Foreign divorce legal opinion letter – to get married in Toronto
For those wishing to get married in Ontario, but have previously been divorced outside of Canada, it is necessary to obtain a legal opinion letter. This makes it possible to then obtain the marriage licence without which it is not possible to get married.
In our office we would be more than happy to help you with this procedure. You may send an email to whiteside777@gmail.com or feel free to contact us by Whatsapp at (647) 573 4831 
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This letter is a letter written by an Ontario lawyer, indicating that she/he has reviewed your divorce certificate and has interviewed you about the details, and that in their opinion the divorce is valid pursuant to Canadian law.
The preparation of this letter is a process that takes a couple of days. Before that, the couple planning to get married will be required to sign a retainer agreement (online or in person), and to this end they must present their ID’s and original documents in a previously scheduled meeting.
According to the government’s requirements, that letter must be addressed to the couple who plan to get married and it is for this reason that both persons must be personally involved in the procedure.
If you use our services you will get an original letter signed by an Ontario lawyer, accepted by Service Ontario to complete the Foreign Divorce Authorization needed to get a marriage licence.
Documentation
The necessary documents to be brought to our office or to be sent by email for an initial evaluation are the following:
- Certified translation of the divorce certificate (if it is not in English or French) – we can help you with this service.
- Original certificate of divorce or a court-issued certified copy.
- IDs of both persons.
Our office address is: 1281 Weston Rd., Toronto, ON M6M 4R2
After receiving the documents, we will arrange an appointment.
The letter can be ready within a couple of days after this meeting.
Documents to send to Service Ontario
Once you receive the legal opinion letter, you must send it along with the other documents. This is the list of what you should include:
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- Marriage licence application form, duly filled out and signed by both parties who are going to get married. Once signed, it is valid for 3 months. See an example
- Statement of sole responsibility signed by both parties, before a witness. See example
- Divorce certificate or sentence, original or court-certified copy.
- Official translation, if any of the documents are not in English or French.
- Original legal opinion letter.
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Marriage licence application: Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Georgina, Caledon, Bradford, Oshawa, Newmarket, Oakville, Whitby, Milton, Guelph,
Marriage licence form in pdf format
You must send all these documents via Express Post or a similar service.
The validation process by Service Ontario takes around 3 to 4 weeks and they will answer you with an authorization letter to get married. If you included your original divorce documents, they will return those to you as well. Under certain circumstances, it is possible to obtain this letter in less time, but this is up to the discretion of the reviewing authority. Should you require more information on this subject, you may call Service Ontario at 1-800-461-2156.
Address
This is the address to send all the documents related to the divorce described in points 1 to 5:
Service Ontario
Marriage Office
PO Box 4600
189 Red River Road
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 6L8
Since Service Ontario’s evaluation process takes 3 to 4 weeks, we recommend that you plan your wedding well ahead of time.
Book a Marriage Licence appointment
Once you have the foreign divorce authorization letter which allows you to remarry, you may take the documents to City Hall. You must make an appointment to do this. Here is the link for making an appointment.
These are the documents to be taken to City Hall so that you can (finally!) get married: the marriage licence along with the authorization letter received from Service Ontario, the necessary IDs and $160*.
* Cost may vary according to municipality.
The marriage licence is valid for 90 days and may only be used in Ontario.
Any person who fulfills the requirements mentioned above may get married in Ontario, regardless of immigration status. You may get married if you are a tourist, resident, citizen, student or have no legal status.
Identification requirements:
- The IDs must show your legal name and date of birth.
- They must be original (photocopies or scans are not accepted).
- Your complete names must appear in both IDs and they must coincide.
- The IDs may be from any country provided they are government issued.
At the city hall, each person must present 2 pieces of official ID (at least one of them must include your photo). Here are some examples:
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- Birth certificate issued by a government entity (religious certificates not accepted).
- Valid (unexpired) passport.
- Permanent resident card.
- Citizenship card.
- Valid driver’s licence.
- Ontario photo ID card.
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If any of the documents are not in English or French, you will need an official translation for them to be accepted. We will gladly help you with your translations if your documents are in Spanish.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Whiteside is an ATIO-certified translator (working in English and Spanish). He lives in Toronto, Ontario.
We have experience translating documents from all Hispanic countries:
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, España, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Whiteside Translations and Legalizations
Jonathan and Adriana Whiteside
(416) 244 4831
1281 Weston Rd., Toronto, ON M6M 4R2
adriana.whiteside@gmail.com
whiteside777@gmail.com
We serve: Vaughan, Brampton, Mississauga, Markham, Richmond Hill, Barrie, Newmarket, Bradford, Georgina, Whitby, Ajax, Caledon, Milton, Oakville, Oshawa, York, North York, Stouffville, Burlington
