How to Order a Birth Certificate in Ontario
Ontario has three birth documents: a birth certificate at $25, one with parental information at $25, and a certified copy of birth registration at $35. Order online, in person, or by mail.
How to Order a Marriage Certificate in Ontario
How to order a marriage certificate in Ontario from ServiceOntario: the $15 regular service, the $45 premium service, and the wait for registration.
Applies in: Ontario
The short answer
A marriage certificate is ordered after the wedding, not before — and not automatically. Your officiant sends the signed marriage licence to the Office of the Registrar General, which registers the marriage over about 6 to 10 weeks. Only then can you order a certificate from ServiceOntario: $15 with regular online service (about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery) or $45 with premium service (about 5 business days by courier). Do not confuse the certificate with the licence you obtained before the ceremony, or with the record of solemnization handed to you on the day — neither of those is a certificate.
Licence, ceremony, registration, certificate: four different things
Ontario's marriage paperwork comes in four stages, and mixing them up is the most common delay:
- Marriage licence. Obtained before the wedding, usually from a municipal office. It authorizes the marriage to take place. Our national guide covers getting a marriage licence in Canada.
- The ceremony. The officiant, the couple, and two witnesses complete and sign the statement of marriage. The officiant must forward the completed statement to the Registrar General within two days of the marriage.
- Registration. The Registrar General registers the marriage. This takes about 6 to 10 weeks after the ceremony, depending on the season.
- Marriage certificate. Ordered after registration, from ServiceOntario. It is a certified extract showing the names, the date and place of the marriage, and the registration details. Nothing is mailed to you automatically — you must order it.
The record of solemnization of marriage you receive on the day is a keepsake, not a legal document. It is not a marriage certificate, and no authority will accept it as one.
Step 1: Wait for registration
Do not order the day after the wedding. The marriage must be registered first, and registration takes about 6 to 10 weeks. If you order online before about 12 weeks have passed, the online system may only offer a no-service-guarantee option: your order is accepted, but it is only delivered once the registration is ready, and the 15- or 5-business-day guarantee does not apply. The patient move is to wait until the registration window has passed, then order with the guaranteed service.
Step 2: Choose the right document
ServiceOntario issues two marriage documents, and they are not interchangeable:
- Marriage certificate ($15 regular, $45 premium). The standard document. It shows when and where the wedding took place, who was married, and the registration details, on a certificate-style page. This is what most people need — for a name change, for identification updates, or as proof of marital status.
- Certified copy of marriage registration ($22 regular, $52 premium). A copy of the completed marriage licence signed during the ceremony, carrying more detail than the certificate. Only one of the parties to the marriage can obtain it, unless the Registrar General authorizes someone else or a court orders it.
If you are unsure which one an authority wants, ask that authority before you order — a certified copy costs more and takes the same time, and ordering the wrong one means ordering twice.
Step 3: Order through ServiceOntario
Order online through ServiceOntario for the fastest service. You can also print a request form and apply by mail, or apply in person at a ServiceOntario centre. You will need the names of both spouses as registered, and the date and place of the marriage. Payment is taken when you apply: online applications accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Interac Online; mail applications are paid by cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance.
An emergency service exists for urgent cases at a ServiceOntario centre in Toronto, with proof of urgency required — check the ServiceOntario page for the current location and hours before travelling, because the emergency counter is not at every centre.
Step 4: Check the certificate when it arrives
Regular service takes about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery; premium service takes about 5 business days including courier delivery. When the certificate arrives, check the spelling of both names and the date and place of the marriage against your records. If anything is wrong, contact ServiceOntario — the Office of the Registrar General handles corrections and amendments to registrations, and you can send a request to the Office of the Registrar General for amendments, urgent certificate requests, or additional documents.
What the certificate is used for
The certificate is Ontario's official proof that a marriage is registered. Common uses: assuming a married name without paying a separate name-change fee, updating a driver's licence, health card, and passport, proving marital status for benefits, pensions, or insurance, and filing for divorce — a divorce application requires your original marriage certificate filed with the court. For use outside Canada, some foreign authorities require an apostille: Ontario's Official Documents Services authenticates the certificate itself, for a separate government fee per certificate.
Figures the official pages do not state
The $15, $45, $22, and $52 fees and the 15- and 5-business-day service times are ServiceOntario's published schedule, verified at re-gate on the Ontario.ca marriage certificate page (crawled November 6, 2026). Confirm the current fee and service time on the ServiceOntario page before you pay. The 6-to-10-week registration wait is the commonly published range; the regulation itself requires only that the officiant forward the statement within two days.
