Marriage Licences

Before your big day, you need a marriage licence!  To be legally married in Ontario, you must first get a marriage licence and then have a ceremony performed by an authorized official. Once your marriage licence is issued, you can use it immediately, and it is valid for 90 days anywhere in Ontario.

Age requirements to get married

  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old
  • Applicants aged 16 or 17 need consent from both parents or the parent with custody
  • No one under 16 can marry

Book an appointment

  • Contact the Clerk's Department at 905-356-7521 ext. 0
  • Appointments are available Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, excluding holiday closures
  • A  marriage licence can be issued within 30 minutes if all requirements are met

Marriage licence application

Application

Fill out the application before your appointment.

  1. Fill out the Marriage Licence Application online form
  2. Both parties must complete and sign the online form. Click the "Save and Submit" button to save your application.
  3. When you arrive at your appointment, your information can be retrieved

Pay the fees

  • The Marriage License fee is non-refundable. Get the current price on the Schedule of Fees page.
  • Payment can be made in cash or with a Canadian debit card

Complete the form

What to bring to your appointment

Identification

  • One piece of ID must be a birth certificate or passport
  • The second piece must be a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s licence, age of majority card, or passport. Health cards are not accepted

Your completed marriage licence application form

If only one applicant can attend the appointment, they must bring the completed form signed by both parties and the required ID

Divorce or annulment documentation (only if applicable)

If you are getting remarried, then you need to provide additional documents.

Bring proof of the divorce. This can be a court-certified copy of a certificate of divorce, the final decree, or the final judgment.

You will need to prove that you are no longer married. You or your lawyer must submit specific documents to be validated through ServiceOntario. They may take up to four weeks to process, so please allow enough time to complete this before your marriage licence appointment. 

For a complete list of documents, please visit serviceontario.ca.

Marriage ceremony

If you are interested in getting married at City Hall, visit our Civil Marriage Ceremonies page.

Marriage certificate

A marriage licence is needed before the ceremony, and a marriage certificate is requested after you are married. ServiceOntario is the only government source for issuing marriage certificates.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can; however, please allow ample time. If documentation or identification is not in order, you could add hours to the processing time, or worse, you could be denied the issuance of a licence. American couples should plan for possible travel or bridge delays.

No. A Marriage licence can only be issued to the applicant and/or joint applicant with both their signatures on the application and both applicants' applicable identification.

Yes. All information about marriage licences on this site also applies to same-sex marriages in Ontario.

No. However, a Marriage Licence can only be issued to the Applicant and/or Joint Applicant with both of the Applicants signatures on the application and both applicants applicable identification must be presented, even if only one applicant is present.

You don’t need a marriage licence if you have your banns read in a church and the banns are registered with the Ontario Government. Please check with your Minister/Priest or see if the Banns are available to be read for your marriage ceremony in place of purchasing a marriage licence.

No. If your spouse has died, you do not need proof of death to get a marriage licence.

Blood tests or medical certificates are not required in Ontario.

Contact Us

City of Niagara Falls
4310 Queen Street
P.O. Box 1023
Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5
Canada
905-356-7521
clerk@niagarafalls.ca