You’ve finally taken the plunge: you’ve decided to get married. Congratulations! Before the big day, make sure you know all the conditions and steps required for your marriage to be valid in Canada.
To get married in Canada, you must:
It is important not to confuse the marriage licence with the marriage certificate. A marriage licence is only a document authorizing a couple to get married, and it may be issued either by a religious person or a province or territory authority. The fee for a licence is $125.00, and it’s only valid for 3 months.
A marriage certificate is an official document proving two people are married. This document is required to carry out some other proceedings, as we explain below.
The marriage licence is a document that the bride and groom must obtain before their wedding ceremony. It serves as an official confirmation that the bride and groom meet all the terms of the law, and that they can legally get married.
The marriage license includes:
This will differ from province to province and territory to territory. In some provinces and territories, you can get a marriage licence from a person or business authorized to issue this document.
In other provinces and territories, the marriage licence can be obtained at the City Hall, at its municipal equivalent, or at a government Service Center.
The marriage certificate is the official proof that the marriage took place. It is also called a “memorandum” or “declaration” of marriage.
It can be useful for many administrative procedures such as: a change of names, the recognition of a child, a divorce procedure, or for genealogical research.
Contact information for the provincial registry offices can be found at this link .
These offices process applications for birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, certificates of celibacy and even for name changes.
A certified copy is a photocopy of a document that contains a statement made by a professional affirming that they have seen the original document, that the information on the copy matches the original, and the photocopy has not been altered in anyway.
You can obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate from:
When you have found the professional to certify your documents, he or she will not be authorized to only make a copy of the document and sign it. The professional who is certifying the document must also write the statement: “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”.
Then, they must include:
Administrative Procedures in other countries:
