Legalities
A marriage licence shows that your meet the requirements to get married and gives you the legal right to get married at any time within 3 months from the date the licence was issued.
To get a marriage licence, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old. If you are younger than 18, you will need legal consent from your parents.
- You must show acceptable identification such as a birth certificate, passport, treaty status card, Canadian Citizenship or drivers licence.
- You cannot be related to the person you wish to marry by whole blood, half blood or adoption
- You must be currently unmarried.
- If you are divorced, you must present proof the divorce is final such as a Certificate of Divorce or Decree Absolute.
- Both Parties to the marriage must apply together for their marriage licence.
DESTINATION REQUIREMENTS
Making sure you paper work is in order is a very important part of the process when planning a Destination Wedding.
Many couples select which country that they want their wedding at based on the legalities involved.
The top four countries that couples pick for a Destination Wedding are listed below. Please remember that there are many, many more countries to choose from so please contact us to ask about a country other than the ones listed here.
Our first recommendation is to start the process for getting your passport and make sure that you have your birth certificates. If you are getting married for a second time you will need your divorce papers and in the case of being a widow you will need the death certificate. We can't stress enough that you need to have your paperwork in order and we do help our clients with this in conjunction with the destination wedding coordinator to ensure that the necessary documents are completed.
MEXICO
Note that sections 2 and 3 are the only arrangements you have to do beforehand at the Mexican consulate in Toronto. A fee of $57.00 (subject to change) applies for the legalization of each document.
1. A Completed application, to be obtained in Mexico at the registry office.
2. Certified copy of the Canadian birth certificates (the long form, not the credit-card size), which must be
b). Be advised that some registry offices may request a translation into Spanish of the said documents as well as of those mentioned in the next paragraph.
3. If either party has been married before, they must present proof of the termination of that marriage in the form of a divorce certificate (original or certified copy) or a death certificate (original or certified copy). In either case these documents must be a) authenticated by the Canadian ministry of foreign affairs (authentication and service of documents section, tel. 613-995-0119) and be legalized by a Mexican consulate with jurisdiction over the place where the divorce or the spouse’s death took place. Divorced persons cannot marry in Mexico until one year after the finalization of the divorce.
4. Results of a clinical analysis (blood test), to be done in Mexico
5. Tourist card and/or visa as well as a copy of the valid passport to demonstrate migratory status (for nationals of Canada a certified copy of the birth certificate along with a piece of photo bearing identification will suffice).
6. Two legally qualified witnesses (over 18 years of age), who must be present at the ceremony.
Marriages are performed at the civil registry offices, but may be performed elsewhere for an additional fee.
A certified copy of the original marriage certificate (acta de matrimonio) may be obtained from the office of the civil registry, once the marriage has been performed. This document can be legalized by the Canadian Embassy or Canadian consulates in Mexico in order to be recognized as valid for legal purposes in Canada.
Religious marriages, which have no legal implications in Mexico, require an additional ceremony. Information about requirements must be obtained from the corresponding local church officials.
Each state in Mexico has its own marriage laws so some regulations may vary from state to state.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GETTING MARRIED IN MEXICO CONTACT:
Embassy of Mexico
1500-
Ottawa,
Tel: 613-233-8988 Fax: 613-235-9123
Mexican Government Tourist Office
Toronto,
Tel: 416-925-0704 Fax: 416-925-6061
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Couples that wish to get married in the Dominican Republic will need to present the following documents in person or by mail to the Dominican Consulate or Dominican Republic Services (a company in Toronto which assists with the paperwork and legalities for getting married in the D.R.):
-Valid passport (if sending by mail, send a photocopy of the page with the picture in it)
-Original birth certificate that includes the names of the parents. (Translated in Spanish)*
-Single Status Affidavit (translated in Spanish) (One per person).*
-Divorce Act (if married before) (translated in Spanish).*
*This document must be translated to Spanish and legalized by the consular section of the Embassy.
