Marriage

Marriage Licences and Civil Wedding Ceremonies 

The Town of Cobourg has been selected as one of six municipalities in Ontario to pilot a new online marriage license program, making it less complicated and more convenient for Ontario couples to register. 

You can now register for your Marriage Licence online through Service Ontario. 

Apply for a Marriage Licence 

Information Required to Complete your Marriage Licence:

• The proposed date of your marriage, which must be within 3 months of today’s date in order to submit your application online
• The municipality where you want to go to obtain your licence
• The proposed place of marriage (city/town/reserve)
• The names, dates of birth, provinces/territories of birth, countries of birth (as it was known at the time of your births, even if it is no longer used), addresses and contact information for both applicants
• The marital status of each applicant
  • Divorce certificates are required for those who have been previously married The names and countries of birth (country name as it was known when the parent was born) for each applicant’s parent(s)
• Photographs or scans of two pieces of government-issued identification with at least one being photo identification (ID), for each application (four total)

Replacement licence and marriage certificates

Learn how to get a replacement licence or how to get your marriage certificate after the ceremony.

Licence expiry and cancellation

A marriage licence is valid anywhere in Ontario for 90 days from the date of issue.

Marriage licence fees are non-refundable after purchase.

Marriage after divorce

If a previous marriage was dissolved or annulled within Canada, you must provide your original or certified true copy of the Decree Absolute or Certificate of Divorce with your marriage licence application. You can get a certified copy from the court that originally granted the divorce. We do not accept divorce judgments.

Out-of-country divorces

If you were divorced outside of Canada, you will need to provide certain documents to prove that you are no longer married. The government needs to validate these documents. This process can take up to 4 weeks.

To begin this process, visit the Province of Ontario's Getting married | ontario.ca 

Civil marriage ceremonies

You can book a civil marriage ceremony with the Town if you're looking for a simple, non-religious ceremony. We conduct civil marriage ceremonies at Victoria Hall within the Court Room. Ceremonies typically last about 15 minutes. Pictures and video may be taken during the ceremony provided there is no disruption of the ceremony.

Civil wedding ceremonies are scheduled every Friday afternoon at 1pm, 2pm or 3pm. 

Booking a ceremony

To book a civil wedding ceremony, please call 905-372-4301 or email weddings@cobourg.ca  to enquire about your preferred date and time. 

Civil Ceremony Wedding Agreement 

Once you have confirmed your preferred wedding date and time, you must complete the attached Civil Ceremony Wedding Agreement. Ceremony dates cannot be confirmed until we receive the signed agreement along with payment in full. 

Please note you do not have to have a Marriage Licence prior to booking a Civil Marriage Ceremony; however, you are required to provide one a minimum of ten (10) days before the Ceremony date. 

Fees and requirements

The fee for a civil marriage ceremony is $300, to be paid by cash or debit. 

At the time of booking your wedding ceremony, you will need to provide:

• Your completed Civil Marriage Ceremony Booking Agreement
• Ceremony fee (paid in full at time of booking) 
• A valid Province of Ontario marriage licence (please arrange for your licence before the meeting)
• A valid piece of photo ID for each partner (Parental consent is required for those 16- or 17-years-old).

Ineligibility

We will not formalize the marriage of any person if:

• One or both parties are under physical or mental duress
• 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 under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs and incapable of understanding the nature of the marriage contract and duties, obligations and responsibilities of marriage