If you provide at least the year that the birth, marriage or death took place we can process the application. Please be advised that the certificate fee is applied for every three years searched (or portion thereof).

Applications with no spaces left blank are processed much faster, and Registry Connect Co-op reserves the right to refuse and return incomplete applications. However, if you are unable to provide one or two pieces of information, we may be able to submit your request to be processed at the discretion of Vital Statistics. For any information you cannot provide, please provide a detailed written explanation why.

We accept payment online by Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, or Discover, or payment by certified cheque (not personal cheque) or money order. We do not accept American Express, Interac Online, or e-transfer payments. Prepaid Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted, but please make sure you have sufficient funds available to complete the transaction. If you are using a prepaid Visa or Mastercard, you may have to register your postal code with the card company in order to activate it.

Yes, please contact us for assistance.