How to Get a Marriage License in Canada

Getting married is all about committing to a relationship for life and there are a lot of emotions involved in it. However, apart from all of that, there are certain legal aspects to be taken care of as well. One of those is to get a marriage license. In Canada, it is important to get a marriage certificate or a marriage license under the Solemnization of Marriage Act. Same Sex Marriage has been made legal in Canada in 2005 and a certificate is required for those marriages as well. However, the certificates are state specific- meaning that a license taken out in Ontario is valid only in Ontario and the couple will not be able to get married in any other state. They have to apply to the municipal office in the territory and wait till the certificate is provided to get married.

The authority who will grant the marriage certificate looks into various things before it is granted. One of them is the age of the couple. If they are getting married with parental consent, then it is possible to get a license as early as when they are sixteen or seventeen years. Again, even apart from verbal permission, a written consent letter is asked for in certain states. Individuals below sixteen years are not usually allowed to marry unless of course in cases of emergency or due to teenage pregnancy. Without parental consent, the age limit is pushed up to eighteen or nineteen years, as the requirement of the state may be.

Both partners willing to marry have to visit the local departmental office and apply for the certificate. They have to provide certain documents regarding their identity like birth certificate and age proof, their addresses, their present marital status – whether they have never been married or if they are divorced, or if there has been any prior annulment. Once the marriage license is issued, it has a time span for which it is valid – usually one to three months and so the couple has to be sure about the timings while they are making the preparation. In some cases, marriage documents are not needed if the couple is getting married in a church or in any other religious institution because the marriage is solemnized by the religious head.

In any event, if all the marriage legal documents are in place, there are no hassles in getting a license.

If you are looking for marriage documentations in Canada then you can contact Victor Opara or call us at 416-782-5926.