Marriages and Weddings

Any person over the age of 16 years old may get married in the Province of Ontario regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, citizenship status, residency, primary language or health; however, there are additional requirements for Applicants under the age of 18 years old and for those Applicants who do not read, write or understand English. For more information on age requirements for marriage, please see the Age Requirements for Marriage tab, and for information on language requirements, please see the Language Requirements for Marriage tab.

In the Province of Ontario, Applicants over the age of 16 and under the age of 18 years old require consent from their guardians in order to get married. In order to grant consent, guardians for underage Applicant(s) must be in attendance with the Applicant(s) when the marriage licence is issued, as well as must provide valid government-issued photo ID and a completed Consent of Parent or Guardian to Marriage form granting the Applicant consent to marry.

In situations where one guardian has custody of an Applicant, the guardian must present the original custody papers outlining the custody arrangement.

In situations where an Applicant is adopted, the guardian must present the original adoption papers finalizing the adoption.

You can access a fillable and printable Consent of Parent or Guardian to Marriage form on the Ontario Government's website by clicking here. If you prefer to complete a hard copy, or do not have access to a printer, forms are also available from the Town of Tillsonburg Customer Service Centre.

Yes, you can; however, additional documents are required to process your marriage licence application.

If your previous marriage was dissolved or annulled within Canada, you must present an original or certified copy of the Certificate of Divorce as proof of divorce when you apply for your marriage licence. If you do not have a Certificate of Divorce or have misplaced it, you may obtain one from the court which granted the divorce. Please note that an Order of Divorce is not accepted as proof of divorce.

If your previous marriage was dissolved or annulled outside of Canada, you must apply for a Foreign Divorce Authorization from the Province of Ontario before you can be issued a marriage licence. To apply for a Foreign Divorce Authorization, you will need to send the following documents to ServiceOntario:

• A completed and signed marriage licence application
• A statement of sole responsibility for each divorce signed by both Applicants and a witness
• A legal opinion letter from an Ontario lawyer addressed to both Applicants, giving the reasons why the divorce or annulment should be recognized in Ontario
• An original or certified copy of the divorce decree or annulment in English or French –  If the divorce decree of annulment document is in another language, a translated copy in either English or French with an affidavit sworn by a certified translator must be submitted with the original document.

For more information on the requirements for a Foreign Divorce Authorization, visit the Ontario Government's website by clicking here.

Yes, you can. If your prior spouse is deceased, you are not required to submit proof of death when applying for a marriage licence.

Following a wedding ceremony, the Applicants, their Witnesses and the Officiant sign the Record of Solemnization, the Statement of Marriage and the Marriage Register. The Officiant is responsible for sending the Statement of Marriage to the Office of the Registrar within two (2) business days of the civil ceremony to register the marriage with the Province of Ontario. Please note that it takes approximately 6-8 weeks for the Province to register a marriage. Wait times may vary.

To order your Marriage Certificate, you must complete a Marriage Certificate Request Form and submit payment to the Province. Forms can be requested from the Town of Tillsonburg Customer Service Centre, in-person at Service Ontario or accessed online on the Ontario Government's website by clicking here.

Civil ceremony services are offered Tuesday to Friday, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, holidays excluded. Requests for civil marriage ceremonies to be held on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday are approved at the discretion of the Officiant.

Civil ceremonies take approximately between 5 and 20 minutes to conduct depending on the vows selected. Plan to arrive approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled ceremony time to allow time to review any final details. Please also be mindful to tell any guests that the ceremony must start on time.

The location of the ceremony is to be determined at the time of application and will be based on space availability at Town property.

Alternate Locations
Alternate locations proposed by Applicants are approved at the discretion of the Officiant. Ceremonies held at an alternate location outside of the Town of Tillsonburg are subject to a mileage charge per the current Town of Tillsonburg Rates and Fees By-Law. For civil ceremonies occurring outside of the regular hours of operation of the Town of Tillsonburg Customer Service Centre, an alternate venue must be provided by the Applicants.

• Ceremony held in Council Chambers - $294 (+HST)
• Ceremony held at another location - $354 (+HST)
• Per Witness (Only available in Council Chambers) - $33/witness (+HST)
• Travel Outside of Town limits - current mileage rate
• Marriage Licence - $153

All fees are subject to change based on revisions to the Town of Tillsonburg’s Rates and Fees By-Law. Please confirm all fees with the Officiant before booking your civil ceremony.