Could I be held responsible for my spouse's credit card debt if the cards are in his/her name only?

A person is not responsible for someone else’s debt unless they have done the following:

Both parties have signed for the credit card as a co-applicant.
The principal cardholder has requested a supplement credit card for the spouse.

If the spouse or common-law partner does have a supplemental credit card, then we commonly use this questionnaire to determine if an additional cardholder is responsible for the debt:

Does the spouse have a supplemental credit card, if so, has it ever been used?
Does the credit card statement come in one name or both names?
Did both people sign up for the credit card as co-applicants?

The more you answer, “Yes,” the more likely you are to be responsible for the debt. It is important to note that there are no hard and fast rules; some creditors will pursue supplemental credit card holders while other creditors will not. In many cases, the outcome of the questionnaire is just as important as knowing who the creditor is.

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