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Age minimum

You need to be at least 16 years old to get married in Ontario.

Under 18 years old: you will need written consent from both your parents. You can get consent forms where you get a marriage licence.

Who can perform a marriage in Ontario

Registered marriage officiants

The following persons registered with the Office of the Registrar General as a marriage officiant under the Marriage Act can perform a marriage in Ontario:

• a person duly recognized by their religious body as entitled to perform religious marriages in Ontario, or
• a person who 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.( Registered marriage officiants – Datasets – Ontario Data Catalogue)

Civil marriage officiants

The following can perform civil marriages in Ontario:

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

Contact us.

Forms you need before you marry

Before you get married, you need either:

• a marriage licence
• a banns form that you get from a us when you publicly announce your commitment during a divine service (we will publish this declaration, called “the publication of banns”)

Banns cannot be published if you or your spouse has been married before. You will need to get a marriage licence.

You and your spouse, witnesses and the person from our organization performed the marriage will need to sign the licence or banns immediately after the ceremony.

How to get a marriage licence:

To get a marriage licence, you will need to:

• bring 2 pieces of government-issued identification for each person getting married. One piece of identification must include your photo.
  Examples of government-issued identification:
  • government-issued birth certificate, including any change of name certificates
  • valid passport
  • record of immigrant landing
  • Canadian Citizenship Card
  • valid driver’s licence
  • valid Ontario Photo Card
• pay a fee (fees vary and depend on the municipality)

Please check the municipality’s website to ensure you have all of the information required to purchase a marriage licence.

A marriage licence is valid for three months from the date it was issued.

Download the Marriage Licence Application form (PDF)

Find a local city hall, town hall or municipal office

Get married outside Ontario

Get a marriage certificate

A marriage certificate is a legal record of a marriage. It lists the date and place of the marriage, and names of the people who were married.

You may need this document to:

• show legal proof you are married
• apply for certain social benefits
• settle an estate
• change a last name

A Record of Solemnization of Marriage is not the same thing as a marriage certificate.

“We will solemnize your marriage only”

Before you can get a marriage certificate, a marriage needs to be registered. 

As an official marriage registrant, we will perform your marriage and sending a complete and signed marriage licence to ServiceOntario to register the marriage.

Note: We will Perform the marriage and send a completed and signed marriage licence to ServiceOntario so that your marriage can be registered. 

Order a marriage certificate(How to get a copy of an Ontario marriage certificate online | Ontario.ca)

Getting married during coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions

To have a legal marriage ceremony, you only need the following people:

• the marriage officiant. We will be happy to be your marriage officiant
• the couple
• 2 witnesses

This means that you can get married in-person and follow the order that limits the number of people attending gatherings for the purpose of a wedding. Rules on physical distancing and face coverings still apply.

ServiceOntario continues to register marriages and issue marriage certificates. However, there may be some delays as we strive to ensure the safety of our employees and physical distancing.