Get a marriage licence in Canada: who issues it in each province, how long it is valid, what documents to bring, and how a licence differs from the ceremony and the registration.
Applies in: CA
A marriage licence is permission to hold the ceremony, issued before the wedding, and it is separate from the ceremony, the registration, and the certificate. The licence is issued by the province where the ceremony will take place, it is valid for about 3 months, and it expires unused if the ceremony does not happen in time. After the ceremony, the officiant returns the signed documents to the province, the province registers the marriage, and a certificate is ordered separately. This guide covers the licence step only, province by province, as the issuing pages state it. It does not give legal advice, and if either partner's marital status, age, or capacity to marry is in question, the issuer's office or a lawyer should be asked before the application.
The confusion that causes the most wasted trips is treating these four steps as one:
Ontario licences are issued by municipalities, and the fee is set by the issuing municipality, so there is no single Ontario fee. Toronto charges $180, Kingston charges $188, Greater Sudbury charges $179, and Peterborough charges $150; confirm the fee with the municipality where you apply. In Toronto, complete the online marriage licence application, book an in-person appointment, and pay at the appointment. Apply within 90 days of the intended marriage date, and the licence is valid anywhere in Ontario for 90 days from the date of issue. A licence or the publication of banns from a church is required, along with an authorized officiant and two witnesses. Bring identification for both partners and, if either partner was previously married, the document proving the previous marriage ended. For a divorce granted outside Canada, municipalities ask for additional proof, and Toronto's instructions describe a sample legal opinion letter; check the municipality's document list before the appointment, because a foreign divorce that the municipality cannot accept will stop the application.
Buy the licence through a marriage licence issuer, within 3 months before the wedding. There is no waiting period between buying the licence and holding the ceremony. The cost is $100, non-refundable, and it includes the first marriage certificate, mailed after the marriage is registered. One partner may apply in person, bringing identification for both partners, and the issuer will list the documents needed for a previous marriage or a name difference. The officiant submits the registration to Vital Statistics after the ceremony, and the certificate follows by mail.
Apply at a registry agent, with both parties present, applying together in person. The government fee is $40, plus the registry agent's service fee, which varies by agent. The licence is valid for 90 days, or 3 months, and is valid only for a ceremony in Alberta. Bring identification for both partners and the documents for any previous marriage. Confirm the current fee and the document list with the registry agent before the appointment, since no Alberta marriage licence page was opened at draft time and the $40 figure rests on the registry and government summaries.
Quebec has no marriage licence. Instead, the officiant files a notice of marriage or civil union, which is published on the Directeur de l'état civil website for 20 days. The ceremony must take place within 3 months following the 20th day of publication, or a new publication is required. A dispensation from publication is possible for serious reasons, and no publication is required if the spouses are already in a civil union with each other. A marriage celebrated without the required publication and without a dispensation can be annulled. Talk to the officiant early: the officiant, not the couple, files the notice, and the 20-day clock runs from publication, not from the first conversation.
Manitoba. Buy the licence from a Vital Statistics issuer, with both parties present, at least 24 hours before the ceremony. The licence is valid for 3 months and for a ceremony in Manitoba only. No fee figure was read on the Manitoba page at draft time, so confirm the fee with the issuer.
Saskatchewan. Licences are issued by marriage licence issuers appointed by eHealth Saskatchewan's records office. The licence is valid for 90 days and takes effect the day after purchase, so buy it at least 24 hours before the ceremony. No fee figure was read on an official Saskatchewan page at draft time, so confirm the fee with the issuer.
Nova Scotia. Licences are issued by deputy issuers of marriage licences. The licence is valid for 90 days. No fee figure was read on an official Nova Scotia page at draft time, so confirm the fee with the issuer.
New Brunswick. Apply at a Service New Brunswick centre with the Marriage Licence Application and the supporting documents the centre lists. The licence fee is $115, and the licence is valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
Prince Edward Island. Apply at a records office, with both spouses attending the appointment, and the officiant must be registered and confirmed before the licence is issued. The licence is issued on site, costs $100, and is valid for 3 months.