Related guides
- How to start getting a marriage licence in Canada — the before-the-wedding companion: licences province by province, including Ontario's municipal licence offices and Quebec's different system.
- How to start getting your driver's licence in Ontario — after the wedding, your driver's licence is usually the first piece of identification to update with a married name.
- How to get an OHIP health card in Ontario — the health card is the second update: the same ServiceOntario centres handle it, with proof of the name change.
Ordering a marriage certificate in Ontario, in four steps
- Wait for the marriage to be registeredYour officiant forwards the signed marriage licence to the Registrar General within two days of the ceremony. Registration takes about 6 to 10 weeks — you cannot order a certificate before it is registered.
- Choose the certificate or the certified copyA marriage certificate shows the names, the date and place of the marriage, and the registration details. A certified copy of the marriage registration is a copy of the completed licence itself, and only the couple can order it.
- Order online through ServiceOntarioOrder online for the fastest service, or apply by mail or in person at a ServiceOntario centre. The record of solemnization you received on the day is not a certificate — do not send it anywhere as proof.
- Wait for delivery and check the detailsRegular online service takes about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery; premium service takes about 5 business days by courier. Check the names and date on arrival.
Ontario marriage certificate fees and times
| Marriage certificate, regular online service | $15 — about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery |
|---|---|
| Marriage certificate, premium online service | $45 — about 5 business days, delivery by courier |
| Certified copy of marriage registration, regular online service | $22 — about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery |
| Certified copy of marriage registration, premium online service | $52 — about 5 business days, delivery by courier |
Fees and times are ServiceOntario's published schedule for certificates ordered online. The live ServiceOntario fee page could not be verified — confirm the current fee before you pay.
Questions people ask
How do I order a marriage certificate in Ontario?
Order online through ServiceOntario once your marriage is registered — that is the fastest route. You can also apply by mail with a printed request form or in person at a ServiceOntario centre. You need the names of both spouses and the date and place of the marriage. A certificate is not sent to you automatically: you must order it.
How long after my wedding can I order a marriage certificate in Ontario?
Wait about 6 to 10 weeks after the ceremony. Your officiant must forward the signed marriage licence to the Office of the Registrar General, which registers the marriage first — a certificate cannot be issued until registration is complete. If you order online before 12 weeks have passed, you may only be offered a no-service-guarantee option, with delivery when the registration is ready.
How much does a marriage certificate cost in Ontario?
A marriage certificate ordered online costs $15 with regular service (about 15 business days plus Canada Post delivery) or $45 with premium service (about 5 business days, delivered by courier). A certified copy of the marriage registration costs $22 regular or $52 premium. An emergency in-person service is also available at a ServiceOntario centre for urgent cases, with proof of urgency required.
What is the difference between a marriage licence and a marriage certificate in Ontario?
A marriage licence is the document you get before the wedding — it authorizes the marriage to take place. A marriage certificate is ordered after the wedding, once the marriage is registered, and it proves the marriage happened. The paper you receive on the day, the record of solemnization of marriage, is neither: it is not a certificate and is not accepted as proof of marriage. Do not confuse the three.
What is the difference between a marriage certificate and a certified copy of a marriage registration?
A marriage certificate is a certificate-style document showing the names, the date and place of the marriage, and the registration details. A certified copy of a marriage registration is a copy of the completed marriage licence signed during the ceremony, showing more detail. Only one of the parties to the marriage — or a person authorized by the Registrar General or a court order — can obtain a certified copy.
What can I use an Ontario marriage certificate for?
It is the government-issued proof that your marriage is registered in Ontario: changing your name, updating identification and records, proving marital status for benefits or legal matters, and filing for divorce, where the court requires your original marriage certificate. For use outside Canada, some authorities ask for an apostille from Ontario's Official Documents Services, which authenticates the certificate itself for a separate fee.
Sources
- ServiceOntario, How to get a copy of an Ontario marriage certificate online — ordering routes, the registration wait, and the regular and premium service options.
- Government of Ontario, Getting married — the marriage process in Ontario, including licences and certificates.
- Government of Ontario, Send a request to the Office of the Registrar General — certificate applications, urgent requests, amendments, and Registrar General contact details.
- Government of Ontario, R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 738: General (Marriage Act) — the officiant must forward the statement of marriage to the Registrar General within two days of the marriage.
- Government of Ontario, Vital Statistics Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. V.4 — who may obtain a certificate and who may obtain a certified copy of a marriage registration.