The two Single Status Affidavit and the Divorce Act, have to be legalized by the Legalization Section of the Dominican Consulate. Cost of legalization and translations can be verified on the website links listed below. Please note that all documents except the valid passport must be sent in original. No faxed copies or photocopies will be accepted. Please include a prepaid return envelope.
Waiting Period: There is no waiting period or minimum stay. (This is often a requirement of the resort so that they have the time to prepare for your wedding)
Witnesses: You will need two witnesses. If you provide witnesses, they will each need to bring their passport. Hotels can also provide witnesses.
Blood Test: No blood test is required.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dominican Republic Services - Toronto
(They assist with paper-work and legalities for getting married in D.R.)
Toronto,
Phone: (416) 739-1237 Fax: (416) 663-1973
E-mail: consuldom@hotmail.com
www.dominicanrepublicservices.com
Dominican Republic General Consulate - Montreal
Montreal,
Phone: (514) 284 - 5455/6600 Fax: (514) 284 - 5511
Dominican Republic General Consulate - Toronto
347 Bay St. Suite 904
Toronto,
Phone: (416) 369 - 0403/1602 Fax: (416) 369 - 1685
Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada
130 Albert Street, Suite 418
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Phone: 613-569-9893
Fax:: 613-569-8673 E-mail: info@drembassy.org
Web: www.drembassy.org
Dominican Republic Tourist Board
Montreal
2080 Crescent St.
Montreal
Tel: 514-499-1918 Toll Free: 1-800-563-1611 Fax: 514-499-1393 E-mail: Montreal@Sectur.gov.do
Toronto
35 Church St. Unit 53.
Toronto,
Tel: 416-361-2126/27 Toll Free: 1-888-494-5050 Fax: 416-361-2130 E-mail: Toronto@Sectur.gov.do
CUBA
Documents needed for getting married in Cuba
1. Birth Certificate –original or certificated copy- (Authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs)
2. Affidavit of single status –in case you have never been married before- or divorce certificate –original or certificated copy- (Authenticated by Department of Foreign Affairs)
If widowed, Certificate of Marriage and Certificate of Spouse Death.
These documents (including the Birth Certificate) must be legalized by a notary public and authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs. These documents (after being authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs) must be translated into Spanish (it can be done at our Embassy) since that one is the official language in Cuba. If they are not translated at our Embassy, a public notary should legalize the translation and the Department of Foreign Affairs should authenticate it as well before being sent to us (The Spanish version should be typewritten and without corrections or erasures, as an official document). The documents you send to us and their translations must be legalized by our Embassy for the Cuban authorities.
If the documents are not from Canada, they must be authenticated at the Embassy or Consulate in Canada of the Country they are originally from.
If you have been asked to get documents legalized by the Cuban Consulate (for any legal proceeding in Cuba) and one or more of those documents had been issued by foreign authorities (out of Canada), you must obtain a letter/certificate from the Embassy or Consulate of the country where the document was produced.
It is important that the document produced by your Embassy or Consulate has:
. Signature, name and position of the authorizing Consular or Diplomatic official.
. Seal of the Consulate or Embassy
If you did not get any document from your Embassy/Consulate, you will have to send the document to the country of origin to be duly legalized by the national authorities and by the Consulate of Cuba in that country.
We kindly remind you that all the documents must be duly notarized and officially translated into Spanish to be legalized.
The fee is $160.00 CND per document, (originals and translations separately) payable in cash, money order or certified check to the Cuban Embassy. Once legalized, the documents can be picked up personally or sent back to you in the way you wish (by a collect Courier or by ordinary mail service).
If you decide not to do it personally coming to our Embassy then you can also do it by regular mail and pay the applicable fee for non-in-person procedures. You should send a photocopy of your passport, the documents you need to be legalized, a money order or certified check for the amount of the services plus CD$32.00 for the non-in-person procedure fee, and a prepaid envelope so we can send it back to you together with the receipt.
