Main content of the website

  • font size:A
  • A
  • A

Getting Married

Getting Married?

Did you know that the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands can provide you with a marriage license and perform Civil Marriage Ceremonies.  

Age minimum

You need to be at least 16 years old to get married in Ontario.

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

Before you get married, you need either:

  • a marriage licence, or
  • a banns form that you get from a church when you publicly announce your commitment during a divine service (a church publishes this declaration, called “the publication of banns”)

Banns cannot be published if you or your spouse has been married before. You will need to get a marriage licence.

You and your spouse, witnesses and the person who performed the marriage will need to sign the licence or banns immediately after the ceremony.

How to get a marriage licence

To get a marriage licence, you will need to:

  • bring 2 pieces of government-issued identification for each person getting married. One piece of identification must include your photo and the other piece of identification must be a Birth Certificate. 
    Examples of government-issued identification:
    • 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
  • If you have been divorced within Canada, please bring your divorce papers with you as well. PLEASE NOTE: Our municipality can only provide a Marriage License for  previously divorced applicants who were divorced WITHIN CANADA. 
  • pay a fee (fees vary and depend on the municipality)

A marriage licence is valid for 90 days from the date it was issued.

Download the Marriage Licence Application form (PDF)

Remarry after a 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 three documents:

  • the final decree
  • the final judgment
  • a certificate of divorce

Out-of-country divorces

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

Note: Completed Foreign Divorce Authorizations are sent to applicants by courier.  It is important that your full mailing address including suite/unit/apartment and buzzer number is included on the marriage licence application form, or the courier package cannot be delivered and returned to ServiceOntario.

Get a marriage licence application form

Get a statement of sole responsibility form

Please mail these documents directly to:

ServiceOntario
Marriage Office
PO Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay ON  P7B 6L8

You can also contact this office to have a sample legal opinion letter faxed to your lawyer.

For more information 

Please visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/getting-married or call the Registry Office at  1-800-461-2156 (toll-free).


Booking one of our Authorized Wedding Officiants

The Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands is authorize by the Province of Ontario to perform Civil Wedding Ceremonies, under the Marriage Act. To find our more information regarding booking one of our wedding officiants, please contact:
Pam Myers, Clerk at (705) 368-3500 ext. 228 or email pcress@townofnemi.on.ca.

Please click here for our sample Civil Wedding Ceremonies. 


Town of NEMI Fees- Marriage License & Marriage Ceremony

Marriage License$150.00
Marriage Ceremony
During Business Hours (8:30am-4:30pm, Monday to Friday)$175.00
After Business Hours (After 4:30pm, Monday to Friday)$300.00
Weekends (Saturdays & Sundays)$400.00