If you plan to get married in Ontario, you can get a marriage licence at Port Colborne City Hall.
We issue Marriage Licences between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

The City of Port Colborne now provides civil Marriage Ceremonies at City Hall. Visit our Civil Marriage Ceremonies webpage for more details.

Marriage licence application

Complete a Marriage Licence Application Form and make sure that both applicants sign it.

Visit Service Ontario to complete a Marriage Licence Application Form. You will be required to have Adobe Reader 8 or higher to complete the form.

The place of marriage and date of marriage must be included on the application. A blank licence will not be issued.

If both of you are not able to apply in person for the Marriage Licence, the person applying must bring in two valid pieces of identification for the other person (from the first and second piece of identification list).

A marriage licence is valid for use anywhere in Ontario for 90 days.

You can also pick up a Marriage Licence application at City Hall located at 66 Charlotte Street, Port Colborne, Ontario L3K 3C8.

If your documents that you are submitting are in a language other than English, you are required to have your documents translated into English, by a certified translator.

Processing Time

The process takes approximately 30 minutes to issue a licence, so long as all the necessary documents are presented and your marriage application has been completed. 

Fees

The Marriage Licence fee is $130.00. We accept:

  • Cash
  • Debit
  • Credit Card (2.40% convenience fee charge)

Identification

Two pieces of valid government issued identification must be presented by both applicants. We do not accept photocopies.

First piece of identification must be one of the following:

  • Original Birth Certificate (including any change of name certificates)
  • Passport

Second piece of government photo Identification: examples

  • Driver's Licence
  • Ontario Photo ID Card
  • Passport (if not used as the first piece of ID)
  • Current Canadian Citizenship Card 
  • Record of Immigrant Landing with photo / Permanent Residency Card with photo

Age requirements

You must be at least 18 years old to be married in Ontario. Any applicant who is 16 or 17 years of age must have both parents’ written consent or their legal gaurdians. Please see issuer for Form 6 - Consent of Parent or Gaurdian to Marriage.

Divorces

If you have been divorced within Canada, you must provide the original or a court certified copy of the Certificate of Divorce or the Decree Absolute from the court where the divorce was granted.

Please note

A Decree Nisi, Divorce Order or Divorce Judgement is not acceptable proof of Divorce. 

Divorced outside of Canada

If you have been divorced outside of Canada, you must obtain Authorization from the Minister of Government Services before a Marriage Licence can be issued.

You will need to send the following documents to Service Ontario:

  • Marriage Licence Application Form: completed and signed by both applicants.
  • Divorce Decree or Annulment: an original or court-certified copy. If the decree is in a language other than English or French, include a translated copy together with an affidavit sworn by the translator.
  • Statement of Sole Responsibility Form: for each divorce, signed by both applicants.
  • Legal Opinion Letter: from an Ontario Lawyer, addressed to both applicants, giving reason why the divorce or annulment should be recognized in Ontario.

Service Ontario will fax a sample legal opinion letter to your lawyer.

This process can take up to 4 weeks.

Please mail these documents directly to:

Service Ontario – The Office of the Registrar General

189 Red River Road

PO Box 4600

Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8

Contact 1-800-461-2156 for further information. 

Widow/widower

If you are a widow or widower, the City does not require proof of death of your former spouse.

Marriage certificate

If you have been married in Ontario, you may apply for an official government copy of your marriage certificate, 12 weeks after the ceremony has taken place.

You can apply for a Marriage Certificate through Service Ontario. Before you can get a Marriage Certificate, your marriage needs to be registered.

It is the responsibility of the person who performed the marriage to forward the signed Marriage Licence to Service Ontario.