Marriage and Weddings

Please note: We are currently fully booked for Civil Marriage Ceremonies until September 6, 2024.

Your marriage licence will expire three months from the date of issue. The licence is non-refundable.

If you wish to hold your Civil Marriage Ceremony at the City of Richmond Hill municipal offices, please see the below details on marriage ceremonies and schedule your appointment prior to applying for your marriage licence.

Applicants can visit Access Richmond Hill in-person from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to purchase a marriage licence. Our municipal offices are located at 225 East Beaver Creek Road in Richmond Hill.

Obtain a Marriage Licence

Online Marriage Licence Application Form

Once you have completed the form, you must:

Print the completed application form submitted on-line
Sign the application (both applicants with original signatures)
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

Effective January 2024 the licence fee is $170.00 and can be paid by money order (payable to the City of Richmond Hill), Cash, Debit Card, Visa or MasterCard. Cheques are not accepted for marriage licence payments.

Divorce (if applicable)

Provide an original or court-certified copy of the Certificate of Divorce.
Divorce Orders are not accepted. You can purchase a Certificate of Divorce from the court that granted the divorce.

Divorce Outside of Canada (if applicable)

If your divorce was granted outside of Canada, you must apply for foreign divorce authorization through Service Ontario. Application instructions and detailed information can be found at the Ontario Government's website, ontario.ca

Marriage Ceremonies

Under the Marriage Act, Municipal Clerks are able to perform marriage ceremonies. This means that you can have a convenient and affordable wedding ceremony at Richmond Hill's Municipal Offices located at:

225 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4

Marriage ceremonies are performed only on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The main Municipal Offices are closed on statutory holidays.

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. We perform simple, non-denominational ceremonies that take about 15 minutes. The ceremonies are performed only on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The maximum number of guests allowed to attend ceremonies is 20.

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

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

Office of the Clerk staff will not perform ceremonies if:

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

Booking

We require two dates to be confirmed in order to secure a ceremony date: a civil ceremony date and a pre-wedding meeting.

Marriage ceremonies are performed only on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. subject to availability.

Pre-wedding meeting bookings are only Monday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. subject to availability.

We ask that the pre-wedding meeting be held at least one week prior to the ceremony. The purpose of this meeting is to pay all applicable ceremony fees, apply for your marriage licence (if applicable) and discuss details of the ceremony with your officiant.

To book your ceremony and pre-wedding meeting please email marriage@richmondhill.ca and include the following information:

• preferred date and times for both the civil ceremony and pre-wedding appointment,

• the first and last name of both parties to the intended marriage,

• and a phone number for each person.

Please note, if either party has been previously divorced, an original divorce certificate is required to obtain a marriage licence, divorce orders are not accepted. If divorced out of Canada a foreign divorce authorization letter from the Province of Ontario is required before the pre-wedding meeting.

Please note, we are unable to hold ceremony timeslots until all necessary booking information is received and you receive a confirmation by email.

Cost

Effective January 2024 the cost of a civil ceremony is $375.00, plus taxes. The Marriage Licence fee is an additional $170. 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.

Witnesses

Two witnesses must be present at your wedding ceremony. The Office of the Clerk can provide witnesses for a fee.

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

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.
Email access@richmondhill.ca with your name, phone number and application number 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.
At your appointment, you will need to:
Provide the completed application form, signed by both applicants
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
Pay the licence fee of $160 by cheque or money order (payable to the City of Richmond Hill)

Access Richmond Hill

Contact Us

Report Feedback