Overview

Before you get married:

  1. Check if you and your partner are eligible.
  2. Complete the marriage licence application and pick it up at your local municipality.
  3. Choose an authorized marriage officiant.
  4. Plan your ceremony with both parties including 2 witnesses and your authorized officiant. The officiant will sign the licence and submit it to ServiceOntario to register your marriage.

Once your marriage is registered, you can:

Who can get married

To be eligible to marry in Ontario, you need to be:

  • at least 18 years of age or, if you are 16 or 17 years old, have written consent from your parents or legal guardians or a court order (unless you are widowed or divorced)
  • not already married or, if you were previously married, have had the marriage dissolved or annulled
  • able to freely and willingly consent

Applicants under 18 years old

Both applicants must be 16 years of age or older on the date that the marriage licence is issued.

If one or both of you are under 18 years of age, they need to download and complete the Consent of Parents or Guardians to Marriage form and do one of the following:

  • Have all parents or legal guardians swear or affirm the form before a commissioner for taking affidavits. Attach the completed and sworn or affirmed form online when submitting your application or bring the completed and sworn or affirmed form with you when you pick up the licence.
  • Bring all your parents or legal guardians with you when picking up your licence to have the form sworn or affirmed in person.

How to get a marriage licence

Before you get married, you need a valid Ontario marriage licence. A marriage licence is valid for 3 months from the date it was issued.

You can complete a marriage licence application by applying:

  • online through ServiceOntario application
  • online or paper application through your municipality

Learn more about getting a marriage licence.

Publication of banns

In some limited and specific circumstances, the publication of banns may be used as an alternative to a marriage licence. Contact your marriage officiant for more details.

Note: You and your spouse, witnesses and the person who performed the marriage will need to sign the licence or banns immediately after the ceremony.

If you are planning to remarry

If you are planning on remarrying in Ontario, there are other documents you must provide in addition to the ones listed under documents you need.

If you were divorced in Canada

You need to bring official proof of the divorce with you when you apply for a marriage licence. This can be the original or a court-certified copy of one of 3 documents:

  • the final decree
  • the final judgment
  • a certificate of divorce

Note: A divorce order issued by a judge is not the same as a certificate of divorce which acts as the proof of a divorce. Learn more about the differences and how to obtain a divorce certificate.

If you were divorced outside of Canada

If you were divorced outside of Canada, you need to provide specific documents to prove that you are no longer married. These documents must be validated by the government and may take up to 4 weeks to process.

You need to send the following documents to ServiceOntario:

  • Marriage Licence Application form: completed and signed.
  • Statement of Sole Responsibility: for each divorce (signed by both people who are planning to get married and a witness).
  • Legal Opinion Letter: from an Ontario lawyer, addressed to both people who plan to get married, giving reasons why the divorce or annulment should be recognized in Ontario.
  • Divorce Decree or Annulment: a copy in English or French. If the decree is in another language, you will need to include a translated copy and an affidavit sworn by a certified translator

Note:

  • Completed Foreign Divorce Authorizations are sent to applicants by courier.
  • It is important that your full mailing address (suite, unit, apartment or buzzer number) is included on the marriage licence application form.
  • The courier package cannot be delivered and will be returned to ServiceOntario if the address is not accurate.

Please mail all documents directly to:

ServiceOntario
Marriage Office
PO Box 4600   
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay ON P7B 6L8

For more information, call:

If one or both of you are remarrying after the death of a spouse

You can upload or submit in-person to the municipality one of the following for each applicant with your application:

  • Death Certificate of spouse
  • funeral Director's Statement of Death
  • court order declaring that your spouse has died

Eligibility for a reduced marriage licence fee

You may be eligible to have the $75 provincial marriage licence fee waived if both of you:

  • are registered or are entitled to be registered under Canada’s Indian Act
  • reside in Ontario on reserve or Crown lands

Municipal administrative fees may still apply.

One of you must swear or affirm that you both meet the eligibility requirements by:

The form must be sworn or affirmed in-person before a commissioner for taking affidavits (for example municipal staff).

Learn more on who can be registered under Canada’s Indian Act.

Who can perform a marriage in Ontario

For your marriage to be valid, it needs to be performed by an authorized marriage officiant under Ontario’s Marriage Act.

There are 2 categories of marriage officiants in Ontario:

Registered marriage officiants

They are registered under the Marriage Act can lawfully perform a marriage in Ontario.

A registered marriage officiant can be a person who:

  • is duly recognized by their religious body as entitled to perform religious marriages in Ontario
  • belongs to and is duly recognized as entitled to perform marriages by a band, First Nation, Métis or Inuit organization or community or Indigenous entity located in whole or in part in Ontario.

Find out if your officiant is registered to perform a marriage in Ontario.

Civil marriage officiants

The following people can perform civil (non-religious) marriages in Ontario:

  • a municipal clerk and/or their delegate authorized to perform civil marriages in Ontario
  • a judge
  • an Ontario associate judge
  • an Ontario justice of the peace

Contact a local city hall, town hall or municipal office to find out if they provide civil marriage services.

Guide for marriage officiants

It is your responsibility as a registered or civil marriage officiant to ensure marriages are performed according to the requirements under Ontario’s Marriage Act and other applicable laws.

Use the Marriage Officiant’s Guide to Performing Marriage Ceremonies in Ontario to help make sure you are prepared and aware of your responsibilities, including:

  • what to do before, during, and immediately after the marriage ceremony
  • your information management and record-keeping responsibilities
  • the laws you must adhere to

Download the Marriage Officiant’s Guide.