How do we get married in Ontario?

To get married in Ontario, you usually must first apply for a marriage licence from the Ontario government. To do this, you must:

• fill out a Marriage Licence Application form and bring it to the municipal office of any city or town in Ontario, and
• pay a fee.

Once you get a marriage licence, you and your partner must have a marriage ceremony within 90 days. This can be a religious or civil ceremony.

Your ceremony must also be performed by someone with the legal power to marry people, such as a judge, justice of the peace, or religious official.

Both you and your partner must attend the marriage ceremony. You cannot get married over the phone or Internet. You can't have someone else go to the ceremony for you.

After you get married, you can apply for a marriage certificate to prove that you are married. It is a good idea to keep your marriage certificate in a safe place. You might need it to do things like:

• apply for certain social benefits
• settle an estate after someone dies
• change your last name
• get divorced