Marriage Licensing

A marriage licence may be obtained Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at City Hall in Oshawa or from any other municipal office in Ontario.

The fee for a marriage licence in Oshawa is $125. You may purchase your licence up to and including the same day you get married and the licence is valid for three months from the date of issue. Payment may be made by cash, cheque, debit card, MasterCard or Visa credit cards.

A marriage licence can be issued only to the bride and/or groom.

Both parties must sign the Marriage Licence application form.

Identification is required for both parties to the intended marriage, regardless of whether both parties attend the office. You may provide your birth certificate, any change of name certificates, current passport, Record of Immigrant Landing or Canadian citizenship card as proof of identity along with photo identification. The issuer will take a copy of the identification provided and attach it to the marriage licence application.

Any person 16 or 17 years of age wishing to be married requires written consent from their legal guardian. A special consent form is available at our office. Proof of age must also be provided.

Proof of age may be required for any other applicant.

Marriage ceremonies are not performed on the City of Oshawa premises, however, the Licensing Office can provide a list of officiates who will perform ceremonies outside of a church and civic centres that will perform ceremonies on site.

If an applicant was married before and divorced in Canada, we require the original or certified copy of the Decree Absolute or Certificate of Divorce. These documents will be returned to you immediately.

If a divorce was granted outside Canada, a Statement of Sole Responsibility must be taken to an Ontario lawyer and the lawyer must witness both the bride's and groom's signatures. The lawyer must also prepare a Letter of Opinion stating the divorce is valid. These two documents must be either:

Hand delivered to:

Pick Up/Inquiry Desk, Area B
Office of the Registrar General
900 Bay Street, Room M2-49
2nd Floor, MacDonald Block
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1Y5

or mailed to:

Office of the Registrar General
P.O. Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6L8

An Authorization to Issue a Marriage Licence will be prepared by the Office of the Registrar General and returned to you by mail within approximately two weeks. This is the document required in order to obtain your marriage licence, rather than the divorce papers from outside Canada. If you have further questions concerning this procedure, please call either the Office of the Registrar General at 416-965-1687 or 1-800-461-2156 or Licensing Section of Oshawa City Clerk Services at 905-436-3311.

Please note that additional information and application forms for Vital Statistics (i.e. marriage licence applications) are available from the Office of the Registrar General.

There are no residency, medical or citizenship requirements that must be met in order to obtain a Marriage Licence.

Contact: