Marriage and Weddings

Age Requirements

Both parties participating in the wedding ceremony must be at least 18 years old to get married in Ontario. Written consent from both parents is needed for those who are 16 or 17 years old. Consent forms are available at all municipal offices within the province.

Ceremony

Ceremonies are performed by Office of the Clerk staff by appointment only. Our ceremony room holds up to 30 guests. We perform simple, non-denominational ceremonies that take about 15 minutes. The ceremonies are performed on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Ceremonies are performed in English. You must arrange for an interpreter if you need one.

Call the Office of the Clerk at 905-771-8800 to book your ceremony or for more information about civil marriage ceremonies.

Please Note: If you have had a religious ceremony performed, in any country, a marriage licence cannot be issued to you as you are considered married.

Exceptions

• One or both parties are under physical or mental force
• One or both parties fail to meet the age requirements
• The parties are related as grandparent, parent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
• One or both parties are currently married
• One or both parties are mentally ill or under the influence of alcohol or drugs and not able to understand the nature of the marriage contract and the duties, obligations and responsibilities that result from marriage

Cost

The cost of a civil ceremony is $369.51, including taxes. The Marriage Licence fee is an additional $159. You can pay the ceremony fees at the time of your pre-wedding meeting. We accept cash, debit, personal cheque, Visa or MasterCard.

Photography

Feel free to bring a photographer to your civil marriage ceremony.

There are also a lot of great locations in Richmond Hill for wedding, engagement and family photos. Learn more about photography locations and permits.

Pre-Wedding Meeting

Obtaining a Marriage Licence 

Your marriage licence will expire three months from the date of issue. To receive a marriage licence, you must follow these steps:

1. Complete a marriage application online and print it. Do not use all capital letters – information should be entered using both capital and lower case letters.
2. Email access@richmondhill.ca to make an appointment at our municipal office to complete the processing. Only one person can attend the appointment. Call 905-771-8800 for further information.
3. At your appointment, you will need to:
   1. Provide the completed application form, signed by both applicants
   2. Show two pieces of original government-issued identification for both applicants. Photocopies are not accepted. We accept:
   • Birth Certificate
   • Current Passport
   • Record of Immigrant Landing
   • Driver’s Licence
   • Canadian Citizenship Card
   • Permanent Resident’s Card
   • Change of Name Certificate
   3. Pay the licence fee of $159. It is payable by cash, cheque, debit, Visa or MasterCard

Divorce

If either marriage applicant is divorced, you are required to present an original or court-certified copy of the Certificate of Divorce. Photocopies are not accepted. You can get your divorce certificate from the court that granted your divorce.