Newfoundland and Labrador issues marriage licences through its Vital Statistics Division and Service NL offices. No fee or validity figure was read on an official page at draft time, so confirm both with the issuing office before applying; do not rely on the $50 and 30-day figures that circulate in secondary summaries. Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut each have their own licence issuer and validity rules. No fee or validity figure was read on an official page at draft time for any territory, so confirm the issuer, fee, and validity on the territory's records page.
The officiant completes the licence and registration, the couple and two witnesses sign, and the officiant returns the documents to the province. Registration creates the official record, and the certificate is ordered separately, except in British Columbia, where the first certificate is included in the licence cost and mailed after registration. Check the certificate when it arrives: names, dates, and places must match the licence. If either partner plans to take the other's surname or resume a former surname, that election is made with the marriage certificate, and no legal name change is needed for it.
No. A licence is permission to marry: it authorizes the ceremony. You are married when an authorized officiant performs the ceremony with the required witnesses and the signed licence is returned to the province for registration. Holding a licence that was never used does not make you married, and a licence that expires unused is simply gone; you apply again. After registration, a marriage certificate is the proof document, ordered separately from the vital statistics office.
It depends on the province where the ceremony will happen, and a licence is valid only in the province that issued it. In Ontario, licences are issued by municipalities, and an Ontario licence is valid anywhere in Ontario. In British Columbia, licences are issued by marriage licence issuers appointed by the province. In Alberta, licences are issued by registry agents, and the licence is valid only for a ceremony in Alberta. In Quebec there is no marriage licence at all; the officiant files a notice of marriage that is published for 20 days. In New Brunswick, apply at a Service New Brunswick centre, and in Prince Edward Island, both partners attend the appointment where the licence is issued on site.
Three months in the provinces that publish a validity period. Ontario licences are valid for 90 days from the date of issue, and the application should be made within 90 days of the intended marriage date. British Columbia licences must be bought within 3 months before the wedding. New Brunswick licences are valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Prince Edward Island licences are valid for 3 months. Manitoba licences are valid for 3 months and must be bought at least 24 hours before the ceremony. In Quebec, the ceremony must take place within 3 months following the 20th day of publication of the notice, or a new publication is required. Apply close enough to the date that the licence is still valid, and early enough that a problem with a document can be fixed.
Identification for both partners, as the issuer lists it, is the baseline everywhere. If either partner was previously married, bring the document that proves the previous marriage ended: a final divorce certificate or divorce order, or a death certificate if widowed. If a divorce was granted outside Canada, Ontario municipalities ask for additional proof, and the Toronto instructions describe a sample legal opinion letter for a foreign divorce; check your municipality's list before the appointment. Both partners must usually attend: Alberta requires both parties to apply together in person, Manitoba requires both parties to be present, and Prince Edward Island requires both spouses at the appointment. British Columbia allows one partner to apply in person with identification for both.
The fee is set by the issuer, and it varies. Toronto charges $180. Kingston charges $188. British Columbia charges $100, non-refundable, and the cost includes the first marriage certificate mailed after registration. New Brunswick charges $115. Prince Edward Island charges $100. Alberta charges a $40 government fee plus the registry agent's service fee, which varies. No fee figure was read on an official page at draft time for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador, so confirm the fee with the issuer before you go. Never assume one municipality's or province's fee applies somewhere else.
The officiant completes the licence and the marriage registration, the couple and the witnesses sign, and the officiant returns the documents to the province's vital statistics office, which registers the marriage. Registration is what creates the official record. A marriage certificate is then ordered separately from the vital statistics office, and it is the document used as proof of marriage for name changes, benefits, and immigration processes. In British Columbia, the $100 licence cost includes the first certificate, mailed after registration. Everywhere else, order the certificate after registration is complete, and check that the names, dates, and places on it match the licence.
No fee figure is stated in this guide for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador, because none was read on an official page at draft time; confirm the fee with the issuer. No validity or fee figure is stated for Yukon, the Northwest Territories, or Nunavut. No Alberta marriage licence page was opened at draft time; the $40 Alberta government fee and the 90-day validity rest on the registry and government summaries and should be confirmed with the registry agent. The Kingston $188, Greater Sudbury $179, and Peterborough $150 figures are municipal fees and do not set the fee in any other municipality.