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Marriage Licence - Getting Married

exclamation point icon You can purchase a marriage licence at City Hall in Oshawa, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or from any other municipal office in Ontario.

Only the Applicant and/or Joint Applicant can purchase a marriage licence. Both parties do not have to be present to apply. But the person present for the application must have two pieces of original identification for the applicant not present.

Under 18 years old: you will need written consent from both your parents. You can get consent forms where you get a marriage licence.

The fee for a marriage licence is $125. Payment may be made by cash, debit, MasterCard, Visa or American Express.

The marriage licence is valid for 90 days from the date it was issued anywhere in the province of Ontario.

information icon Get more marriage licence information from Service Ontario.

Applying for a Marriage Licence

To apply for a marriage licence you will need:

a completed and signed application form (application link See Section 4 - How to get a marriage licence)
2 pieces of original government-issued identification for each person getting married

Examples of government issued identification are:

government-issued birth certificate, including any change of name certificates
valid passport
record of immigrant landing
Canadian Citizenship Card
valid driver's licence
valid Ontario Photo Card

Please note that health cards are not generally accepted as identification, for more information regarding health cards; please contact Licensing Services directly at 905-436-3311 ext. 2428.

Assuming your name after marriage

After you get married you can decide if you would like to assume your married name. Legally in Ontario you don't have to assume your married name (surname). If you wish to assume your married name, the legal document you have to provide is your Marriage Certificate. You would assume your married name in all aspects of your life. You have to update your identification, financial institutions, and your employer. You assume your name with everything except your birth certificate and social insurance card (SIN). They always stay in your maiden name. If you have any other questions about assuming your married name please contact Service Ontario.

Remarry After Divorce

Divorced in Canada

You will need to bring official proof of the divorce with you when you apply for a marriage licence. This can be the original or a court-certified copy of one of the three (3) documents listed below:

the final decree
the final judgment
a certificate of divorce

Divorced Outside Canada

If you were divorced outside of Canada, you will need to provide certain documents to prove that you are no longer married. The government needs to validate these documents. This process can take up to 4 weeks.

You will need to send the following documents to Service Ontario:

marriage licence application form: completed and signed
statement of sole responsibility: for each divorce (signed by both people who are planning to get married and a witness)
legal opinion letter: from an Ontario lawyer, addressed to both people who plan to get married, giving reasons why the divorce or annulment should be recognized in Ontario
divorce decree or annulment: an original or court-certified copy in English or French. If the decree is in another language, you will need to include a translated copy and an affidavit sworn by a certified translator.

Please mail these documents directly to:

Service Ontario
Marriage Office
P.O. Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8

You can also contact their office for a sample legal opinion letter. For more information: call Service Ontario at 1-800-461-2156.