Getting Married

Marriage Licence and Civil Marriage Officiant Fees as per Howick's consolidated Fees and Charges By-law

General Information

To get married in Ontario, you will require the following:

1. A Marriage Licence;
2. An authorized Marriage Officiant (Religious or Civil); and
3. Two (2) witnesses.

Marriage Licences are valid for three months (90 days) from the date of its issuance. It is recommended that you apply at least 30 days before your wedding date to ensure adequate processing time.

Marriage Licence Application Requirements

To Successfully apply for a marriage licence, both parties to the proposed marriage must:

1. Be at least eighteen (18) years of age. If any party is sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age, an additional consent form must be signed by the applicants' parents or legal guardians and submitted with the application form..
2. Complete the Marriage Licence Application - Marriage Act Form 3  in its entirety, complete with signatures from both the applicant and co-applicant.
3. Produce two original and valid pieces of government-issued ID, one (1) piece of identification must include a photo. Any copies of expired identification will not be accepted.
4. Contact the Clerk's Department at 519-335-3208 during regular business hours to set up an appointment to get your marriage licence.
5. Pay the fee as set out in the Township's Fees and Charges By-law. The fee is payable to the Township of Howick by cash, debit, cheque or online via credit card or etransfer via PaySimply. 

The following are acceptable forms of identification:

• Birth Certificate (Canadian or foreign)
• Passport (Canadian or foreign)
• Driver’s licence (Canadian or foreign
• Ontario Photo Card
• Photo identity card (other Canadian province/territory or foreign)
• Canadian Citizenship Card
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card
• Canadian record of landing
• Canadian Government Refugee Travel Document
• Canadian Department of National Defence driver’s licence (Form DND 404)
• Canadian Possession and Acquisition Licence
• Canadian Status Card
• Canadian Conditional Release Identification Card
• Nexus card
• United States Green card
• Report Pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with photo (Form IMM 1442)
• Student Authorization/Study Permit (Form IMM 1442)
• Employment Authorization/Work Permit (Form IMM 1442)
• Visitor Record (Form IMM 1442)
• Temporary Resident’s Permit (Form IMM 1442) – formally Minister’s Permit/Extension of Minister’s Permit

*Please note that an Ontario Health Card is not valid photo ID in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act.

It is not neccessary for both applicants to be present to obtain a marriage licence. One party may obtain the licence provided that the completed and signed application and accepted original identification for each applicant and any supporting documentation required are provided for both applicants. 

For applications where at least one of the applicants has been married previously, you must produce official proof of divorce from the previous marriage(s). 

1. For applicants divorced within Canada, include an original or court-certified copy of the Final Decree, Final Judgement or Certificate of Divorce with your marriage licence application. This certificate will have a seal and original signature. No photocopies will be accepted.
2. If the divorce was granted outside of Canada, please review Service Ontario's Getting Married in Ontario webpage.
3. If either party whose former marriage was dissolved or annulled outside of Canada, please visit Service Ontario's Getting Married in Ontario webpage.
4. If either party is a widow/widower, they are not required to produce a death certifcate to get a marriage licence. 

Howick Civil Marriage Officiants 

Howick Civil Marriage Officiants are available to perform a civil marriage ceremony at any reasonable time and place of your choice. Scheduling a civil marriage ceremony should take place at least four (4) weeks prior to the intended date. Efforts will be made to accommodate your desired ceremony date and time.

A list of Howick's Civil Marriage Officiants is available below. Once you have determined your desired Officiant, couples must complete and submit the Civil Marriage Officiant Booking Form to begin the booking process. The couple is encouraged, while booking the Officiant, to advise of any accessibility requirements that may need to be taken into consideration by the Officiant.

Within two (2) days of submitting the booking form, Clerk’s Department staff will contact both the Marriage Officiant and couple to confirm availability and arrange for the payment of fees.

A civil marriage ceremony booking is considered “booked” once payment has been received in full and Clerk’s Department staff have confirmed the availability of the requested Marriage Officiant.

The following individuals are authorized to perform civil marriage ceremonies, under the delegated authority of the Municipal Clerk:

• Marilyn Ashley
• Caitlin Gillis
• Jeff Hawkins
• Lynne Hunt
• Joel Watson