IMPORTANT: The Birth Certificate and the Certificate of Marital Status, Divorce, etc. are different documents and they should be submitted as separate documents. No document can be accepted in Cuba without the translation into Spanish. In case of a couple, if they are going to Cuba to get married there, the documents are personal; that is to say, a Birth Certificate and a Certificate of Marital Status separately (two sets of documents for each person).
You can use the translation services of our Embassy (charges of $32.00 CAD per page). The name of the law firm in Cuba that can assist you with all the process is "Consultoria Juridica" (Calle 16 No. 314 e/ 3ra. y 5ta., Miramar, Playa, La Habana / Tel. (537) 33-2490 & 33-2697
EMBASSY OF CUBA IN CANADA
Address: 388 Main St., Ottawa,
Tel. (613) 563-0141 / Fax. (613) 563-0068
Email: cuba@embacubacanada.net
Consular Section in Ottawa
Consul: Mrs. Carmen E. Peterssen
Address: 388 Main St., Ottawa,
Tel. (613) 563-0141 / Fax. (613) 563-0068
Email: consulcuba@embacubacanada.net
Open to the public: from Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Cuban holidays (Jan. 1, May 1, July 25, 26 & 27, Oct. 10 & Dec. 25) and Canadian holidays
Consular jurisdiction: Federal Capital region (Ottawa-Hull)
CONSULATE GENERAL IN MONTREAL
Mr. Oscar Coet
Consul General
Mrs. Liliana García
Consul
Address: 4542-4546 Décarie Boulevard, Montreal,
Tel. (514) 843-8897 / 843-7559 / 843-7862 Fax. (514) 845-1063
Email: consulgralcuba@bellnet.ca
Consular Jurisdiction: Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador
CONSULATE GENERAL IN TORONTO
Mr. Laureano Cardoso
Consul General
Mrs. Marta Valdés de Saa
Consul
Address: 5353 Dundas West, Square Kipling, Suite 401-402, Toronto, ON, M9B 6H8
Tel. (416) 234-8181 / 234-1300 Fax. (416) 234-2754
Email: cubacon@on.aibn.com
Consular Jurisdiction: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, Yukon, Northwest territories & Nunavut
Embassy of Cuba / 388 Main St., Ottawa, ON, K1S 1E3 / T. (613) 563-0141 / F. (613) 563-0068 / cuba@embacuba.ca
JAMAICA
Residency Period: You can marry after just 24 hours on the island if you've applied for your license and supplied all the necessary forms.
Paperwork Requirements: This is required for both the bride and the groom.
Proof of citizenship (either a passport or a certified copy of the birth certificates signed by a notary public).
Written parental consent for those under 18 years of age.
Proof of divorce with the original or certified copy of the divorce decree if applicable.
Copy of death certificate if a previous marriage ended in death.
Blood Tests: no
Obtaining Your Marriage Certificate After the Wedding : Couples receive a certified copy of the marriage certificate four to eight months after your wedding. For US$50, you can take the Express Option and receive the certificate within four to eight weeks. ( This may vary from resort to resort.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jamaica High Commission
Ottawa,
Tel: 613-233-9311 Fax: 613-233-0611
Jamaica Tourist Board
Toronto,
Tel: 416-482-7850 Fax: 416-482-1730
Code of Ethics
We Do no accept kickbacks
We will provide to each and every client a detailed contract of all event coordination services.
We will provide all services agreed upon in the contract which will be signed by both the client and the coordinator before comencement of any services.
We will proide industry comparable pricing with No hidden fees
We will endeavor to benefit our clients, and as such will only recommend vendors on merit, in the best interest of the client and not the vendor.
We will not guarantee your special event or wedding will be perfect, however we will guarantee that we will do everything possible to ensure that it is “Your Dreams Desires” and as close to perfection as possibible.
