Marriage in Canada: planning and registration

Plan your life together and check the civil marriage procedure in the province where the ceremony will take place. A religious ceremony alone does not always count for registration, and the official certificate is what you will need for any paperwork later.

1. Start with your province’s Vital Statistics office or the municipality, and ask about eligibility, identification, proof that any previous marriage ended, and translations. Requirements and documents differ between provinces.
2. Get the marriage licence before the ceremony; in Ontario, for example, it comes from an authorized municipality. The licence is permission to marry, not a marriage certificate.
3. Make sure the person performing the ceremony is legally authorized, even for a religious ceremony. Not every religious ceremony meets civil registration requirements, and ask about any marriage or divorce that happened outside Canada before you book.
4. After the ceremony, confirm the marriage was registered and request the official marriage certificate. That certificate, not the licence, is what you will be asked for later.
5. Talk openly about housing, debts, money and childcare before marrying. If you want a written financial agreement, each of you should get independent legal advice before signing, because the effects of marriage differ by province.

Caution: Marriage requirements and consequences, and the consequences of cohabitation without a registered marriage (common-law), vary by province; Ontario’s example does not automatically apply elsewhere.

Bottom line: Plan your life together and check the civil marriage procedure in the province where the ceremony will take place. A religious ceremony alone does not always count for registration, and the official certificate is what you will need for any paperwork later.

Last reviewed: 27 September 2026