Marriages

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.

To get a marriage licence, you will need:

• Two (2) pieces of original identification are required for each applicant; photocopies will not be accepted. One piece of identification must establish proof of identity and the second piece must be photo identification. 

Examples of valid government issued identification documents:

• Government-issued birth certificate, including any change of name certificates
• Valid passport
• Record of Immigrant Landing
• Canadian Citizenship Card
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card

Examples of valid government issued photo ID:

• Valid driver's licence
• Valid passport
• Valid Ontario Photo Card
• Valid Native Status Card
• Nexus Card

If a valid passport is used as the identity document, it cannot also be used as the photo I.D.

The fee for a marriage licence from the Township of Havelock-Belmont Methuen is $125.00

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

Marriage Licence Application Form (Printable)

Marriage Licence Application Form (Fillable)

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 the three documents:

• The final decree
• The final judgement
• A certificate of divorce

A Divorce Order or Decree Nisi is not acceptable. Certified copies can be obtained from the court that granted the divorce. Photocopies will not be accepted. 

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 ServiceOntario:

• 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.

A marriage certificate is the legal record of a marriage. It lists the date and place of the marriage and names of the people who were married. Marriage certificates are issued by the Registrar General.

You need this to:

• Show legal proof you are married
• Apply for certain social benefits
• Settle an estate
• Change a last name

A record of solemnization of marriage is not the same thing as a marriage certificate.

Before you can get a marriage certificate, a marriage needs to be registered by the Province.

The official who performed the marriage will do this by sending a complete and signed marriage licence to Service Ontario.

Order a Marriage Certificate

When you get married, you don't have to legally change your last name (surname). But if you choose to legally change your last name, you can do so through ServiceOntario.

Change Your Last Name