Marriage Licence

The fee for a Marriage Licence in 2024 is $127.50. Effective January 1, 2025, the fee for a Marriage Licence will be $134.50.  Payment can be made by:

• Cash
• Debit

We do not accept credit card as a form of payment. 

Two pieces of valid government issued identification must be presented from both applicants. Only original identification will be accepted. One piece of identification must include your photo.

First piece of identification

First piece of identification must be one of the following:

• Original birth certificate
• Valid passport

Second piece of acceptable identification

Second piece of acceptable identification includes:

• Original Birth Certificate (with any change of name certificate, if applicable)
• Current passport
• Current driver's licence
• Aboriginal Status Card

You must be at least 18 years old to be married in Ontario without authorization or parental consent. Applicants 16 or 17 years of age may marry with the consent in writing of both parents. Please contact our office for further information.

If you received a divorce in Canada, you must provide the original or court-certified copy of the Decree Absolute or Certificate of Divorce from the court where the divorce was granted. The documents will be inspected and returned to the applicant(s) prior to issuance of the licence.

Please note that a Decree Nisi, Divorce Order, or Divorce Judgment is not acceptable proof of divorce.

Divorce outside of Canada

If you received a divorce outside of Canada, additional documentation is required. Please note that it may take 4 weeks or longer to obtain a marriage licence and the Authorization Letter is only good for 90 days.

Additional documents required

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.

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 for a sample legal opinion letter. For more information call 1-800-461-2156.

The Town of Grimsby now performs civil marriages by appointment only. Please visit our Civil Marriage Ceremony page for further details. 

If you are a widow or a widower, please provide one of the three documents listed below:

• death certificate of spouse
• funeral director's statement of death
• court order declaring that your spouse has died

The Marriage Act contains subsection 31, “Marriages solemnized in Good Faith”. This means the Town can’t issue a marriage licence or perform a marriage ceremony after another ceremony has taken place. This includes an informal, spiritual, or symbolic ceremony, e.g. destination wedding, or a ceremony performed by an unregistered officiant. (This is not applicable to previous marriages that have ended through divorce/annulment/death.)

Couples will need to get legal advice from a family lawyer. The family lawyer can assist with getting the marriage ceremony you already had validated through the courts.