Combining Last Names once Married

I'm not sure if it's the same in Ontario as BC .. but in BC I'm quite sure that you can change your name to your spouse's last name, or back to your birth name without cost (other than having to re-order certain cards, passport, etc). However, if you want to hyphenate your two last names, or combine to create a new last name completely - you would both have to pay for a legal name change. Again, not sure if that's also true in Ontario. And I have absolutely no idea how much the cost would be!

Normally when you assume a partner's surname, it's just a matter of showing your marriage certificate and Service Ontario will update the documents accordingly for you. But to take on a new name altogether might require a legal change. Either way, you just go through Service Ontario for the process.