Ontario Marriage Requirements: Who May Marry
Any person who is at least 18 years of age may marry. No person under the age of 16 may marry.
For complete information and instructions about how and where to get your marriage licence, click here: Service Ontario. Any person who is 16-17 years of age (other than a widow, widower or divorced person) may marry with the written consent of their legal guardian/parents. If any person whose consent is required is unavailable or refuses to consent, an application may be made to a judge, in Canada, to dispense with the require consent. Please contact a lawyer regarding this.
For a person whose previous marriage has been dissolved or annulled:
If the marriage has been dissolved or annulled in Canada, the original or court certified copy of the final decree dissolving or annulling the marriage will be needed to get your marriage licence;
If the marriage was dissolved or annulled in a jurisdiction other than Canada, the applicants must obtain authorization from the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Province of Ontario, before a marriage license may be issued. *(NB: Please continue reading below.)
To obtain this authorization, the applicants, or a lawyer representing them, must submit the following to:
The Office of the Registrar General
PO Box 4600, 189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8
- A completed marriage licence application signed by both applicants.
- A copy of the decree of divorce or annulment (certified by the proper court officer in the jurisdiction the divorce/annulment was granted or sealed by the court). If the decree is in a language other than English or French, you must include a certified translation.
- A statement of Sole Responsibility for each divorce signed by both applicants. Blank affidavits are available from the issuer of Marriage Licences.
*Foreign residents: U.S.A., U.K., E.U., etc., must include:
A legal opinion of an Ontario lawyer, addressed to both applicants, giving reasons why the divorce or annulment should be recognized in the Province of Ontario. Where a spouse has died, proof of death of the spouse must be provided if death occurred outside of Ontario.
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He can be reached at –
- Phone: 1-905-356-6484;
- FAX: 905-356-3004
- Email: edwinsauerlaw@gmail.com
How to obtain a Marriage Licence
A licence to marry may be obtained from any issuer of Marriage Licences at a Municipal Clerk’s Office in most municipalities in Ontario. Both parties must complete and sign an Application Form. However, if both parties are not able to be present to obtain a Marriage Licence, one person may bring the completed Application Form signed by both parties along with the required identification documents of the absent applicant. Please check with your municipality for the accepted documents. A marriage licence is valid for use anywhere in the Province of Ontario and expires 90 days from the date of issue.
If you have any questions regarding the above please feel free to contact us for more information or speak with an officer at your local municipal office.
How To Obtain A Marriage Certificate
Once your marriage is finalized, your officiant will immediately mail your completed licence to the Office of the Registrar General for processing which can take 10-12 weeks. You will receive a signed Solemnization of Marriage Record from the officiant which will include the marriage licence number. You will need this number to obtain a marriage certificate which can be obtained either online or through the mail using the application form enclosed with your marriage licence. Or you can download one from the Office of the Registrar General website.
What to do if you have lost your documents
If, for some reason, you have lost track of your marriage documents or did not order a Certified Copy (long form) of your Marriage Registration, we can help if you were married at our chapel. Give us call or an email. We will do a search.