Getting Married Across Canada

Marriage is federal in Canada; getting married is provincial. The licence, the waiting period, the witnesses and who is permitted to officiate all change at the border, and couples planning across provinces are frequently caught by it.

The pattern is straightforward once you see it. Every province issues a licence with a validity window, commonly 90 days, but not everywhere, and most require no waiting period between issue and ceremony. Quebec is the significant exception: civil and religious ceremonies both run through a publication requirement, and the timeline is longer than couples expect.

Officiants vary more than licences do. Some provinces register individual officiants; others authorise them through religious bodies or the courts. A friend ordained online is not universally sufficient, verify against the provincial registry before you build a ceremony around them.

2 witnesses over the age of majority are effectively universal. Bring identification for everyone signing, confirm name spellings before the day, and give the licence to your planner rather than leaving it in a hotel room.